Archives

Nursery and Early Years

Sara Waterfield
Director at Lytle Associates Architects

We have considerable experience of the design of nursery, kindergarten and early years facilities, both for schools and private nursery providers.

Our working knowledge of the design guides and specification standards of national nursery providers informs our design process for bespoke school nurseries, while our breadth of experience can add value to the standard nursery blueprint.

We have advised on the production of business plans to support the setting up of new nursery provision in existing prep schools and can prepare quick feasibility studies to review options and assist budget forecasts.

We understand all the regulations, guidance and safety standards as a matter of course, but also believe in creating spaces which are child scaled, inspirational and fun.

Completed projects include:

  • The Oratory Prep School Early Years building
  • Cranmore School nursery
  • University of Surrey nursery
  • Clapham village nursery
  • Kindergarten, Rowan Preparatory School
  • Early Years building, Ripley Court School
  • Bromwells nursery, Clapham

Clapham Village Nursery, Bromells Road

Clapham Village nursery and preschool is one of our most recent commissions from Bright Horizons nursery operators. The flagship building next to Clapham Common involved complete remodelling and redevelopment of a derelict warehouse building to create a nursery and family centre for children from 6 months to 5 years old.

The refurbished building provides home base playrooms for children in each age group, along with studio space for art, drama, music and science. The nursery includes a bespoke children’s cookery room.

For parents the ‘Parent Hub’ provides a lounge, hot desk computer suite and take away meal facility.

Outside space is carefully landscaped to provide an attractive environment for play, sport and gardening.

The building was designed to BREEAM ‘excellent’ environmental standards, including sustainable natural ventilation with roof top wind catchers. A contemporary elevation of the timber cladding and coloured panels creates an informal and playful feel, whilst the natural interiors offer a blank canvas for the children’s activities. Low windowsills and under floor heating ensure all spaces are all extremely child friendly.

The Oratory Preparatory School

The Oratory Preparatory School is a prestigious independent school occupying an extensive campus in south Oxfordshire. Lytle Associates were commissioned to design a bespoke new nursery building to complement their existing kindergarten and Pre-Prep provision.

Lytle Associates worked with the school team to develop a brief for the new building and to support initial options appraisals, business case and marketing before the project was confirmed. The selected site was adjacent to the existing natural play and woodland, so a timber frame woodland cabin aesthetic was developed, using an L shaped plan to enclose a secure play courtyard for the nursery children to enjoy. The location on the route from the main car park also positions to the new facility as a ‘gateway’ to the main prep school campus.

The design included vaulted ceilings to play areas to create a feeling of space and light, a dedicated relaxation/sleep room, activity spaces, child scale fittings and details and a full length canopy to create an all weather outside play area directly linked to each classroom with large folding glass doors.

The University of Surrey New build Nursery

University of Surrey – Campus Kids Nursery

Lytle Associates delivered a full project management service for the provision of a new workplace nursery for staff and students at the University of Surrey. The initial Viability Study included surveys to identify demand, market analysis, advice on optimum size, location and operating model as well as a comprehensive business case.

The University of Surrey New build Nursery

The fast track programme led to the choice of a modular building solution, for which Lytle Associates handled the brief, consents, procurement and delivery. Alongside this we arranged a tender for nursery operators and worked with the University of Surrey team to appoint a partner to run the new nursery.

The building was fully customised to meet the needs of the children from 6 months to 5 years, including baby, toddler and pre-school play rooms with all associated support areas, car park and a landscaped nursery garden.

Contact Us

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Related Projects

Nursery & Early Years Education Clapham Village Nursery, London Community The Oratory Preparatory School Education

Luxury Apartments

230206 – Savills Presentation 2

Our approach to luxury apartments is client focused, through understanding the site potential and restraints we deliver successful and bespoke buildings.

Chantry Point

Lytle Associates were appointed to design luxury apartments in Guildford replacing a previously demolished 1970s dwelling. This traditional style new build features 5 units.

 

The proposal includes a parking undercroft level whilst the sloping site offers fantastic views across Guildford and the downs.

The penthouse features an oak timber gable, vaulted ceilings and full height glazing with fantastic views leading out onto a balcony. Other apartments feature contemporary kitchens & tiled flooring with coffer lighting detail.

Welland House

Working together with our client, SIGMA Homes, Lytle Associates produced the construction documentation for the 14 apartments in this four-storey building in the heart of Guildford.

The chosen method of construction was traditional block and beam, with a facing brick and stone exterior to match the approved planning drawings.

The entire project was drawn and detailed using BIM, in Autodesk REVIT. This allowed us to quickly and effectively portray in 3D, in-progress project amendments, construction detail proposals and internal renders to our client.

The project took approximately 12 months to complete.

Related Projects

Sustainable apartments, Nightingale Road Residential Luxury apartments, Walton-on-the-Hill Heritage Apartments, Stoughton Residential

Property Refurbishment – Warwicks Bench

Jonathan Tan
Associate Director at Lytle Associates Architects

The extension and refurbishment of an existing property, creating a spacious family home with views across Guildford. The site is in close proximity to the high street and in an excellent urban location.

The refurbishment and extensions are in a contemporary style, this meets with the eclectic mix of arts and crafts, 1960’s and 70’s styles and contemporary properties found within the context of the site.

The extension was designed to be subservient to the existing property with the ridge and eaves heights maintained. The extension is cranked to mitigate the bulk of the dwelling and is split into two clear elements.

A gabled section which maintains the traditional roof and a link which steps in height reducing the scale and preserving the residential character of the building.

New dormers have been introduced across the South facade opening up views across Guildford. In order to ensure the private amenity is maintained the house plan has the bedroom spaces on the ground floor and living spaces on the first floor of the property.

From the September 2020, it is intended that the General Permitted Development Order and the Use Classes Order will change opening the possibilities for expanding your property.

Homeowners or developers can add an additional two storeys to your two-storey home, whilst owners of one-storey properties may add an additional storey.

For both detached and semidetached properties, the proposed house cannot exceed 18 meters in height and terraced properties cannot extend 3.5 meters higher than the next tallest house within the terrace. Although some hurdles may apply such as the impact on neighbouring properties, design, and impact on protected views.

Related Residential Projects

Private House, Guildford Residential 55 & 56 Quarry Street Heritage Apartments, Stoughton Residential

West Bergholt Masterplan

Planning approval for exciting new residential developments providing 25 new dwellings over two sites in West Bergholt, Colchester.

Darren Page
Director at Lytle Associates Architects

Lytle Associates Architects were part of the design team that has recently gained planning approval for exciting new residential developments on two sites in West Bergholt, Colchester. The areas had been identified for housing under the neighbourhood plan and our illustrative outline masterplans proposed a collective total of 25 new dwellings over the two sites.

The sites are within walking distance of the centre of West Bergholt and occupy prominent locations along the main Colchester Road. The sites therefore offer a unique opportunity to develop new sustainable residential areas reinvigorating this area of West Bergholt.

Key concepts of the scheme focussed on the semi-rural location and opportunities to reinforce and enhance the green networks and areas for wildlife. In particular new landscape corridors and wildlife buffer zones, supplemented by strengthened boundary planting, provide valuable new habitats and natural screening. Other key decisions include locating development away from the boundaries, to concentrate dwellings towards less sensitive areas of the plot.

Lytle Associates were assisted throughout by a broad team of design professionals who supported a wide range of concepts from crucial planning strategies to the development of sustainable drainage systems and swales.

Related Masterplanning Projects

Tolworth Masterplanning Plaistow Hospital Masterplanning Merrow Street Masterplanning

Vistec House, Croydon

Mark Furner
Director at Lytle Associates Architects

Located in London Road in Croydon, Vistec House is an existing building for office use that lies within a High Street location with a recent history of large-scale residential development and improvements to the public realm. The building had already obtained permission for an office (B1(a)) to residential (C3) conversion under prior approval by a previous architect and developer for 95 units. Planning permission was also granted under a separate full application for 2 storey and 5 storey extensions to the main existing building and a 9-storey rear extension to provide Houses of Multiple Occupancy (Super HMO) for 90 lettable rooms with associated cycle and refuse stores.

To facilitate new access into the extensions, including new lift cores, changes in layout to the previously approved main building were required resulting in the loss of 7 units approved. Totalling a building of 178 units. Approval was also granted for external works on the site, including excavation to the front of the property to provide a lightwell and access to the lower ground floor.

Work was implemented to both previously approved applications in 2017, resulting in the full planning permission remaining in perpetuity. However, works were halted due to commercial reasons with the building approximately 50% complete. This resulted in the need to appoint as a suitably experienced Architects practice to play a key role in assisting the design and construction team in completing the building ready for occupation.

Lytle Associates Architects were appointed in 2019 by the original client, however the building was later sold to a developer/ contractor who we were novated to as part of the original agreement under a JCT Design and Build 2016 contract.

Considering the complex planning history, it was necessary to develop a planning strategy for the project following our appointment.  This included the need to re-apply for the prior approval (apart from 8 no. units which were in an occupiable condition) due to the requirement under the GPDO that all units would need to be completed within 3 years from the date the previous permission was granted. Our new application was granted by Croydon Council in 2019.

Our planning strategy also included a series of amendments to the full application which remained in perpetuity, addressing outstanding planning conditions and revised conditions to the previous approval.

Our appointment also included the development of a detailed tender package. As part of this process, we worked with specialists. including fire consultants, to undertake a comprehensive review of the previously approved layouts whilst developing our plans at the detailed design stages to ensure compliance with the Approved Documents of Building Regulations. This process highlighted several anomalies which needed to be addressed under separate non-material amendments to bring any design changes in line with planning. Including further fenestration changes (including the addition of bathroom and kitchen extract grills for ventilation). External changes to facilitate fire escapes and the removal of some protruding balconies (within 1m of the site boundary) which would have proved a hazard in the event of a fire under the previous plans.

We also completed a fully comprehensive review and assessment of the existing state of construction where it was necessary to strip the previously constructed work back to the structure.

The Lytle Associates scheme retains much of the previously approved layouts, also proposing 178 units in total. The project makes the most of the number of residential (C3) units with the prior approval GDPO units being 2bed studio flats located within the envelope of the existing office building.

The extensions house HMO units up to 2 persons with suitable shared kitchen and laundry facilities between flats in each cluster. Some areas of crossover exist where C3 residential units are in the extensions, however this has been carefully managed in the planning process.

Due to the tight nature of the site, it was an agreed planning strategy that the scheme would have no parking provision. The site itself is well located for residential use with no significant transport or highways issues, enjoying excellent links to public transport to Central London and within walking distance to the Croydon Metropolitan Centre.

The scheme offers suitable secure cycle parking within the Basement, in accordance with the requirements set out in the 2016 London Plan.

The tight nature of the site also meant that the amount of refuse provision was restricted. Therefore, providing enough refuse facilities which met the requirements set out in the Croydon Waste and Recycling in Planning Policy Document 2015 for a weekly collection would prove a challenge for the design team. Lytle Associates Architects worked with the client to develop a strategy for waste disposal where a second weekly collection is to be provided by a private company, as a result only half of the recommended facilities are required.

Finally, we worked with Building Services Engineers to undertake a full review and assessment into applicable renewable and sustainable energy sources for the scheme. The outcome of this has been to place photovoltaic panels on the proposed roof.

 

Contact Us

Find out how we can help you transform your school

Related Residential Projects

Luxury apartments, Guildford Residential Apartments, Stoughton Residential Grade II Listed Apartments, Guildford Heritage

Grade II Listed Property, Shere

Sited alongside the River Tillingbourne, this Grade 2 listed property underwent a full refurbishment programme accompanied with a new single storey lightweight timber frame side extension – built over a historically significant fragile Vault.

Using modern technologies alongside traditional craftmanship techniques the team were able to restore this desirable and charming property back to health.

Trevor Watts
Associate Director at Lytle Associates Architects

The property is a Grade II listed, mid eighteenth century Georgian ‘L-Shaped’ home sited adjacent to the River Tillingbourne, in the heart of the historic North Downs village of Shere, Surrey. The house sits within a walled garden with a brick vault at basement level. The property is adjacent to the important Grade 1 listed St James Church, and Lychgate at the centre of the village.

The brief was for the conversion of the existing basement, full restoration and repair of the listed property that had been vacant for three years. This comprised a full refurbishment programme to the main house to include structural improvements, timber decay treatments, basement waterproof tanking, external brickwork repointing, roof repairs, new mechanical and electrical servicing throughout, domestic facilities, and internal decorations.

An unattractive extension had been constructed in the 1960s to the eastern elevation of the building which was considered not in keeping with the character of the existing historic building.

Its demolition allowed space for the creation of a new larger single storey extension intended to be more in keeping with the historic property, while also providing improved dining and kitchen facilities for the client to meet the needs and desires of 21st century living.

All proposals were designed to honour and conserve the building’s historic fabric and aesthetics in accordance with specialist’s details and SPAB guidance.

We worked to develop an approach which sought to improve and rationalise the existing layout by replacing the poor-quality 1960s extension, making minor internal alterations and associated refurbishment works to secure the future of the building for residential use.

The design also utilises appropriate materials, workmanship, and construction techniques to successfully integrate sympathetic structural and finishes solutions.

The new extension was designed to not unbalance the original floorplan or diminish the importance and hierarchy of the historic house. Acting both as subservient to the original property, and in proportion with the Georgian aesthetic. The roof form of the extension is pyramidal, set behind a parapet to complement the existing building.

Constructed over a sensitive and fragile arched vault which had significant heritage importance. The extension was designed with a lightweight timber frame.  Standard facing brick could not be used due to excessive weight loadings.

The need to have the extension of a lightweight construction resulted in the use of a facing brick slip cradle system to keep the weight to a minimum whilst maintaining a facing brick appearance. The selection was of a system with integral insulation that not only addressed the weight tolerances but also provided an insulated carrier backing board.

Structural measures were taken to preserve the existing historic fabric whilst not intruding upon it, such as splicing or doubling up on Roof rafter and ceiling members providing roof restraint. Deflecting and failing existing timber floor beams received either a flitch plate reinforcement or a new steel beam substitute, dependant on location and installation criteria.

Due to existing ground conditions, the proximity of the listed vault, and being partly built on an embankment, a piled raft foundation was required so not to exert ground bearing pressures on the listed structure. This in turn led to careful superstructure detailing to ground and DPC levels.

A tanking solution was introduced to prevent water ingress from the river.

The extension respects the height, character, and proportions of both Sayers, and of the surrounding environment but appears subservient to the listed building. The proposed materials of brick, roof tiles, lead work and windows all match the existing as well as possible. All sash windows were fully restored by a specialist.

The project has seen a successful remodelling of the property; replacing the poor-quality existing extension with a larger, in-keeping high-quality extension; making sympathetic minor internal alterations and associated refurbishment works, thus improving and rationalising the present layout. The property now enjoys a layout that respects the unique layout and the proportions of the listed building whilst providing spaces suitable for modern living.

Related Heritage Projects

55 & 56 Quarry Street Heritage Grade II Listed Farmhouse, West Sussex Heritage Grade II Listed building, Quarry Street Heritage

Outdoor Spaces in Schools

Outdoor social spaces – better concentration, cooperation and creativity – outside spaces in schools that have a positive impact on pupils.

Sara Waterfield
Director at Lytle Associates Architects

Our school masterplan process always involves feedback from pupils about their school environment – both inside and outside.

Students always value outside spaces highly – natural grass, views of trees and the sky, areas to sit and work or chat and breathe fresh air.  The environment and sustainability are important too.

Being outside reduces stress, improves positivity and calms anxiety. The way our buildings connect to the outside, and the outdoor spaces they enclose and create, are an essential part of our designs.

The Oratory School

New boarding houses linked by collegiate cloisters with outdoor seating and meeting places integrated into the design.

Tolworth Girls’ School

The masterplan for Tolworth Girls’ School has delivered many improvements to the outdoor spaces, social, dining and outdoor provision alongside the building refurbishments and two large new teaching blocks.

  • Workshop with GCSE art students to design timber sculpture and seating for a new wildlife habitat garden
  • Dining terrace with picnic tables linked to new main restaurant space
  • Covered walkways linking buildings, providing places to meet, be outside in bad weather and wait for lunch in the rain.
  • Areas of artificial grass providing ‘green’ social areas for use all year round
  • Sixth form balcony for private study and relaxation with views over the site

The Oratory Preparatory School

Early Years department in a woodland setting, with a wide roof canopy creating a covered play area which links seamlessly to the indoor space with fully glazed sliding doors for maximum flexibility and free flow for the youngest pupils.

Guildford County School Plaza

The £15million masterplan for this town centre school has included:

  • New plaza social space with raised seating planters providing quiet informal space alongside the formal courtyard and new artificial pitch
  • Art department courtyard with space for outdoor working
  • Improvements to main courtyard with new canopies and seating
  • Designs for outdoor performance space

Contact Us

Find out how we can help you transform your school

Related Education Projects

Classrooms, libraries & resource centres Education The Oratory Preparatory School Education The Oratory School Education

Visuals

Lytle Associates 3d Visuals

As architects we are naturally good at visualising space and most of us can imagine walking through a building just by looking at a plan.

For our clients that is not always so easy.

That is where 3D models, renders and walk throughs can really help.

At LAA we often build 3D models of buildings at early design stage, allowing us to generate 3D views and insert our model into photographs of the site so that clients can ‘see’ the vision.

We can also test options and show how these will look – which is useful for us, and can be invaluable when making presentations to neighbours or planning officers.

 

A 3D revit model allows us to virtually walk through the space, giving clients a genuine understanding of the design proposals.

We can check the view from a seat or the impact of the sun at a certain time of year.

3D modelling helps us understand our building designs better, and enables us to communicate better with our clients.

This selection of images have all been produced in-house using our own team and resources – for concept stage and competitions, to support planning applications or to explore detailed design development.

Some of the projects have been built, others remain at concept stage.

In all cases 3D visualisations have helped us to achieve improved design communication and better outcomes for our clients.

Related Projects

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Office to Residential Refurbishment – Quarry Street

Trevor Watts
Associate Director at Lytle Associates Architects

Located in central historic Guildford, Lytle Associates were appointed to obtain planning permission to refurbish, convert, and extend two exquisite Grade II & II* Georgian properties back to their original form.

 

Formally one large commercial office, the two properties have been sensitively restored and returned to their original form of two separate elegant Georgian dwellings bringing the properties up to date with fine living and modern comforts.

The rear Orangeries were designed in a complementary style using traditional masonry detailing with modern materials subtly brought together making for an open and functional dwelling that enjoys a direct relationship with the historical walled garden area.

Understanding and addressing items such as Deathwatch Beetle, Structural deterioration and improving fire safety methods were some of the obstacles that required sensitive consideration during the course of the development.

Retaining and restoring known original features such as the staircase, doors, mouldings and cornices ensured the very essence and charm of the properties were preserved. Whilst adding modern elements such as full width bi fold openings to maximise natural light.

Related Residential Projects

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Award winning service from Guildford Architects

Recently completed projects by Lytle Associates Architects.

Voted by our clients as Best Professional Property Services Company at the Surrey Property Awards

Sara Waterfield
Director at Lytle Associates Architects

Lytle Associates Architects have a wealth of experience in most sectors of the construction industry and over the past 30 years we have built a strong client base, both locally and regionally.  Our approach is never prescriptive, instead we offer the benefit of our ideas, imagination and experience, all of which are extensive. We also take the time to absorb our client’s background, understand their priorities and reflect these in our designs.

We are an established team with good rapport.  We enjoy building personal relationships, which in turn strengthen the quality and continuity of our service at every level.

We are delighted that this approach has led our clients have chosen to vote for us as Best Property Services Company.

GUILDFORD COUNTY SCHOOL ART BLOCK

This new Art Department was the first project in a successful long term partnership between Lytle Associates and Guildford County School.  As well as the new art department, our masterplan for the school estate has resulted in a new teaching wing, fully refurbished Sixth Form Centre, improved accommodation for technology, science and maths, a new all weather pitch and a new indoor sports centre, which is currently on site.

PRIVATE HOUSE, NEAR GUILDFORD

Extensive redevelopment of an existing 1950’s house. Comprehensive remodelling, including side extensions, the addition of a new top floor and transformed facades have provided a contemporary and high quality home.  A strong relationship with the client led to stunning end product.

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Heritage Projects

Listed Building Works is all part of a normal day at Lylte Associates

Trevor Watts
Associate Director at Lytle Associates Architects

Renovation of existing cottage and agricultural barns within the curtilage of a Grade II Listed dwelling in Dorset.

Planning has been submitted to turn them into a private residential dwelling for our clients. It is proposed that the barns and cottage will function as one home with new sympathetic link buildings.

Guildford Borough Heritage Basement Grade 2 listed

Full refurbishment and new complimenting ground floor extension to Grade II Listed Georgian Property in Guildford Borough.

New lightweight ground floor extension created over an existing brick basement vault. Careful and sensitive Architectural and Structural detailing was required to obtain Conservation and Planning approval.

Interior and Exterior renovation including overhaul of Listed Sash windows, brickwork & roof repairs, services and isolated structural repairs

 

Conservation Planning approval

Part of the existing Basement required waterproofing tanking measures applied in order to facilitate the conversion into a Habitable space.

 

 

Listed Sash windows Clunch chalk blocks

Conversion and full refurbishment of Lytle Associates Grade II Listed Office in central Guildford.

‘Change of use’ of lower ground floor and basement into a two-bed luxury residential apartment including contemporary rear extension.

Introduction of new ‘Separating floor’ floor zone separating the Office and dwelling, along with structural upgrading, full exterior overhaul, and refurbishment of design studios and reception rooms.

Clunch (chalk blocks) & roof repairs, services and isolated structural repairs.

Interior Exterior renovation Listed Sash windows Clunch chalk blocks

Interior and Exterior renovation including overhaul of Listed Sash windows.

Related Projects

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New school pitches and MUGAs

New school pitches and MUGAs helping local schools to meet the new School Sport and activity Action Plan

Sara Waterfield
Director at Lytle Associates Architects

Tolworth Girls’ School MUGA

Full sized polymeric pitch for athletics, hockey, netball and general sport use.  Floodlighting and access control for school and external community use.

The new pitch was part of a phased development that included refurbishment and upgrading of existing grass pitches, new athletics track, long jump, shot-put/discus areas and rounders pitches.

Guildford County School MUGA

The most recent phase of a £15million masterplan for this town centre school is the demolition of the existing sports hall and the construction of a new sports hall, associated sports and changing facilities, new flood lit MUGA and external landscaping works.

The MUGA has a sand dressed artificial grass surface for football, hockey and tennis and has a central divider net to allow lunchtime clubs to run alongside general play.

Careful design and a sensitive approach enabled us to help the school achieve planning permission for the new facilities, including floodlighting and new car parking, on a tight site closely surrounded by residential properties.

New Barn School MUGA

An artificial grass pitch for general play and sport at a special school for pupils with high functioning autism.

New Barn School MUGA

An artificial grass pitch for general play and sport at a special school for pupils with high functioning autism.

St Thomas of Canterbury School MUGA

Polymeric surface for PE and general play at a large primary school – the space is used intensively throughout the day as well as for after school clubs and school events.

Our range of experience includes artificial grass pitches for football, tennis and rugby, hard surface MUGAs for athletics, hockey and general play, natural outdoor pitches and hard courts for basketball, netball and tennis.

Our understanding of the pros and cons of different surfaces, along with the technicalities of Sport England requirements means that we can advise at every stage of a project, from feasibility studies to detailed consideration of goal recesses, floodlighting, storage and fencing.

Lytle Associates have a proven track record in providing a range of sports facilities for schools, often forming part of an overall educational solution.

Related Projects

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Swimming Pools

From sleek, private pools to bespoke facilities for school sports or specialist rehabilitation – Lytle Associates have extensive experience in the design and specification of swimming pools.

Mark Chambers
Associate Director at Lytle Associates Architects

Private Indoor Pool – Tadworth

Lytle Associates designed this elegant, contemporary, indoor private pool as part of a new wing to an existing house. The pool surround links seamlessly through to the garden with continuous flagstone paving and full width bi-fold doors. Sliding glass doors also allow access to the kitchen. External windows are positioned low so that views can be achieved whilst swimming. A feature spiral stair gives access to a bar & entertaining space above. The sauna can be enjoyed looking over the pool through a large picture window.

Private Outdoor Pool – Guildford

Lytle Associates designed this external pool & garden room to provide the ultimate summer leisure and entertaining space. The garden room features large sliding doors to link the inside and outside. The garden room has an over sailing roof to provide a covered external dining area.  During the winter months the large glass areas continue to provide views over the pool & garden.

Guildford High School – Guildford

New swimming pool as part of a high specification new sports complex for this central Guildford Girls’ School.  The new building provides modern pool and changing areas, sports hall, fitness suite and hospitality areas including a stunning balcony overlooking their outdoor sports pitches and Stoke Park.

Space for spectators is included at the pol side and from the first floor hospitality areas.

The Oratory School – near Reading

Extensive remodelling and extension of an existing private school sports complex including new swimming pool, new entrance foyer and hospitality areas and refurbished squash courts.

The low, curved roof profile and brick buttressed elevations were designed to complement setting adjacent to the listed walled garden in this historic campus.

Post-Operative Rehabilitation Care Home – Guildford

Bespoke new hydrotherapy pool including adjustable floor, treadmill and ambulant access stair to provide specialist post-operative rehabilitation.

The new facilities are part of a hydrotherapy and physiotherapy treatment centre within the newly built Post Operative Rehabilitation Care Home.  The new building provides 32 modern bedroom  spaces complete with en-suite facilities while maintaining the traditional style and character of the former hotel on the site.

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Lytle Associates outstanding service recognised by World Class Schools nomination

Sara Waterfield
Director at Lytle Associates Architects

The outstanding service offered by Lytle Associates Architects has led to us being recommended by one of our current clients to become part of the World Class Schools supplier network.

Suppliers are chosen because they are:

  • Contributing to the high performance of at least one World Class School
  • Providing a World Class standard of service
Tolworth Girls' School Phase 2: 200 seat performance/lecture theatre and Drama studio

Tolworth Girls’ school nominated us in recognition of our contribution to their recent success, including an Ofsted outstanding assessment and being awarded the World Class Schools Quality Mark.  Lytle Associates worked with the school to develop a comprehensive estate masterplan, focusing on the highest quality provision for teaching and learning across all subject areas.

Two new buildings have delivered state of the art facilities for English, performing arts, music, science and IT along with a new sixth form centre, dining facilities and a full size all weather sports pitch.

The impact of these new facilities, along with the success of the school, has meant that applications to the school have increased dramatically and the sixth form has almost doubled in size.

Contact Us

Find out how we can help you transform your school

Related Education Projects

St. Peter’s School Education Tolworth Girls’ School and Sixth Form Education Guildford High School Sports Facilities Education

Providing luxury refurbished Georgian Grade II & II* Listed Homes

Trevor Watts
Associate Director at Lytle Associates Architects

Located in central historic Guildford, Lytle Associates were appointed to obtain planning permission to refurbish, convert, and extend two exquisite Grade II & II* Georgian properties back to their original form.

Formally one large commercial office, the two properties have been sensitively restored and returned to their original form of two separate elegant Georgian dwellings bringing the properties up to date with fine living and modern comforts.

Understanding and addressing items such as Deathwatch Beetle, Structural deterioration and improving fire safety methods were some of the obstacles that required sensitive consideration during the course of the development.

Retaining and restoring known original features such as the staircase, doors, mouldings and cornices ensured the very essence and charm of the properties were preserved.

The rear Orangeries were designed in a complementary style using traditional masonry detailing with modern materials subtly brought together making for an open and functional dwelling that enjoys a direct relationship with the historical walled garden area.

Related Projects

Grade II Listed Farmhouse, West Sussex Heritage Grade II Listed building, Quarry Street Heritage Grade II Listed Apartments, Guildford Heritage

Bespoke Special school so successful that it has been given permission to expand

Sara Waterfield
Director at Lytle Associates Architects

Planning permission was granted this week for the expansion of New Barn School.

Lytle Associates worked closely with the team at the school to create a bespoke building that would provide the best possible learning environment for the pupils; young people with statements of special educational need, whose challenging behaviour and particular needs means they can not be educated in mainstream schools.  Some of the pupils at New Barn school have been excluded from more than one mainstream school or Pupil Referral Unit and have been “school refusers” for months or even years.  The bespoke environment, pastoral support and individually tailored programmes mean these pupils can finally thrive.  The recent Ofsted report said:

 “Several parents said that there had been a ‘transformation’ in their child since starting at the school.”

The rural location is a positive feature of the school, providing a calm and spacious campus with few distractions. There are specialist facilities for art and design, science, music, woodwork and food technology. There are indoor and outdoor sports facilities. The school has spaces for an art psychotherapist, a speech and language therapist and an occupational therapist.

The informal cluster of buildings, centred around the outdoor play spaces, provides a non threatening environment which is easy to navigate and makes the pupils feel safe.

The planning permission allows the expansion of a school which is already becoming a centre of excellence for young people with severe and complex needs, and has the potential to transform their lives.

Related Projects

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Private House Guildford

Mark Chambers
Associate Director at Lytle Associates Architects

Lytle Associates Architects Help Transform A Private Dwelling  

We were approached to develop a brief with our client to extend and modernise an existing 1950’s house. The original house has been extended several times previously but this had resulted in disproportionate rooms and quirky layouts as well as unwanted bulk heads .

By removing some of these previously constructed additions and extending the ground floor a more modern layout was achieved with the kitchen flowing into the dining area and then into the living room via sliding walls.

A new second floor was proposed adding two en-suite bedrooms with external terraces offering magnificent views from the new higher vantage point. A new stair configuration was incorporated including a lift accessing all floors future proofing the property. The first floor was amended to ensure a better layout and all bedrooms featured a balcony to make use of the south facing aspect.

Externally the existing brickwork had insulated render applied to boost the properties thermal efficiency of the property. This was complemented by burnt larch timber cladding and grey windows and the second floor featured a butterfly roof clad in standing seam Zinc with a feature zinc pattern over the front entrance.  These changes result in a dramatic change from the drab 1950’s dwelling into an attractive, contemporary home.

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Post Operative Rehabilitation Care Home and Treatment Centre

Providing cutting edge therapy and rehabilitation in a luxury, hotel style environment.

Richard Wilkinson
Director at Lytle Associates Architects

Lytle Associates Architects helped the Geoghegan Group build a luxury a 32 bed Post Operative Rehabilitation Care Home and Treatment Centre with state of the art facilities including a therapy pool with a raising floor and an underwater treadmill.

Our client was looking to expand their care home facilities in the Surrey area and entrusted Lytle Associates Architects to deliver a new build solution within the centre of Guildford

Located on the site of the original Clavadel Hotel, Lytle Associates Architects obtained planning permission within a conservation area to demolish the existing hotel and build, in the original style of the Clavadel, a new Post-Operative Rehabilitation Care Home.

Following success at the planning stage, Lytle Associates Architects continued as Lead Consultant in the design and construction stages of the project. The client wanted to have an individual and purpose-built care home, which met all their necessary rehabilitation needs but with the relaxing environment and quality of a country club hotel. This led to the design, with 32 en-suite bedrooms, a rooftop conservatory with terrace, communal facilities including residents’ lounges and an extensive storage and staff area in the basement. The building also provides a separate Rehabilitation Centre for hydrotherapy and physiotherapy treatment incorporating individual consultancy rooms and a cutting-edge therapy pool which includes a rising floor and an underwater treadmill.

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Making the school estate work harder and the money go further

How we helped Tolworth Girls’ School realise £13 million of investment in their school estate

Sara Waterfield
Director at Lytle Associates Architects

As an architect, I love designing school buildings. I also love seeing those buildings being built, and used, and enjoyed. But there’s the catch. In order to build a new building schools need money, and space. In the current climate these can sometimes be in short supply.

Sometimes schools are lucky enough to have surplus land that they can sell. But the decision to sell is never an easy one. Is the land truly surplus? Or is the school simply “selling off the family silver”? Building Bulletin 103 gives area guidelines for school sites, and allows an artificial pitch to be counted as twice the area of a grass pitch, but applying these formulae is only the start of the feasibility process. Planning policy, Department for Education restrictions, Sport England playing pitch strategy and the school’s own long term strategic vision must all come into play.

At Tolworth Girls’ School they had an area of land that they had never used and was genuinely surplus to requirements. Perfect. Except the land was also contaminated. A brickworks claypit in the 1930s, the area became a lake for a while before it was backfilled with rubble from bomb damaged buildings during the second world war and then with excavation from the A3 Kingston by-pass. The high cost of remediation was always going to be beyond the reach of the school. But would it be so high that it would put off potential developers? And would the land even be capable of being made suitable for housing.

The school mitigated this risk by entering into a promotion agreement with a strategic development company. The promotor took all the risk and would only receive their share of the proceeds when planning permission was granted and the land was successfully sold.

The challenges on this project were many and various. Addressing the contamination demanded extensive surveys, ground monitoring stations and a comprehensive remediation strategy. Permission was required from the secretary of state for education to sell the land. Sport England had to be consulted. A local authority recreation centre and private gymnastics club both had shared access which had to be maintained throughout. Viability had to be established. Public consultation exhibitions arranged.

There was the small matter of the planning application and urban planning design guide. Not to mention the need to design a new road to access what was, until that point, a landlocked site. Hardly surprising that the process took over four years. Finally, in the summer of 2015, planning permission was achieved.

The land was sold and three years later the school are already enjoying a new dining hall, laboratories, IT classrooms, a complete new sixth form centre, astroturf, levelled playing fields and access road. The phase two building comprising performing arts, studio theatre and English departments was completed for September 2018.

Involved with the school since 2011, Lytle Associates have provided professional advice and support at every stage from initial Feasibility and EFA approval, through planning and Sport England negotiations to construction and project management. In addition to these developments. Lytle Associates have successfully helped the school obtain over £2 million CIF funding for complete replacement of heating boilers, pipework, radiators and hot water services, electrical wiring sub mains and infrastructure upgrades and fire and emergency system replacements including new fire doors.

Tolworth Girls’ School is an academy with the same budget constraints as every other state school. With our help, they have transformed their school campus and delivered some enviable new facilities for their pupils. An already great school has been inspired and uplifted. They have recently been judged outstanding by Ofsted.

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