Fluid Structures are delighted to have been appointed by Girton College, Cambridge, to work with Allies & Morrison Architects and Max Fordham on the delivery of a cutting edge halls of residence.

The new buildings will provide accommodation and amenities for 50 undergraduate and post graduate students on the Grade II listed Greenbelt campus, as well as new gym facilities and extensive refurbishments of the college swimming pool.

Key to the design brief is the requirement to meet class leading standards of energy efficiency, with a specified limit of 16.5kWh/sqm/year for space heating and ventilation, i.e. near Passive House levels, and a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.

The college are sensibly also expecting buildings which will last centuries rather than decades. The combination of the excellent energy efficiency standards and the extensive south west facing PV array will combine to produce a net energy revenue.

Fluid look forward to extending our experience of delivering Passive House certified and high CSH rated dwellings to this larger scale development, which will be one of the lowest energy university Halls in the UK, if not the lowest.

Fluid is excited to be working with Mackay and Partners on the new Minories Hotel in the city.

Fluid Structures are appointed as main structural engineers for the development and are also engaged to assist the architect in the design of the façade, which represents one of the major features of the new building.

The project involves the demolition of the existing building down to the ground floor level, the extension and lowering of the basement floor area to accommodate plants and the construction of a new building up to eighteen storeys.

The substructure design requires careful consideration of the existing piles and foundations, archaeological remains, existing services and the presence of the LUL train tunnel.

The project also adopts various sustainable solutions including the use of a green roof construction which will contribute to achieve BREEAM Bespoke ‘Excellent’ rating and meet the GLA requirements.

Fluid Structures are delighted to be working with MAKE Architects on a new collaborative project between the University of East London and Birkbeck, University of London for completion of a new education building in 2011.

The new building will signal the transformation and regeneration of education in the area along with the legacy set by the Olympics.

As part of the proposal, the building will incorporate a range of highly-flexible teaching and administrative spaces, alongside dedicated studios, lecture theatres and classrooms.

A number of social and environmentally sustainable measures are to be incorporated; the site will have a fully landscaped learning garden and proposals include green roofs and photovoltaic panels.

Fluid is excited to announce the completion of the Oliver Sweeney Store, located in the new luxury development of Spinningfields near the centre of Manchester.

Fluid worked with award winning architects Urban Salon to design the new 53sqm store.

The front of the store features a seamless glass wall which dramatically increases the visibility into the store and allows copious amounts of natural lighting. The new concept store features Oliver Sweeney’s mainline and London collections, as well as jackets and accessories.

The exciting new store incorporates eco-friendly techniques using fibre optic and LED lighting to reduce electricity consumption.

Fluid is pleased to have worked with the architect Jonathan Clarke on the New Library Building for Longford Community School which has recently won an RIBA Award 2010.

The project involved the construction of a two-storey extension and partial conversion of a 1960’s school building.

The outcome is a colourful, laminated-timber structure on one end of the block. Made from Kerto prefabricated ‘fins’ the structure was erected on site in just four days and supports a timber floor and roof structure.

Fluid Structures are pleased to have been awarded the Structural Engineering contract for the Designer Outlet Centre in Swindon. The Designer Outlet Centre is already a successful retail destination with great potential to be re-modelled and enlarged.

Fluid has been brought in as Structural Engineers to work with POD Architects on the refurbishment and reinvigoration of the space. The work includes the refurbishment of an amazing listed 1840’s railway fabrication shed by Isambrad Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway.

Fluid Structures are delighted to have been awarded the Structural Engineering Contract for a new resort development in the Carribean.

The project will involve 120 new build villas amongst a six star golf resort, an underground auditorium and bar and a 200m long facilities centre.

Fluid have won a contract with Brent Council for over 400 units of Social Housing. Fluid Structures are working on two areas with PRP Architects and Rick Mather Architects.

Fluid Structures were the Structural Engineers with Simon Condor Associates on El Ray Beach House in Kent. The project has won several awards including the RIBA Stephen Lawrence Award and was highly commended at the Wood Awards 2009. It has also been nominated for this year's Miles van der Rohe European Architecture Award.

Fluid Structures would like to invite you to our third Eco-Event this Winter, offering an expanded view on low energy design and the future of sustainability in the UK. For more information, please email david@fluidstructures.com

Image courtesy of Urban Salon Architects