Beaconsfield Road on site

All the fab weather this spring has meant we have had a number of projects come to site in the past few weeks. One of these is for a new extension to a house in a conservation area in the West End of Aberdeen - Beaconsfield Road. The houses on this street are unusual in that they are 2 storey at the front but three storey at the rear.

Front Elevation - remains unaltered

For this project we are demolishing an ugly 1980's rear extension and replacing it with something far more contemporary.

Rear Extension as it was:

Rear Extension Proposal After:

So far the original extension has been removed, and preliminary investigations have discovered that we can extend the garage below the extension well under the house, meaning our client will have room for not 1 but 3 cars... we're not so sure his wife is as pleased as he is though!!

The steelwork was being installed at the time of these photos and the build is progressing smoothly. The build is due for completion around the middle of June 2012.

Small is beautiful - Hunter Adams

We have had the great pleasure this year to pick up a quite a few office fit out projects and in the coming months we'll be blogging about some of these.

One that sticks in the mind for the sheer transformation in a very short period of time is the fit out we completed last month for Hunter Adams, a new HR company who had recently leased office space in Aberdeen on Rubislaw Terrace.

The building is a fantastic listed Granite terrace in the heart of Aberdeen's West End. whilst externally it was certainly a very imposing and rather beautiful building, the same could not be said for the interior, which was very dated and in need of complete refurbishment.

Hunter Adams brief was simple - office space to suit 15 staff, some break out space, a meeting room, and new reception space was required - including new light fittings, furniture and equipment. We had a little over 8 weeks from our appointment to the client needing to moving in, so time was very much of the essence.

We thought it might be interesting to show you some before and after pics of the spaces, so you see just how big the transformation has been. so feast your eyes on before and after shots below.

Reception Before:

Reception breakout: After

General Office Space Before:

General Office Space After:

Meeting Room Before:

Meeting Room After:

Entrance Lobby Before:

Entrance Lobby After:

It goes without saying the client is delighted, the project was completed on time and the company is now enjoying its light, colourful branded space, that gives it the perfect office to work from.

All done on a tight budget and on time.

North Croft Auchronie Progress 3

The fantastic weather means progress on site by Total Build has been immense, with the project now looking to complete around 6 weeks earlier than expected. These pics were taken at the end of February 2012.

The structural steelwork is erected for the house, the timber infills complete, membranes installed and external finishes well underway including slating for the roof and granite work for the external walls. internally plaster boarding is well underway, as is the installation of some tricky steelwork for the main feature helical staircase.

North Croft Auchronie Progress 2

Works continue at a pace at North croft Auchronie, and a considerable amount of progress has been made on site in the past fortnight by the main contractor, Total Build Scotland. The steel framework had been completed, along with the timber infill panels, the roof trusses have been installed and covered with sarking and a breather membrane, plus the scaffold has been erected around the building. The block work garage now also has a roof, the welsh slates are on site and orders have been placed for the windows, feature helical staircase, huge roof light over the main entrance, and the biomass boiler system.

Internally the sub floor has been cast and the internal partition framework is in the process of being installed, along with pipework for the plumbing and the first fix electrics.

The weather has so far been very kind as unusually for this time of year, we are yet to have significant snowfall. it has been cold, but luckily not cold enough to impede any of the concrete works and slow down the build as a result. Total Build report that the project should complete a month ahead of schedule. Kevin McLeod eat your heart out! So far, so good!

North Croft Auchronie Progress 1

Even when you work with contractors all the time, it's amazing how quickly a site can change in a just two weeks. This was the site at North Croft, Auchronie, on the 20th January, with foundations cast and steelwork partly erected. Then by the end of the next week, the timber infill panels are well underway and a 2 car garage has been built in blockwork on site!

JAMstudio needs you!

We are recruiting for more staff following on from a number of high profile project wins. To keep our options open we are looking for a combination from the following job profiles:

Job no.1
ARB registered architect, with at least 5 years post registration experience. Must be fully conversant with AutoCAD, Microsoft Office, have a working knowledge of Google Sketchup and Adobe Photoshop. Needs to be capable of handling demanding deadlines, be a very competent job runner, have good contract administration knowledge, working as part of dedicated design led team and most importantly have a sense of humour! Must have own transport and full clean UK driving licence.

Job no.2
MCIAT architectural technician, with very strong detailing skills, and both commercial and high end residential experience. Must be fully conversant with AutoCAD, Microsoft Office, have a working knowledge of Google Sketchup and Adobe Photoshop. Needs to be capable of handling demanding deadlines, working as part of dedicated design led team and most importantly again have a sense of humour! Must have own transport and full clean UK driving licence.

Job no. 3
RIBA Part II architectural assistant. Must be fully conversant with AutoCAD, Microsoft Office, have a very good working knowledge of Google Sketchup, Vray and Adobe Photoshop. Needs to be capable of handling demanding deadlines, be a competent job runner, and be capable of working as part of dedicated design led team and most importantly have a sense of humour! Must have own transport and full clean UK driving licence.

For all of the above positions you MUST have recent UK working experience and a knowledge of Scottish Building regulations would be advantageous. We are NOT presently looking for RIBA Part 1 placement students or work experience students, so please do not send us your CV just now if you are wanting work placements. We will consider advertising for work placement students in the summer, so please wait until we post a potential vacancy here on the blog. We need candidates who can work full time, are capable of producing award wining work, genuinely are passionate about what we do for a living, who are keen to continue learning and help us grow the practice further.

If you are interested in applying for any of the above positions, in the first instance please email us through a 2 page written CV telling us why you think you should join the team, with 6 pages of a3 portfolio slides showcasing the best of your work to date to info@jamstudio.uk.com

Closing date for applications is 29th Feb 2012.

New JAMstudio Office Space

It's been a cracking start to the new year for us at JAM, with a raft of new projects, including some major office fit out work and the design of a brand new distillery, as well as some fab new houses and steading conversions. As result, we have decided to take the plunge and move the office into slightly larger premises to allow us to accommodate some new team members. As those of you who have visited the office recently will appreciate, we have been bursting at the seams at the steading for some time now!

We plan to move into Unit 6, Netherton Business Centre as of the 20th February. The lease is signed and the space is being refitted as we speak. for a sneak preview of how it will look check out the images below.

You'll be delighted to hear we are filling the space with some interesting and very unusual lighting from our dear pals at Atrium, to showcase the best of what is available on the market just now. Fingers crossed for the 20th!