Gareth Hoskins News Feed

Manchester Architecture & Design Festival 19 April - 14 May 2010

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:25:00 +0000

The Manchester Architecture & Design Festival (MADF) encourages interaction between the Design community and the people of Manchester. The programme of events between 19 April and 14 May 2010 have been organised in collaboration with the Manchester Society of Architects, EASA2010, Manchester School of Architecture, MSSA, CUBE and RIBA North West at various venues across Manchester. The key aims of the festival are to establish a working relationship between practitioners in Manchester and students at Manchester School of Architecture; raise awareness of architecture among the people of Manchester; and promote new links within the creative industries. Two of Gareth Hoskins Architects Directors have been invited to take part in MADF. Gareth Hoskins will be taking part in a debate on Monday 19 April in the John Rylands Library in Deansgate, and acting as a judge in CUBE on Tuesday 20 April. Gary Johnson will be holding a model making workshop for Manchester students at the University on Friday 30 April.

>> for more information see http://www.madf.co.uk/

Gareth Hoskins Architects & Duddingston House win at former Edinburgh Royal High

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:55:27 +0000

Gareth Hoskins Architects with client Duddingston House Properties beat off competition from more than 50 bidders for the redevelopment of Edinburgh’s iconic former Royal High School. The winning proposals are for an arts hotel, with restaurant, spa, cafe and public gallery spaces.

The imposing building, which towers above the Old Town, was built in 1829. It was intended to hold the debating chamber for the proposed Scottish Assembly which failed to materialise after the 1979 referendum. It was then later considered as the venue for the Scottish Parliament but was rejected in favour of the new building at Holyrood. The £35 million redevelopment will bring the A-listed building back into public use for the first time since 1968.

Gdansk University Exhibition and Lecture

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:23:00 +0000

Gareth Hoskins Architects is pleased to have been invited to show an exhibition of our work at the Architecture Dept. of Gdansk University of Technology. Our Director Gary Johnson attended the exhibition opening and gave a lecture on the approach of the practice and our recent projects. Gary will be returning to the University in March to attend some tutorials.

The exhibition will be on display until the end of February at Gdansk University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture, ul. Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gda?sk Wrzeszcz, POLAND.

Ballymena Health & Care Centre Proposals Revealed

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:31:00 +0000

The collaborative architectural team of Gareth Hoskins Architects and Keppie Design have submitted proposals for planning approval for a new £14M Health and Care Centre in Ballymena. The Centre is the first in a series of new healthcare projects the two practices have been appointed to design for the Northern Health Trust through the PCCI Framework for Northern Ireland Health Estates.

The new Ballymena Health and Care Centre brings together a wide range of primary, intermediary, diagnostic and community health facilities serving the town of Ballymena and the wider Northern Trust catchment area. The new building occupies a prominent position along the street frontage of the existing Braid Valley Hospital site. The departments are split across 2 floors organised around an internal atrium and an open courtyard, with a third floor of Trust services and office accommodation above.

The atrium acts as a main arrival and reception space providing clear orientation and circulation to the different departments. The atrium and courtyard also act as main elements of the BREEAM excellent sustainability strategy for the building, allowing natural daylight and ventilation to reach the large number of cellular spaces that make up each department.

Gareth Hoskins Awarded OBE

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:09:00 +0000

Congratulations to our Director, Gareth Hoskins for his success in the 2010 New Year’s honours list. Gareth has been awarded an OBE for ‘Services to Architecture’.

Gareth Hoskins Architects wins Aberdeen Art Gallery

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:00:47 +0000

Gareth Hoskins Architects are pleased to announce that the practice has won a national competition for the £17M redevelopment and expansion of the grade A listed Aberdeen Art Gallery. The gallery is a significant building within the city and houses a great collection, particularly of Scottish Colourists and contemporary artists.

Gareth Hoskins Architects’ submission proposes various alterations to relocate existing facilities, improve access from the street and public circulation within the galleries, together with the addition of the new back of house service extension, and also the formation of a new series of spaces at rooftop level that will create a striking new presence for the Gallery within the City and help to meet the client’s aspirations of attracting a wider audience.

Gareth Hoskins Architects design team for the gallery redevelopment comprises Buro Happold, Davis Langdon, Speirs & Major, Andrew Wright and Ailsa Project Management.

Manchester Society of Architects Lecture

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0100

By popular request Gareth Hoskins has been asked to speak as part of the Manchester Society of Architects 2009-2010 lecture programme. Gareth will be speaking at the Centre for the Urban Built Environment, 113-115 Portland Street, Manchester at 7pm on the evening of 03 December 2009 (date changed from November 09). The invitation has been extended because the socitey considers that Gareth Hoskins Architects demonstrates consistently high standards of architecture with innovative solutions to design. Last year’s lecture series included talks by Tony Fretton and Glenn Howells.

For more information check the MSA website here.

Scotland's Town Centres Conference

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:28:00 +0100

Gareth Hoskins has been asked to speak at the ‘Vital and Vibrant Town Centres Conference 2009 – Town Centres: The Fight Back’ at Perth Concert Hall on 24 November 2009. Chaired by Ross Martin, Centre for Public Policy, and opened by Alex Neil MSP, Minister for Housing & Communities, the conference covers the current economic backdrop; investing in the future; building partnerships – with a focus on Business Improvement Districts and European partnerships; being the best of the best; forging good relationships with developers; and the branding/selling of Scotland’s towns.

Gareth will be speaking in the afternoon session on the subject of ‘Being the Best of the Best’, elaborating on the impoartance of getting the whole package right and striving for the highest standards for our towns and city centres.

For more information about the conference, tickets and speaker biographies check the website here

Living the City Conference

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:23:10 +0100

Gareth Hoskins to speak at the Living the City Conference at Plymouth University on September 11th 2009. The conference focuses on the ‘post-regenerated’ city, concentrating on the themes of conservation, culture, transport, habitation and energy. Joined by fellow speakers Ben Hamilton-Baillie, Didier Repellin, Ton Schaap and Michael Pawlyn Gareth will cover “The role of culture and cultural institutions in regenerating the city”.

For more information about the conference, tickets and speaker biographies check the ACD&C website here.

Gareth Hoskins Architects wins Helensburgh Pool

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:28:00 +0100

Gareth Hoskins Architects have recently won through competitive interview the project for a new swimming pool and community facility in Helensburgh, the home of Mackintosh’s Hill House. The new facility will replace the existing 1970’s pool building that sits on the waterfront of the conservation designated town, overlooking the Clyde estuary.

Gareth Hoskins Architects are working with PMR Leisure, Buro Happold and Gardiner & Theobald and will present initial ideas to the Council’s Area Committee in December.

Sustainable Credit - Culloden Visitor Centre ranked third top low-carbon building

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 02:59:00 +0100

The Architects Journal recently revealed Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre as having the third lowest predicted carbon emissions of all those studied. It highlighted a case study of the six buildings with the lowest predicted annual CO2 emissions for their type. The centre scored 14.95kg/m2 Annual predicted CO2 emissions.
This outstanding performance is due to a number of factors. The centre’s low, compact form reduces heat loss and wind exposure, while its orientation maximises natural ventilation and daylight. South-facing glass is screened by the roof overhang and external louvres. Wind-driven passive ventilation is supplemented by fans in the roof cowls. The biomass boiler, using wood chips harvested within a 10 mile radius, reduces CO2 emissions by an estimated 55 per cent.
The AJ’s Hattie Hartman called on all architects to follow suit, demanding, “ Is it really too much to ask architects to take as much care with energy data as they do with photographs for a building study?” She continued, “It is great to see examples of green architecture which are also good design.”

Royal Approval for Culloden

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre made national news when the Queen visited on 29th June to become the first British monarch to set foot on Culloden battlefield. After unveiling a plaque to mark her visit and accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen spent more than two hours meeting National Trust for Scotland staff and talking to the architect, Gareth Hoskins. Gareth explained, “The Queen seemed genuinely interested in our design ideas and was very complimentary about the project.”

Awards success at the Scottish Design Awards 2009

Sat, 30 May 2009 19:00:00 +0100

Gareth Hoskins Architects picked up a hat trick of Awards at the Scottish Design Awards on Friday, including the award for ‘Architects of the Year’, given to the practice the judges felt had produced the most interesting work and made the biggest contribution to Scottish Architecture over the past year.

The practice also received awards for the ‘Gathering Space’, the Scottish Pavilion for last year’s Biennale in Venice and for the Art Park, in Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park. The Art Park is an initiative for a new sculpture park by the House for an Art Lover and Glasgow City Council and follows on from the practice’s earlier competition winning ‘Grounds for Play’ project in the park.

Making a World of Difference - The Royal Museum Project

Thu, 28 May 2009 09:43:32 +0100

National Museums Scotland have released a video on the Royal Museum Project in Edinburgh on featuring previoulsy unseen footage of the construction work currently under way. Interviews with Gordon Rintoul, Director of National Muesums Scotland, Gareth Hoskins and other members of the project team give an interesting insight to this challenging project.

> Click here to see video

Glasgow Women’s Library Receives Funding Boost

Fri, 01 May 2009 04:38:00 +0100

Having recently been granted planning approval and listed building consent, the Women’s Library in Glasgow has been given some further good news with a funding boost from the Scottish Arts Council’s new Public Art Fund.

Set up in 1991, Glasgow Women’s Library has grown into a vibrant independent information hub housing a library, archive including contemporary and historical artefacts relating to women’s lives, histories and achievements.

The scheme developed by Gareth Hoskins Architects converts the Anderston Library space in the grade B listed Mitchell Library for the Glasgow Women’s Library and provides wheelchair access throughout. Proposals include an archive facility, office accommodation and the insertion of a new object within the existing double height library space to create a mezzanine floor for intimate learning and meeting areas above the reception and shelving alcoves. Larger group activities and library spaces are accommodated towards the front of the library in double height areas.