INSIGHTS PRACTICE PROFILE Pellings
Norman Hayden traces the growth of a practice with a well-defined design vision, and a clear focus on balancing affordability with functionality and beauty
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Goat Lees Primary, Ashford: design responding to local urban fabric A
rchitects tend to project their vision slightly cryptically across their branding, so it’s somewhat unusual that south east- based Pellings prefers to focus on providing answers instead. “We are not about selling clients our vision”, explains partner
Neill Werner. “Rather, we are focused on finding the right solution for them.” Indeed, Pellings has gone so far as to encapsulate its whole design philosophy in the phrase: “Your vision. Our solution.” The multi-award winning practice, which began life as a small surveying firm in Bromley in 1977, has grown to become a major integrated design, property and construction consultancy and established a big reputation for its work in the education sector. As well as its Bromley headquarters, the 110 staff are based across the wider London area in Barnet and Waterloo and in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. Alongside Werner, who is head of architecture, are fellow LLP members Richard Claxton, chairman, Alan Davison, head of building surveying (Bromley) and David Smith, head of building surveying (Barnet).
In considering the Pellings’ approach, Werner identifies the need to gain a deep understanding of the needs of both the clients and
the ultimate users of the building. “This includes all the ‘bigger picture’ issues, of which the budget is often a major element,” he says. “Many of our clients are publicly funded and we apply our skills and creativity to design high-quality, functional buildings within extremely demanding constraints.”
The company undertakes a variety of commissions which include the design and delivery of: nursery, primary and secondary schools, higher and further education buildings, large residential develop- ments for affordable housing providers, mixed-use town centre schemes, older-persons’ accommodation and private sector housing. Two major projects clearly reflect the Pellings portfolio. Goat Lees Primary School near Ashford, Kent is a new build single-storey building, which was overall project winner in the Kent Design & Development Awards 2014.
The facility was of a contemporary design, with two distinct
wings, which responded to the local urban fabric. It also drew on the materials and scale of the surrounding properties, while creat- ing a focal point for the local community. The Goat Lees design emerged from the findings of a
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