Sketching is a timeless tradition – architects, artists, urbanists and casual observers have been drawing for as long as we’ve been observing, recording and designing our environment. It has been the designer’s favoured means of hashing out and exploring ideas throughout history. Unfettered by the rise of photography, tablets and other mediums; ink and graphite remains an essential tool for expressing ideas on-the-fly.
Liverpool City Council has unveiled its vision for the redevelopment of Walton Breck Road, which forms the latest phase of the Council’s ambitious £260m Anfield Regeneration Plan developed through a partnership with Your Housing Group and Liverpool Football Club.
Visualisation is a powerful tool when used to explore and communicate the reality of design proposals, particularly when integrated into live video footage or as a 360-degree view. Technology, and consequently expectations, advance quickly though; so we were intrigued to hear about Arup’s latest addition to the immersive experience arsenal – their SoundLab. Is ‘hearing is believing’ edging closer to the age old idiom ‘seeing is believing’?
Ambitious 3D Artists/Visualisers sought to join the Manchester studio of Virtual Planit.
New imagery has been released, showing how St Michael’s is set to transform Jackson’s Row; a currently under-utilised area of central Manchester surrounded by a number of key regeneration schemes. A recent press conference highlighted how the development will complement the emerging Civic Quarter, Spinningfields, St. Johns and redevelopment activity around Brazennose Street, and extend the city centre’s extensive public realm.
It’s the first day of the build period. We have exactly 15 days to turn a 150 square metre plot of rough grass into a space that will instill Bruntwood’s values of greener ways of working, and (weather permitting) promote the benefits of outdoor working. Around us is a air of excitement and anticipation as all the exhibitors and RHS staff contemplate the challenge ahead, transforming an open piece of parkland into the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2016.
Planit doesn’t do show gardens – that was until our long-term, and highly valued client Bruntwood became the headline sponsor for the Royal Horticulture Society’s Flower Show at Tatton Park. When they asked us to design a feature garden that reflected their commitment to workplace well-being, how could we refuse?
We are delighted to welcome three new members of staff to the practice. Helen Saunders joins the London studio as a Graduate Landscape Architect. Emma Thompson and Laura Atkinson join the Altrincham studio as Assistant Landscape Architect and Receptionist respectively.
A longest serving employee and most recent recruit to Sci-Tech Daresbury cut the ribbon to declare the opening of the Science and Innovation Campus’s new Linear Park. Tenants from over 100 high-tech companies based at the site were invited to mark the occasion and celebrate completion of the first phase of the wider Daresbury Park masterplan.
Leaving the coastline and climbing uphill to go surfing may seem counter intuitive, but we were heading inland to catch some waves at Surf Snowdonia – the world’s first publicly-accessible surf lagoon.
Dramatic changes to the setting of King Georges Hall in Blackburn will soon be made thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) award to Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. Significant public realm, and architectural heritage works to Blakey Terrace are poised to proceed following a HLF contribution gained through the programme’s Townscape Heritage Initiative.
Manchester City Council has endorsed a draft of the Manchester Residential Quality Guidance as a basis for consultation following consideration by their Executive today. The guidance document aims to ensure the realisation of high quality, sustainable housing that meets the city’s and its communities’ needs.
Visitors flocking to Blackburn’s Cathedral Flower Festival relaxed throughout the new Cathedral Quarter grounds. The event celebrated, and was organised to coincide with completion of the phase 1 regeneration works that place the Cathedral back at the heart of Blackburn’s communities and form a characterful gateway to the town centre.
Visitors to Blackburn Cathedral Quarter’s Flower Festival were delighted to discover a new cloister garden within the recently regenerated Cathedral precincts.
Reversal of Altrincham’s prospects is steadily building. The benefits of an enhanced shopping experience, open festivals in Goose Green and environmental improvements stemming from the recently completed public realm scheme, will underpin residents’ confidence as the second phase of the works is implemented.
The Planit-IE team escaped the office this week to explore some of the stunning show gardens and exhibits at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
We are please to announce that Ana Santini has joined our Altrincham studio as an Urban Designer.READ MORE
Planit-IE was delighted to be invited by Bruntwood and Select Property Group to join their Circle Square presentation and discussion panel in association with the RIBA on the Manchester Stand at MIPIM today.
Planit-IE are heading to MIPIM again this year as a delegate with Marketing Manchester. Managing Partner, Ed Lister will be attending; with Partner and Head of Urban Design Andy Roberts representing the practice for the full duration.
Planning approval has been granted, enabling construction of the £60m Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC).
Planning approval has been granted for a private hospital and wellbeing centre by not-for-profit healthcare provider Nuffield.
Three new Landscape Architects have recently joined our busy Altrincham studio: Sean Swarbrick, James Hartwell and Maisie Irlam.READ MORE
The first planning application for Circle Square, Bruntwood and the Select Property Group’s ambitious £750m redevelopment of the former BBC site on Oxford Road, has gained approval.
Circle Square has been announced as the new name for the former BBC site redevelopment by Joint venture partners Bruntwood and Select Property.
It is great to announce that Planit-IE Partner and Head of Urban Design, Andy Roberts, has been appointed as a Built Environment Expert (BEE) by Design Council Cabe.READ MORE
Manchester Sciences Partnerships, a public-private consortium led by Bruntwood, has submitted an outline planning application to Cheshire East Council for the redevelopment of the 400-acre Alderley Park, into “a world-class life science facility”.READ MORE
Sadler’s Yard, a new public place at the heart of the NOMA masterplan, officially opened today; an important milestone in Hermes and The Co-operative Group’s ambitious regeneration plans.
It is with great satisfaction and pride that we walk, cycle and drive through newly created spaces and streetscapes we have designed right outside our Altrincham studio. Carrying out works on your doorstep is a privilege and a huge responsibility, particularly as we have invested so much of ourselves in helping drive forward the town’s regeneration plans.
Middlewood Locks Phase 1 Reserved Matters application submission coincided with President Xi Jinping’s visit to Manchester as part of a four-day visit to Britain. READ MORE
Finishing touches are being made to Sadler’s Yard ahead of its imminent opening. The public will soon be able to enjoy the new square and public realm that has transformed a previously hidden space at the heart of The Co-operative’s historic estate.READ MORE
We are pleased to introduce Senior Urban Designer Anna Couch and Graduate Graphic Designer Abi Allen. Anna joins the Altrincham team. Abi is based in Altrincham but works across our two studios.
The Royal Arena topping-out ceremony provided the perfect opportunity for Planit-IE to head to Copenhagen this week.READ MORE
The unexpected, edgy, challenging and ephemeral often characterise art with the greatest impact. How best then to integrate influential art into the far more permanent, risk adverse world of property and development? This was a subject of discussion at Art+Place, a Place North West talk for the Buy Art Fair 2015, chaired by Paul Unger.
Working in a new city is always exciting – working in a Capital City at the beginning of a new chapter of its life is a wholly different challenge.
It is a pleasure to welcome Project Landscape Architect Dominic Fitzsimmons to the London team.
It was a pleasure for Planit-IE to join local traders and residents for a summer festival to celebrate Goose Green’s transformation.
Creation of a publicly accessible podium garden at Exchange Quay is nearing completion.
We don’t want fences to divide and separate, we want them to be fun!
Today the WORLD’S FIRST commercial inland surf lagoon opens. It will revolutionise the world of surfing…. It will also transform the prosperity of the sleepy village of Dolgarrog.
The UK’s two largest cranes, the 77m-high AK680 and AK912, have lifted a 650-tonne, 140m long roof truss on to Liverpool Football Club’s (LFC) expanded Main Stand.
Expansion of Farnborough Business Park, a mixed-use business environment adjacent to Farnborough Airport, is nearing completion.
As part of the London Festival Of Architecture 2015 Antony Nelson volunteered to lead a guided walk within a programme of Landscape Institute (LI) organised tours…
Planit-IE visited Chris Brammall Ltd’s studios to see the manufacture of customised street furniture for a new public space within The Co-operative’s historic estate.
Work is progressing well to make Liverpool Football Club’s Main Stand one of the largest all-seater single stands in Europe’s top divisions.
The Chartered Institute of Housing hosts its annual conference at Manchester Central from the 23rd – 25th June. The conference is the largest gathering of housing professionals in the UK, over 1500 Chief Executives, Directors and Heads of Housing attended in 2014 with over 5,000 industry delegates in total.
Planit was out in force as a long weekend of HOMEwarming celebrations kicked off at First Street.
I count myself as one of the lucky ones – to have found a great place to work and develop my skills during my professional year out placement.
We are delighted to announce Commercial Estates Group’s Kirkstall Forge won the Mixed-use Redevelopment Award at last night’s Placemaking Award Ceremony.
Public Squares are a hugely important part of a city’s fabric, reflecting an area’s identity and providing much needed social spaces for interaction and recreation. The infrastructure-dominated Stevenson Square is failing in these respects to the point that it isn’t even read as a Square. This is despite the 18th Century developer’s aim to create a rival to city centre St Anne’s Square, which it reflects in form and scale; and its historical use as a meeting point for the city’s political marches, protests and gatherings.
Double deckers and bus laybys in Stevenson Square were swept aside this weekend; replaced by Astroturf, deckchairs and table tennis within a Protest Pop-up Park. For one day only the bus shelter was converted into a bar and Rhythm’s interactive placard wall, complete with soapbox and loud hailers.
Final year undergraduate Landscape students from MMU, and their course supervisor Eddy Fox, joined Planit-IE for an In-Practice Day event at our Altrincham studio as part of the Landtech series within their course.
Not attending MIPIM but want a taster of some of our recent work? Take a look at our show reel.
Work by Graduate Landscape Architect Luke Whitaker features in a new book by Tim Waterman; ‘The Fundamentals of Landscape Architecture’.
Located at a prominent gateway on the edge of an urban block, Stoke-on-Trent’s recently completed bus station creates a significant landmark. Its sculptural roof guides visitors to the heart of the city (Hanley) and links to a new retail quarter. The wave-like canopy form rises to identify entrances and curves down to provide shelter; extending into the public plaza to knit the concourse into the surrounding urban landscape.
Planit-IE are helping reverse decline and under-investment in Pendleton through transformational regeneration proposals. We are working to encourage community bonding and to make Pendleton an increasingly better place to live.
Placemaking Award nominations abound for P-IE projects.
Planit joined an illustrious list of international designers submitting proposals for the Adidas Campus, Nuremberg. The design, which embodied the emotions and atmosphere experienced in the pursuit of sporting excellence, made it to the second round of the first stage of this open competition.
Redevelopment of a 6.6ha former concrete manufacturing site to the south of Leek Town Centre has gained planning permission.
The scheme integrates quality public spaces with a viable mix of uses through a comprehensive masterplan by Planit-IE. The development re-defines the southern urban edge, forming a positive gateway to Leek and connection to Ladderedge Country Park.
Works are well underway on site at Farnborough Business Park with the new buildings looking highly impressive through the historic hangar.
Last Friday, the London Studio went on an evening tour of East London, around Brick Lane / Spitalfields area taking in some interesting new architecture, social housing, art and design and local history (Inc references to Jack the Ripper and the Kray Twins!). The tour was orchestrated by new London studio member Antony Nelson!
P.S Beigel Bake, best bagels in London!
Skip to 10:25 to watch our friend Tina Saaby, City Architect for Copenhagen talk about where her vision for the future of Urbanism in her talk “Where will our Grandchildren live”. She uses her actual grandchild Circe as the example!
Hard and soft landscape works designed by Planit for West London office building Ealing Cross have been completed.
We are delighted to announce that our future vision for the Discovery Park Enterprise Zone in East Kent was unanimously approved at Dover District Council’s Planning Committee last night.
The cinema will be the anchor tenant in the new 80,000 sqft leisure led development to be built on the site of the existing car park at Bridgefield Street.
We are pleased to announce that our client Addition Land and the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark have secured planning approval for the regeneration of unused buildings adjacent to Battersea Park Station and the entrance to the Nine Elms Opportunity Area and close to Battersea Power Station and Battersea Park.READ MORE
Planiteer Caroline Lord has recently snatched up both a Gold Medal and Best Summer Garden Award at the RHS Tatton Flower Show.
Working along side Feilden Clegg Bradley Architects, we have submitted the public realm masterplan for the redevelopment of Battersea Park East Site, on behalf of our client Taylor Wimpey. The site at present is car dominated and divided by a railway viaduct. The lack of activity on the streets leads to security issues, and the public realm is of low quality.
On 7th September, Planit’s Joint Managing Partner will be riding the annual Rapha cycle challenge – 220 miles from the Manchester Velodrome to the London Olympic Velodrome…. in a day!
The last of the sandstone planters has been installed in Liverpool’s St Pauls Square, with trees due to arrive in the next couple of weeks. They are already proving popular with the local office workers, especially when bathed in a bit of morning sunshine.
Our visitors from <a href=”http://www.iron-bird.co.uk”>Iron-Bird Aerial Cinematography</a> managed to bring Altrincham to a standstill this afternoon whilst showing a us a quick demo of the new MoVI M5 (their latest remotely piloted aircraft carrying a top of the range video camera).
Here’s a sneak peak at Prestons new Fishergate benches in the workshop. I think you’ll all join us in praying for a safe installation into the scheme which is due for completion very soon.
We are delighted to announce that work has begun on our ‘WaveGarden’ project in Dolgarrog, North Wales to create the World’s first inland surf lake. To be known as ‘Surf Snowdonia’ the facility will be nearly 300m long and create the perfect 2m surfing wave.
Whilst in Liverpool for the IFB2014, we came across the latest issue of the ”City Tribune” pulled together by the creative community of the city’s Baltic Triangle, with ace graphics by Smiling Wolf www.smilingwolf.co.uk.
Last week saw the first International Waterfront Forum to be held in Liverpool as part of the International Festival for Business 2014.
Here are a few shots of the Liverpool Waters Marketing Suite in Peels Princes Dock offices in Liverpool.
A simplistic, bold and ultimately usable piece of artwork at Manchester’s Velodrome. From our cardboard maquette and sketches, to development with Peter Saville, fabricated by Chris Brammall, to a film featuring legendary street trials pro rider Danny MacAskill. We just wish we could do the 360!…If you’re in a hurry skip to 4:15