Tom Barnsley – Roundfield

Featured in The Architects’ Journal

Tom Barnsley — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 13:14:22 +0000

We are delighted that our social housing schemes for Bristol City Council are featured in the latest issue of The Architects’ Journal, which focuses on housing. The article heaps praise on the landscape design and implementation:

“The thought that has been fed into the streetscaping of these sites is where they prove particularly impressive in a way that seems almost inverse to their size.”

“At both developments, this carefully considered idea of sequencing is the result of what seems to have been a fruitful relationship with landscape architect Roundfield, which Russell says pushed ‘incredibly hard’ for nicely landscaped sites…”

Working with Emmett Russell Architects, we developed three infill schemes in all, as part of a wider strategy being undertaken by Bristol City Council to deliver new build council housing on council owned infill sites around the city.

One of the sites, Chandler Court, also picked up two architectural awards at the RIBA South West Awards in May 2018 in the general and sustainability categories. In July 2018, the Suffolk Close scheme won an LABC Building Excellence Award: Best Social or Affordable New Housing Development.

BCC social eco housing nearing completion

Tom Barnsley — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 14:57:45 +0000

Work is nearing completion on three developments of new build timber frame council homes for Bristol City Council in the Henbury and Brentry area. In keeping with the City’s ambitions as European Green Capital, the housing has all been designed to Passivhaus Standards by Emmett Russell Architects. Working with the limited space available for soft landscape on these urban infill sites, Roundfield have made a strong feature of sustainable urban drainage systems which positively influence the landscape character. Water features have been designed to direct roof and paving run off through permeable paving, conveyance channels and bio-retention areas.

Lockleaze housing, Bristol

Tom Barnsley — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 10:06:52 +0000

We are delighted to be working with Emmett Russell Architects and Bristol City Council to develop two residential sites in Lockleaze, Bristol.

The first scheme is the Romney House site for the development of approximately 269 new homes. This work continues on from our design study and planning brief submitted earlier in the year. The second site is the nearby Constable Road/Crome Road site for the development of approximately 81 new homes. We will develop both schemes for outline planning.

Romney House image copyright of Emmett Russell Architects

The Camel Shed Garden, Frome

Tom Barnsley — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 11:09:53 +0000

We are very excited to be working with Frome Town Council to redesign and build a pocket park on the site of the Singer Foundry Workshop. The site is steeped in the history of Frome having been the site of the foundry that created some of the most iconic statuary in the UK. The workshop that stood on the site was known as the camel shed as this is where a famous statue of ‘Gordon of Khartoum’ atop a camel was cast in 1889. The site also features the factory gantry that was used to move the heavy bronze casts, this 9 tonne industrial relic is going to be restored and moved and will act as a feature piece.

As an area identified as a problem zone by the council and residents in the surrounding area due to the original awkward design we embarked on an extensive programme of community engagement during which we developed a design that aims to celebrate the industrial past of Frome as well as creating an open welcoming pocket park. Construction is due to begin in early 2017.

planning granted for green homes in Bristol

Tom Barnsley — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 21:54:53 +0000

Roundfield, working with Emmett Russell Architects, have received planning permission for three developments of new build council homes for Bristol City Council. In keeping with the City’s ambitions as European Green Capital, the housing has all been designed to Passivhaus Standards. With limited space available for soft landscape on these urban infill sites, proposals have made a strong feature of sustainable urban drainage systems which positively influence the landscape character. The three sites are located in the Henbury and Brentry areas of the city. The developments form part of Bristol City Council’s New Build Council Housing Programme which aims to deliver 1000 new council homes over the next 15 years on housing infill sites.

Forward Space goes ‘lush’!

Tom Barnsley — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 16:18:48 +0000

We are delighted by the positive response to the new garden we designed and planted at our co-working hub, The Old Church School, in Frome. Roundfield were given the task to design a series of small courtyard spaces in and around the co-working complex. We incorporated a selection of textured woodland plants and ferns as an understorey to densely spaced Birch trees to give the garden height and break up the harsh lines of the new industrial style building. Climbers utilise the wall space on the original old building, and occasional splashes of colour emerge amongst the greenery such as Foxgloves and edible flowers like the Daylily. The interesting collection of ferns also includes a tree fern which has been a delight to watch unfurl over the past few weeks. Incorporated in the design is a variety of edible plants which will hopefully find their way into the cafe cuisine. The final touch will involve the installation of simple oak seating blocks to provide a social and sculptural element to the outdoor spaces. The garden has lifted everyone’s spirits and creates an even more desirable place to work (and play!) here at The Old Church School.

Dart Marina Stage 2 Completed

Tom Barnsley — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 15:29:13 +0000

Stage 2 of Dart Marina Hotel and Spa is now virtually complete. Roundfield were responsible for the redesign and implementation of the entrance sequence from the road junction to the front doors of the hotel. As well as providing a strong element of planting throughout, this phase included a yorkstone cobbled drop off area and widened stair case with reconfigured disabled access.

With the River Garden maturing nicely, the site has been transformed from a car dominated, wind swept expanse into a green and colourful garden setting befit for the refurbished hotel restaurant and south block.

planning permission granted for Winterton House, Wendover

Tom Barnsley — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 09:16:43 +0000

Planning permission has been granted for the development of 21 retirement flats in the grounds Winterton House, Wendover. The project involves the conversion of a Listed former rectory and a new building in the grounds. Roundfield devised the site wide strategy for this historic landscape, and have now been appointed to develop the detail design through to site implementation. Proposals include formal private gardens for residents, a communal garden space, sensory planting, a mini orchard, two ponds and raised bed allotment plots.

spiralfields opening day

Tom Barnsley — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 13:48:08 +0000

The beginning of October saw the coming together of everyone who worked on the Spiralfields project, from the designers (us!) to the builders Chauncey Gardens and the myriad of volunteers -in particular the guys at the nearby Osmani Center who worked tirelessly to complete this wonderful project on time and on budget. The celebration took the from of a party in the garden itself, opened by Lutfur Rahman, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets.

We still await the installation of the totem feature, but despite this the scheme is remarkably true to the original vision which is an achievement to be proud of considering the extremely tight budget. A strong ethos of sustainable creativity ran through this project from start to finish, from the reuse of potential waste materials to create landform, to the constant presence of local volunteers who now feel they really have a stake in the future of this community garden. In tandem with the forest gardening course we ran over a weekend in September for the volunteers, we hope that they are sufficiently enthused and ‘skilled up’ to take on the establishment and maintenance of the garden. Though the forest garden will take many years to mature, the wide gaps between trees and shrubs have been cleverly filled with annual vegetables such as brassicas, runner beans, squash and even some experimental Quinoa. This seasonal abundance provided much of the greenery for the opening day, which was a striking contrast to the former use of the space as an access and storage area for the construction of the East London Line. Gradually this annual ground layer will be replaced by more and more shade loving perennial ground covers as the canopy closes in above.

The main feature of the design, the Western Red Cedar roundwood shelter, provided the ideal focal point for the event as a space for stalls and a barbecue. This area will soon become a space to raise seedlings. We are also told that when it rains it is captivating to watch the flow of water off the roof, down the rain chain and into the channels via the storage tank, before finally making its way into the swale to irrigate the garden.

We will post updates on this unique project in the heart of London as it establishes itself and continues to benefit the community it was intended for.

spiralfields shelter construction

Tom Barnsley — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 08:44:21 +0000

Some more progress images from the Spiralfields Project at Spitalfields City Farm.

All images below have been kindly provided by artist Samantha Sweeting and are featured on her blog about the farm.