Impact Initiatives Project
An exciting opportunity arose for Impact Initiatives (Impact), a community organisation helping people and communities improve their lives through health, independence and learning, when they were offered the opportunity to purchase new premises in the New England Quarter mixed-use development in Brighton. The new premises had potential to enable the charity to co-locate their central team and Workability Brighton and Hove Staff in one office and give them the vital space they needed to develop training for service users, provide more facilities for older people in the area where there is currently little support and develop healthy living facilities for individuals and other community organisations in the area.
Impact Initiatives approached Brighton & Hove ProHelp for advice on how to proceed with this exciting project. ProHelp matched them with two local professional firms, DRP Architects and MacConvilles Surveyors who worked together with Impact to help them maximize the opportunities and potential that the new building offered.
Giles Ings of DRP Architects met with Judith Cousin, Chief Executive, and the trustees of Impact at the site of the new building, which was in shell form only with no partitions, plaster or services. They discussed the suitability of the premises for the charity's immediate and longer term needs. DRP then produced a detailed briefing document, outline costs and a feasibility plan which included a 3D presentation model which the charity was able to use to consult fully with staff and partners. Comments were incorporated into a revised feasibility plan which was then discussed with surveyor David Barker of MacConvilles who then produced budget construction costs.
DRP collated information and whole project costs (estimated at £660,000) for inclusion in Impacts Business and Development Plan which was presented to the charity's Board of Trustees mid September. They unanimously agreed to proceed with the purchase of the premises and commence the process that will enable the works to be tendered by January 2008.
‘The support we have had through ProHelp has been invaluable. It has enabled us to embark on this significant project with confidence and it was fantastic to have both firms working together to support us. The new building will enable us to increase our contact in the community and expand our services according to local needs. We also wanted to use the new space to develop income generating activities for our long term sustainability. Giles and his team have provided us with a design for flexible usage, which will meet all our office, vocational service, and development needs. Without this support it is unlikely that we could have our, budgets and business plan that has enabled us to obtain financial support in order to achieve our vision. Working with Giles and MacConvilles has been a very positive experience, their professionalism and commitment to our project and the support and advice they have provided has been fantastic. The contribution they have made to these plans will ultimately enable us to bring in over £2m investment into the City and the development of infrastructure support services for the voluntary sector'. Impact Initiatives
‘DRP Architects have supported ProHelp for many years. We use the support service we provide as an opportunity for our trainee architects to work on projects that they would not normally get involved in so early in their career. Trainee Architect John Dowding, working under my supervision, developed the feasibility scheme whilst updating his 3D modelling skills, met and engaged with the intended users of the new facilities and presented a real scheme at a meeting attended by 50 people. He learnt about funding issues, project costs, how to make presentations to the ‘public' and most importantly how to take criticism, and let it inform the final design solution'. DRP Architects
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