the secret just got out.€¦ · you got to know us. you may be a new or potential client, armed...

The secret just got out.

Contents


Contents

Shout Out Loud 05

It’s All About You 09

It’s All About Us Too 17

The Desire to Inspire 23

Every Building Tells a Story 27

Beyond the Drawing Board 36

“We are too modest, maybe? I feel we have more to say than a lot of

our competition, but we don’t shout about our achievements…

It’s not enough to be good - everyone’s got to be told about it.”

Stephen George & Partners employee

Have we been too quiet about Stephen George & Partners? Our architects’ offices up and down the country have many loyal clients who love the way we work. They appreciate our approach to design and trust our expertise. But they also tell us we are one of the industry’s best-kept secrets.

Perhaps it’s time to shout about our talents, about the ethos of our business, the emphasis we place on people. It’s time you got to know us.

You may be a new or potential client, armed with a brief and a bottom line and looking for an approachable architect to help you realise your plans with sensitivity and intelligence. Or you may be a talented / budding architect, seeking a career where you will be valued both as a person and a professional. Either way, you’ll be looking for inspiration.

Stephen George & Partners’ people are inspired. We are honest, energetic, enthusiastic and fully engaged with our work. We want to excite our clients and to do that, we know we must stay challenged and energised ourselves. This is our chance to tell you how we do this and why we are special.

All the unattributed quotes in this brochure are genuine comments by real Stephen George & Partners employees. We asked the whole team for feedback and - as you’d expect from a bunch of bright, motivated, uninhibited people - they gave it.

shout

OUTLOUD



“Good feeling of family to welcome new people”, said one employee, asked to name the company’s strengths,

“...free biscuits.”

Centrica, Blythe Valley Park, Solihull

Wells & Young’s Distribution Centre, Bedford

We believe the foundations of good

design lie in strong relationships.

Every client who walks through our

doors can expect a personal focus

and an intelligent conversation.

We want to understand your values;

the aims and aspirations you have for

your business. We have nearly four

decades of experience working with

clients to develop exceptional,

ingenious solutions.

it’s all

ABOUT YOU

“ When Stephen George & Partners is involved,

we always seem to win the work.”

Stephen George & Partners client

We want you to achieve your aspirations, because we know our success lies within your success. We want to bring you ideas you can’t resist. We hope you’ll say “why not?”

Stephen George & Partners has a client list that spans every facet of British development. Our work leads us on an exciting journey that is helping to shape the UK for future generations. We provide leading-edge designs that range from nursery schools to large warehouses, retail and leisure to residential, complex mixed-use schemes to simple, elegant buildings.

We believe our strength lies in the quality of our staff and our ability to use our brains. Whether your concern is urban regeneration or defending your budget, we understand where you are coming from. We can help you get there.

“ Stephen George & Partners is very client-focused.

They engage the client as a partner to work ‘with’ rather than ‘for’.”

“We have a huge number of returning clients.”


Peugeot Citroën Automobiles UK Limited, Coventry

“ The partners and board clearly care about staff on a personal level. I think this has long been so

...Stephen George & Partners is a much ‘warmer’ place to work!”

Stephen George & Partners has grown organically from the vision of two architects - Stephen George and David Taylor. Today, we have offices in Leicester, Leeds and Solihull with around 50 enthusiastic, dedicated staff.

Although we’ve grown, we’ve kept the spirit of the early days. In May 1970, Stephen and David set down their founding objective, to create…

“An atelier, a workshop where

everyone would have an important

part, an enthusiasm that everybody

wanted to share and where clients got

a personal and comprehensive service

before anything else.”

Ask our people. They’ll tell you that joining Stephen George & Partners is like being welcomed into a big family. They’ll describe a relaxed atmosphere, combined with a commitment to quality and to deadlines; a place where talent is nurtured, responsibilities are shared and senior staff have an open door policy.

It really is a special place to work. Or you could ask The Sunday Times, which has awarded us the accolade “Outstanding” in the category Best Company to Work For. We are proud to say that the foundations laid down nearly 40 years ago still hold strong today.

“ I feel I can write ‘our’ culture rather than ‘their’ culture...

I feel very much a part of Stephen George & Partners or, more to the point...

it’s all ABOUT US TOO

...Stephen George & Partners

is now a part of me.”


Stephen George & Partners, Leicester Office

Stephen George & Partners, Development Day, Sheffield

“ I have never worked for a company that looks after the staff so well...”

Stephen George & Partners recruits staff with a wide range of skills, but above all we value people’s natural intelligence; their ability to think around a problem, to listen and understand what’s required.This means we have a team we can trust one that can take on the broadest possible range of commissions.

Our people are our passion. We make great efforts to nurture and help each individual fulfil his or her potential. We are registered on the respected Investors in People scheme. We have ISO9001 certification - the internationally recognised standard for quality management. More than this,we demonstrate that we care.

It’s no good just telling people that they matter and their work should be fun and involving - You have to do something about it.

Every two months we organise inspirational Development Days, designed to be as entertaining as they are instructive. The days are themed to educate and keep us all on our toes. We have learned a great deal from speakers such as polar explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and sustainable energy consultant Guy Battle. In October 2006, our Development Day turned into a weekend as we transported staff from all four offices to Berlin on the company trip of a lifetime. It was a whirlwind tour, during which we were transported around the city in rickshaws and took inspiration from Berlin’s many architectural treasures.

“ A company that spends what was clearly an

enormous sum of money on its employees,

who takes the trouble to select with

such care those venues and experiences

that made this trip so worthwhile,

must clearly care deeply about and value its staff!...

Our aim is to challenge as well as inspire. Stephen George & Partners’ ongoing social responsibility programme will help to shape the future of our business and have a real effect on people’s lives. For Respect 2007+, staff rolled up their sleeves and spent a day cleaning up and transforming a Leonard Cheshire residential home that had been damaged in the floods. The home, in Gloucestershire, provides active, independent living for 36 disabled residents.

The adventure doesn’t stop here. Respect 2008+ takes us into uncharted waters, with a long-term project that links our modern architectural practice with chronic homelessness in South Africa. Working with Habitat for Humanity, a global housing charity, we aim to raise £100,000 a year into 2010. The money will build 60 new homes for HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children and every year, a group of volunteers from Stephen George & Partners’ staff will work alongside - and learn from - the builders and tradespeople of South Africa. It is to be a project that involves us all and one that fosters a mutual respect.

What do we get from this kind of development programme? We get a re-energised team. We get the chance to encounter other cultures and realise we can make a difference. We work towards positive change and rediscover our passion for architecture. We want to inspire our clients and that means continually inspiring and challenging ourselves.

the desire TO INSPIRE

...I am proud to be part of that team! Cheesy I know - but

true!”


Berlin feedback

Dickens Heath, Solihull

every building

TELLS A STORY

“ If clients were able to witness us at work they would see

how much we enjoy working at Stephen George & Partners.”

You don’t need to watch us working to know how passionate we are about our projects. Our designs speak for themselves. Stephen George & Partners has collected a cascade of awards down the years - and we had a fantastic time doing it.

For instance, we created a new community at Dickens Heath in the West Midlands. We transformed an old power station site in Nottingham into a vibrant retail and business scheme. We designed a multi-screen cinema for Warner Brothers in Leicester and a stunning mixed-use business park at Blythe Valley Park, Solihull.

Multi-talented? We nurture our architects’ innate ability, sharing projects across the practices to keep the interest alive. We strive always to offer something better, something new.


Here are the stories

behind some of our recent schemes...

Centrica, Blythe Valley Park, Solihull

Where did I park the car...?

Urban ExcellenceStephen George & Partners won a fiercely-fought competition to re-develop Littlecombe, a former manufacturing site near Dursley in Gloucestershire. Working closely with the developer, we came up with an exciting Masterplan for a mixed-use, sustainable urban community.

Our target was to design a site where carbon emissions would be 30 per cent less than building regulations required. In fact we surpassed this, and this unique community will produce 55 per cent less carbon dioxide than traditional housing.

The 600 homes will enjoy carbon-neutral, wood-burning heating, solar cells will produce energy and fittings such as light bulbs, taps and white goods will all be low energy. Every home will achieve an EcoHomes Excellent rating.

Affordable homes will make up 30 per cent of the accommodation and the community has been carefully designed so it won’t draw trade from the local market town of Dursley. Our designs even include reinstating the River Cam, which was previously hidden in a culvert.

Our designs will be a benchmark for future regeneration projects in the south west.

Stephen George & Partners won Mersey Docks Harbour Board competition to Masterplan a major, mixed-use urban village in Liverpool’s Victoria Docks. This is part of a World Heritage Site which includes the famous Liver Building.

Parking proved to be a major issue in this high-density urban area. We came up with an ingenious solution. Our plans involved draining the old dock, concealing a multi-storey car park in its depths and then forming a shallow lid of water over the car park to retain the appearance of the original dock.

Nobody likes a “SAD” building. In our designs for Leicester’s new Probation Centre, we maximised the use of natural light and ventilation to avoid the need for artificial air conditioning.

A small computer controls electric window vents, which open on summer nights to allow the night air to cool the concrete slab of the floor above. During the day, the open grid ceilings allow hot air to rise and exchange heat.

The building is now fully occupied and the system gives good internal conditions in the height of summer. Maintenance and running costs are much lower than for a conventional design.

Happily, the Probation Centre was one of three finalists for the ProCon Sustainable Building award in 2006.

A breath of fresh air

Music to their ears

Stephen George & Partners’ new LES Music School in Loughborough has been named Building of the Year in the 2007 ProCon Leicestershire Property Awards.

“This must be one of the loveliest

buildings available anywhere in

which to encounter music for young

people,” said Sir Peter Maxwell

Davies CBE, opening the building

in March 2007.

“This is a space where music happens; it is alive!” The £2.5 million Music School is a dynamic, modern structure, designed to maximise both light and sound. Its 1,700 square metres are naturally lit and ventilated. Isolating walls and ceilings help to ensure sound privacy between all teaching areas including six classrooms, 18 practice rooms, percussion studios and the impressive recital room. Since opening, the venue has become a centre of musical learning for three local schools and an important showcase for young talent.

Turningbrownfield green

Llanwern, the former steel works in Newport, South Wales, is one of the largest brownfield sites in the UK. Our Masterplan will turn the 600-acre site into a vibrant community with 4,000 new homes and up to around 6,000 jobs.

The design incorporates a purpose-built community centre, parks, lakes, trees, sports fields, schools, shops, bars and restaurants. A 100-acre commercial and industrial park will create a further 2,500 jobs.

The developers are looking at the potential for creating an energy centre to provide heat and electricity from wind power, biomass and composting. All of Newport’s green waste will be used to make topsoil for landscaping the site, which is due to be completed in 2027.

“ The production and presentation of a Masterplan plays a key role in the

planning and development processes but is no easy teask - very few can do it well.

Stephen George & Partners will give you a master class in masterplanning -

their work is always imaginative, resposive, realistic, peruasive and elegantly

presented. This is the gang you want on your side in the creation of high quality,

feasible and beneficial schemes.

Not only that but as everyone knows the going can be tough and it’s helpful to

have a sense of proportion and a sense of humour. At Stephen George & Partners

you get both - so we like ‘em a lot.”

Will Antill of planning consultant Holmes-Antill

beyond the DRAWING BOARD“ The spirit and care shown both to and by the staff

is what makes the company great to work for.

Must stay.” “Relatively new” employee

Stephen George & Partners architects design with flair and for the future. We want our buildings and our relationships to last. We are interested not just in designs and Masterplans, but in the impact we have on people’s lives.

This work begins with recruitment. We have a strong Youth Policy, offering scholarships to support young architects through their training. Our students bring an enthusiasm and freshness to the business. They invigorate our teams and are immediately welcomed into the Stephen George & Partners’ family.

We care about what happens beyond the drawing board. We believe in personal integrity and corporate social responsibility.For instance, our George Residential Communities gives invaluable support to those with Downs Syndrome and their families. Organised residential communities allow their dependents to make a gradual transition towards independent living.

“ It has been our driving passion to share our consuming desire to see Stephen George & Partners

succeed and fulfil its potential as a recognised pratice that produces good design...”

Then there’s the question on every developer’s lips: how can I build sustainably without breaking the bank? You will find we are one of very few architectural practices to employ an EcoHomes and BREEAM assessor qualified to rate offices, industrial premises and residential development.

We encourage all our clients to consider environmental issues at the outset to maximise their chances of achieving a high BREEAM rating. Sustainable development is not just about low-energy light bulbs and water conservation. It’s not even just about the building (although we are highly expert in sustainable construction methods). Sustainability means addressing the Triple Bottom Line of environmental improvement, social responsibility and economic profitability.

What’s good for the environment is good for business too.

We look forward to doing business with you.

...How that is maintained is down to each of us as individuals.

It’s down to the level of support that each individual offers

to each other, and above all, the organisational structure that

allows and encourages all of this to happen.” Architect and Partner, Stuart Richardson


Prologis Park Pineham, Northampton

“Happy clients come from happy staff. Stephen George & Partners invests in its people”

LEICESTER t: 0116 247 0557 • LEEDS t: 0113 246 7969 • SOLIHULL t: 0121 224 8718

www.stephengeorge.couk

the secret just got out.€¦ · you got to know us. you may be a new or potential client, armed...

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