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Based in Barnstaple, North Devon, Peregrine Mears Architects Ltd. are a small studio employing four architects (two RIBA) and two technicians with a focus on design quality and buildability. As a practice we endeavour to create spaces that are a joy to be in, whether that is for living, working or relaxing. The design tools we use are Vectorworks Architect 2014 on a Mac platform, Artlantis, SketchUp and Adobe Creative Suite.

We are interested in both how a building sits in the landscape, and how it functions; to that end we see sustainable, environmentally conscious design as a fundamental part of this approach, and feel that all buildings should understand and enhance their context.

As a practice we are involved in a wide range of work sectors, and find as a result of the approach we take that the tools we use vary greatly from project to project. Like many smaller practices we have been making the move away from the traditional 2D workflow and embracing BIM on a number of schemes in the studio.

We were delighted to win a major commission in 2013 to design two new buildings for Petroc Further Education College at their Barnstaple campus.

As architects with a keen interest in educational buildings, we were pleased to be brought into the project at concept / feasibility stage to help Petroc. Our initial work looked to test and develop a number of their sites on their North Devon campus, to see if they would be eligible for the grant from the Skills Funding Agency (SFA). As with many centrally funded projects there were a number of imposed criteria that had to be meet to ensure eligibility. For this project time was the greatest challenge!

As a practice we have been using BIM in some of our smaller projects for a number of years, however this scheme enabled us to utilise the benefits we had seen in those projects in one of our larger projects. As a result the Initial site analysis was greatly enhanced by the ability to quickly produce a number of massing model concepts around the site. These models enabled us to test both the stakeholder’s (Petroc) reaction, and the local planning department's views on the development.

By undertaking these quick 3D exercises we were able to develop the SFA bid with Petroc confident that the planning department would support our proposals. As a result, the SFA application was developed further than previously anticipated, which we felt would enhance Petroc's bid - a deciding factor in successfully winning the bid, as during the consideration period for the grant the time constraints on the project were reduced. Through having early conversations with the planning department, and understanding that they would be broadly supportive, we were able to analyse the programme for possible further time savings, something that proved the benefit of having massing models allowing us to asses site logistics and the impact of construction techniques.

The project had two primary elements, the first being the demolition of a 1950's building which housed heavy engineering machinery. The building was inaccessible to disabled students and did not provide the basic infrastructure required for the changing needs of the curriculum. It was long past its sell-by date, and so it was proposed that it be replaced with a new Lifestyle Building - the new home of leisure and tourism services.

The second part of the project was to relocate the engineering services within a new building linked to an existing automotive workshop. In both instances, the primary need was to provide high quality teaching and learning spaces, and ensure that students' experience at Petroc is as relevant as possible to the work environment.

Due to the tight programme for the scheme, the client had to instruct the design team to work at risk whilst awaiting confirmation that their funding bid had been successful. To minimise that risk to the client, regular cost reports were produced to make sure that the design was not straying too far from the planned figures. Whilst initially appearing to be restrictive, this quickly became a positive design tool, as the various concepts were swiftly modeled and measured. By having fairly instant feedback it ensured time was not wasted on schemes that were unviable, and it also ensured that the designs put forward were more considered as we knew we would have to convince the QS as well as the client!

Once confirmation was received that funding for the scheme was in place, we looked to quickly develop the massing model into basic floorplans. This enabled us to develop the brief with Petroc and their partners in local industry, and also enabled us to hold a series of design workshops with the teachers where their knowledge and opinions could be sought.

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