Work is continuing apace at South Hereford Volkswagen where the brand’s new retail concept is being implemented for the first time in the UK.  The bold new concept, epitomised by the dramatic full-height glazed frontage, not only improves visibility of the vehicles, but clearly marks the pedestrian entrance and communicates a fresh, contemporary feel for the brand.

Excellent progress has been made in the first three months and the building envelope is now complete.  When the internal works are completed on the first phase, the retailer will take occupancy of this part of the facility whilst the remainder of the showroom is enhanced to realise the new retail concept.

Close working with both the retailer and the contractor has enabled Stubbs Rich to develop a phasing strategy which has allowed the showroom to remain operational throughout the entirety of the works.

The showroom is due for completion in early August.

 

Coulsdon Audi has opened for business after successfully achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating on the BREEAM assessment scale. A first for the UK, the dealership represents a flagship facility in south London, greatly increasing the brand’s presence and reinforcing its sustainable aspirations.

Contributing to this achievement is the approach to the use of and sources of energy. Considerate passive design reduces the energy load of the building, whilst approximately 15% of its energy consumption is generated from on-site renewable sources.

Large clear glazing to the double height showroom provides good quality display lighting and creates a healthy environment for staff and customers. In the workshop, polycarbonate cladding provides diffuse north light whilst preventing unnecessary solar gain, both reducing the energy load and improving the working environment for technicians.

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What does the current unstable state of the economy mean for architects out there? Obviously there are difficult times ahead and we are already experiencing the tightening of belts - yet it is not necessarily all doom and gloom. When new build projects are put on hold by budgetary constraints, refurbishment expertise can prove invaluable. Stubbs Rich, with our impressive portfolio of refurbishment projects, can work with any budget to provide innovative and economical solutions.

Our ability to work with an existing property and transform it to meet a new and challenging brief can be seen in many of our recent successful projects - several of which we focus on here:

 

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Stubbs Rich architects have been chosen as the preferred architect for the regeneration of Abergavenny Cattle Market. We were invited by Henry Boot to submit our proposals for the scheme in competition with a number of other national architects.

A panel comprising Henry Boot, ASDA, Monmouthshire County Council, Abergavenny District Council, Design Council For Wales and Bryn Y Cwm selected Stubbs Rich’s design as the most appropriate for this important site.

Simon Coles, Associate Director at Stubbs Rich comments: “The scheme acts as a catalyst for sustained regeneration in this established market town. We believe our design was chosen because it successfully addresses a number of complex issues with great sensitivity.” He goes on to say: “One of the challenges is in connecting the fabric of the existing structures with the elements of new build to produce a coherent and appropriate solution. We believe we have achieved this in our winning design.”

Work is due to begin on site in 2009.

 

Stubbs Rich have worked with Audi for many years and are supporting their expansion into the South West. The Bath Audi showroom was completed in December last year and the outstanding facility at Exeter was completed in the previous summer.

Planning permission is now awaited for Audi’s state of the art showroom at Salisbury. The 2000m2 building at Harnham Business Park, Salisbury will provide a high standard of sales and aftersales facility to deliver the level of service that customers expect from the Audi brand.

The Salisbury facility contains Audi’s advanced showroom concept that combines the sales and aftersales service. This provides a “one-stop” facility, delivering the highest level of customer experience. Stubbs Rich are particularly adept at understanding the experience of the end user and translating customer values in the built environment. They are able to achieve this successfully in line with the Audi brand and truly understand the relationship between brand and place.

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