A North East architecture and design practice is seeing strong growth after winning a raft of new contracts across Northumberland, involving the design of millions of pounds worth of regional development.
The AirView Park, Woolsington head office-based Architects-Group has secured six-figures worth of new commissions, driving a 50% increase in projects in Northumberland alone in the first half of the year, as the group targets a turnover of £2.5m by 2025.
Revenues are up, contributing to sustainable growth following notable wins that see the firm working on a number of long-term developments including the master plan for a 145-hectare housing and community hub development near Cramlington.
The conversion of several existing hotels and former office buildings into holiday homes developments and the regeneration of derelict former police stations in Newcastle, Ponteland and Morpeth into offices, a pub and executive apartments respectively are among further new commissions.
In Cramlington, the firm has been appointed as the master planners and residential design architects to bring forward multiple regional housing developers plans to build an estimated 2,000 homes, including health, community and business hubs as part of a £425 million development to the east of the Northumbria Emergency Care Hospital, now known as Middle Farm.
Elsewhere in Northumberland, interior design work has progressed as part of ambitious plans that will see the former Victorian offices of law firm Brumell & Sample on Morpeth high street converted into five 2-bedroomed holiday-let apartments, in a £1.5m restoration project.
The firm’s designs for the former police station on Ponteland high street will see the site transformed into a new bar and restaurant serving traditional and gastro pub food from this summer.
The company has also been commissioned to design new holiday lets and apartments in Morpeth, Hexham and Seahouses, a new build residential and workers dwelling development on a private country estate near Ellingham, and a 60-strong new housing development in the Borders.
Interior design work is also underway on the first phase of the estimated £8m redevelopment of the former Morpeth police station, leading to the creation of luxury apartments and detached homes on the site.
This regional work has secured workforce numbers, with the firm currently employing 22 specialists providing architecture, interior, landscape and graphic design services from the Architects-Group’s offices in Woolsington, Cardiff, Chester and London.
Managing Director Tony Harmieson notes more employment opportunities are set to follow as growth continues in the next 12 months with a strong pipeline of work in place across all regions, which now includes a newly established Saudi-based team. The latter comes off the back of a strong client demand for UK designers to add architectural flair, standards and value to their locally based design consultancy teams.
He said: “Despite the challenges the construction and property industries have faced, we are busier than ever, and our design team’s reach and capabilities are going from strength-to-strength. Being from Northumberland myself, I’m delighted to see how busy we are in and around this region.
“We will continue to target a sustainable growth, developing some fantastic core client relationships further, as we look towards focusing on a quality rather than quantity project approach into 2025. This will help sustain our incredible in-house team of designers and support our planned expansion into Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East in general in the coming 18 months.”