ADP Architecture is one of those practices that has been around for more than 50 years now and whose aim is to challenge every single constraint given to obtain the best result for both the community involved and the environment. Their care and sense of responsibility for the existing built environment have to be praised. One can notice both in their sketches as well as in their studio vibe that they do not create mere architecture, rather a sense of belonging and an identity best described as a “positive architecture.”
Culture & Community
Project 1: The Forum | ADP Architecture
Do you think one client may be already too much sometimes? What about three of them for just one project? The Forum is one of those projects designed by ADP Architecture that not only mediates between people, community, and environment but answers the needs of three different clients. Needless to say, that besides its learning resource hub, cultural venue, and public square the project was also conceived as flexible as possible so that it may be future-proof.
Project 2: Clay Farm Community Centre
Hubs have become more and more present in today’s architecture, yet, unless properly designed, they could be total failures. However, ADP studio came with a foolproof recipe for managing such a program: get the community involved by giving people their chance to take part in the design process.
Healthcare
Project 3: Delamere Support and Information Centre
When carefully and thoughtfully designed, architecture can be by itself a place of relief, that could bring a positive impact even in regrettable situations. Delamere Support and Information Centre is one of those centers where people diagnosed with cancer can look for support in a friendly, comfy, and serene environment.
Project 4: Salford Royal Hospital
No type of building is permanent and unchangeable; they all need to be considered according to their specificity. Hospitals make no exceptions, and ADP proved that even by slight adjustments to the existing paradigms, architects could achieve impressive results that would ultimately better serve the users of the building.
Higher Education
Project 5: The Sir William Henry Bragg Building | ADP Architecture
Research is all about collaboration, but in order to make people with different backgrounds and interests come together and get the most out of their working together, some changes have to be done. Considering one had to fit those cutting-edge research facilities into a Grade II listed Old Mining Building, the interventions prove to be imperative.
Project 6: The Laidlaw Library
Being asked to fit in a library in-between two Grade II listed churches can be quite a challenge. Yet, ADP Architecture proves they can carry out contemporary interventions even in the close vicinity of heritage sites without altering their presence, but by enhancing it.
Hospitality & Leisure
Project 7: Oxford Castle
Some nowadays prisons may be considered true 5-star hotels, if considering their facilities, yet, back in the days, the circumstances were totally different. Therefore, when commissioned to turn a former prison into a hotel, a handful of architects may find it rather challenging, while only a few of them may succeed.
Project 8: Spanish City | ADP Architecture
When dealing with historic buildings, one may find himself lost among the multitude of intervention philosophies. However, architects have to understand that the best way to preserve buildings is to use them. Thus, abandoned buildings have to be given back to their communities, even if, sometimes, this may imply a fresh “look.”
Residential
Project 9: Private House, Sevenoaks
Traditional settings can be seen as a challenge, especially when one has to design in an area that has a particular vibe. In most of those situations, architects fail to push themselves to create designs that (just) fit in. Hopefully, ADP Architecture is no such studio.
Project 10: Elmsbrook Local Centre | ADP Architecture
Communities are not generated by their buildings but by their people. That is why, in such cases, the buildings designed have to be as flexible as possible so that they allow the people using them to leave footprints. Fortunately, the footprint has nothing to do with carbon in this case, as the project is the UK’s first zero-carbon development.
Project 11: Fort Bovisand
Architecture interventions often have the power of regenerating forsaken sites. Fort Bovisand is one such example. ADP studio succeeded in proposing a revitalizing solution for the spectacular site that includes both new public amenities as well as private housing units.
Project 12: St. John’s School
St. John’s School is another project that proves contemporary insertions can be a solution for heritage buildings IF properly designed and considered in a sensitive dialogue with their surroundings. The existing historic context of the school needed to accommodate new facilities, to which it would harmonize carefully.
Project 13: Durston House School
Durston House School is one of the projects ADP Architecture built from scratch. They managed to stay true to the values that were so characteristic for the preparatory school while also promoting flexibility and a sustainable design.
Workplace
Project 14: Office Building Extension on White Rose Office Park
Even when designing an extension, the studio focuses first and foremost on the general well-being of the users, but at the same time succeeds in delivering a contemporary looking piece of architecture that makes the most out of its whereabouts.
Project 15: White Rose Office Park Masterplan | ADP Architecture
Sustainability becomes more and more present in the designs of office buildings. White Rose Office Park is definitely one of those examples that were involved in raising the bar for low environmental impact workplace developments.
Reference
https://www.adp-architecture.com/