Dance Studios at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts wins Chilterns Building Design Award

The new Dance Studios at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, design by Burrell Foley Fischer, have been judged the Overall Winner at the Chilterns Buildings Design Awards 2013.  The awards are organised by the Chilterns Conservation Board and the Chiltern Society to encourage the highest possible quality of building design and thus conserve and enhance the character and outstanding natural beauty of the Chiltern Hills.

The building is the first phase of a three phase project for new, professional standard, performing arts facilities and comprises five new dance studios set into a landscape of Registered Parks and Gardens and within the curtilage of two Grade II* Listed Buildings.  

The new studios are designed to sit comfortably in a green part of the site, taking a soft approach to its architectural form to mask its bulk and scale. The wild meadow grass roof, lowered eaves and randomly spaced timber posts along its elevations are designed so the building will ultimately recede into its wooded setting.

The award was given for:

"The development of a handsomely shaped building which demonstrates changing rhythms; fits well within its garden setting and brings together function and beauty with calmness and serenity".

Mayor of Islington officially opens new BFF designed housing

The Mayor of Islington, Councillor Barry Edwards,  has officially opened the latest Burrell Foley Fischer project completed for the London Borough of Islington, to reclaim barren underused problematic garages to create a new Mews in Vulcan Way. 
 

The transformation of the area of tarmac and dark empty undercrofts brings fifteen two bedroom flats and two five bedroom family houses to the empty ground level of existing first floor flats.  They all now have better insulation, level access and a more attractive safer busy mews to look out on.  The proportion of the houses offered for sale, to assist with funding the social housing, have all been snapped up. 
 

Vulcan Way before the development

Vulcan Way following the development

This development is the latest in a long term BFF initiative, pioneering the development of underused, marginal ground level spaces around estates, mostly owned by Local Authorities. Using the experience and ideas gained on previously completed schemes BFF embarked on a series of studies for LB Islington in 2008. All ten of the LBI projects selected to go forward are either now complete or will be starting on site this year. 

These schemes on marginal land not only provide new housing on sites previously 'unseen' and not regarded as potential development sites, but are also an opportunity to design out anonymous areas that attract anti-social behaviour.  This results in the neighbourhood being happy to welcome new dwellings and more activity.

From barren car park....

... to new attractive and safer Mews.