top of page

Search Results

100 results found with an empty search

  • Bold contemporary scheme in Kent

    This bold contemporary apartment scheme on the West Cliff in Ramsgate, Kent, is now nearing completion. The design utilises fully glazed walls to capitalise on the uninterrupted sea views. The glass and smooth white render to the facades, is balanced by softer textures and patina of grey Geobrick and vertical timber cladding.

  • Gary Turner - Director. Radio interview

    Gary started his own practice in 1995, working mainly on residential, industrial, healthcare and leisure projects. Gary talks to Academyfms Chris West about adapting / extending and creating new care homes, from the 1905 'workhouses' to New concept 5* residences. Audio Text Audio Transcript Chris West: Gary Turner of Turner Jackson Day Associates, they’re an architectural company who design buildings and sectors in residential, commercial, education and leisure. They’re based in Whitstable and Gary specialises, and has an interest in the care home sector. A very good morning Gary. Gary Turner: Hi Chris, good to talk to you. Chris West: Now Gary, it’s a challenging time for everyone at the moment during the pandemic, but it’s been particularly difficult for the care homes. When someone comes to you and they would like assistance in a care home scheme, what does that work normally involve? Gary Turner: It varies to be honest, sometimes we’re asked to design a brand new care home facility, which is always very exciting, at the moment for example we’re looking at several large new build developments, we’ve got a 60 bed assistance living scheme in Ashford, for the local authority there, and we’re designing a 70 bed new care home up in Colchester. Often though we’re just called in to adapt or extend an existing home and the extensions normally range from the sort of 6 bed up to 30 bedroom extensions. Recently for example a client purchased a redundant care home in Ipswich, which was an ex local authority home, generally these are under standard, none of the bedrooms had ensuite facilities, they were all very small rooms, (about 10 square metres) so we extended the ground and first floors and put a new first floor over the top. The final scheme provided 66 ensuite bedrooms which were all about, well a minimum of 16 square metres, there was also a cinema there, a hair dressing room, library, coffee shop as well as numerous lounges and courtyard sensory gardens. Chris West: Wow that sounds great. Gary Turner: Other times were just called in to help make the homes compliant, which can be from a regulatory perspective, also occasionally get means of escape issues that get flagged up by the fire officer that the homes owners weren’t aware of. Each project comes with its own challenges, we always try to strive to maximise the homes potential. Chris West: Yes and how has the care home design evolved over the recent years, what positive impact has it had on residents? Gary Turner: Well, care homes as we know them are quite a new concept. Historically people who needed care and could afford it, were looked after in their own homes and those who couldn’t , unfortunately were sent to the workhouses. I think it was in 1905, Royal Commission decided that the workhouses were no longer serving their initial purpose and local authorities were granted power to take them over and run them as municipal hospitals and care homes for the elderly. But by, I think it was 1960, just over 50% of the local authority care homes were still former work houses, so it was only sort of 20 years later, when Margaret Thatcher came into power that care provision for older people shifted to the Private sector. By 2000, about 85% of care homes were privately run. These are now all regulated by the care quality commission which monitors, inspects and regulates hospitals and care homes and we’ve got the national minimum standards in place now which govern the principals of design for care. Homes now offer incredible facilities for the residents. They’ve got cinemas, physio therapy suites, hairdressing rooms, some have even got therapy pools. Now also designed particularly for the needs of dementia patients which accounts probably for about 70% of the residents in homes at the moment. Things have improved massively over the years, but there’s still room for a lot of improvement. Chris West: Yes, some of them are like 5 star hotels aren’t they? Gary Turner: Oh indeed, we’re working on some at the moment which are like going to a nice boutique hotel, yes lovely environments now. Chris West: What is the future for care homes and what will they look like? Gary Turner: Well, prior to Covid, there was already a funding crisis within the care sector, more than 30 years after social care became one of the first public health services being privatised, the shortfall in funding has pretty much reached crisis point, which is putting a lot of pressure on care homes and hospitals as well. Care for the elderly isn’t free, it forces people to search for care. 90% of care is now privately owned, so it’s either single families or large private equity chains. Fees have been rising above the rate of inflation, mainly due to the running costs which account for 80% of the fees for the homes. There’s been a number of consultations and independent commissions since 1998, to sort of try and grabble with the issues of how to provide a sustainable adult care system, which at the moment is costing the government about £23 billion a year in England alone and Care England is pushing for a £7 billion a year to try and resolve these issues, so that’s crucial really. Obviously care homes have been badly hit by covid, we now need to deliver an even higher quality environment with the flexibility to respond to any future outbreaks. I feel we’ve been designing homes with smaller household hubs, to try and keep it down to 8-10 residents, so they’ve all got their own common areas, so that when you’ve got staff and visitors coming in they’re not walking through other households, which will help to try and reduce the risk of any future infections. Also homes for the future they’re going to have to try and harness assisted technology as well and create more sustainable living environments for the residents. During covid we’ve seen the massive advantage of Skype and Facetime and this is probably going to evolve into 3D holograms. We’ve got wearable technologies at the moment, they can monitor the heart rate and steps and distances etc. of the residents. They’re soon going to be able to monitor respiratory rates and fluid retention, so they’re be able to sort of 'sense' potential heart conditions quite early on. Chris West: That’s fantastic. Gary Turner: Over in Japan at the moment they’re creating robots that are being used in care homes, there’s one call Paro, which is being developed to work therapeutically with people living with dementia. They’ve also got another one called Robear that performs specific care tasks in the care homes over there, so that can help with lifting people from their beds, helping residents to stand. So the future of care is going to be extremely exciting and it’s all about trying to create architecture that will deliver environments that we all want to occupy in our old age. Chris West: That’s fantastic, well the future sounds really good. Now Gary if people want to get in touch with Turner Jackson Day Associates, how do they do it? Gary Turner: If you just look on our website, if it’s care related, obviously ask for me but any other sectors, just feel free to ring through and speak to myself, Alex or Michael. Chris West: Lovely well thank you very much for talking to us it was really interesting. Gary Turner: Thank you, take care.

  • Michael Day - Director. Radio interview

    Michael Day predominantly works with the Team developing the technical design stages of our projects here at TJDA; post planning and through building control and subsequent construction. Michael talks to Academyfms Chris West about the Functional side of architectural design. Audio text Audio transcript Chris West: This morning we’re talking to Turner Jackson Day Associates, who are high quality and design and very creative company and they have the balance with ensuring the feasibility of a project with clients. My guest today is Michael Day, good morning Michael. Michael Day: Good morning Chris, how are you? Chris West: I’m fine thank you. Michael if you could just explain what you do as a Partner in Turner Jackson Day? Michael Day: Sure, I’m Michael Day, I’m a Director here. I predominantly work with the team, developing the technical design stages of our projects, so that’s post planning and through building control and subsequent construction. Chris West: Right. What drives you personally and how would you describe your approach to projects? Michael Day: I think my personal drive comes from the enjoyment of seeing a project develop and the processes involved in that. Having a knowledge and understanding of how and why a building has been designed and subsequently constructed, is quite a fulfilling feeling for me personally and for the team. Particularly if it’s making a difference to improve the way people enjoy their lives. In terms of my approach and our approach as a practice, it’s very much focused on the client brief and understanding exactly what they want to achieve. Sometimes we have strong and clear direction, on where a client wants to take their project and other times, they aren’t sure, but they know they want to add or improve something. We enjoy undertaking different types of projects with different types of clients, and it’s a fulfilling experience to be a part of their journey. Michael Day: Our aim is always to help our clients unlock and realise their project ambitions, whatever their plans are. We always put a strong focus on making sure that the projects we help develop, are done in a way which is practical and financially deliverable for the client. Chris West: Right. With the volume of projects, you’ve worked on, what have you found to be the biggest functional issues in homes? Because sometimes people think we can get this done, but sometimes its not feasible is it? Michael Day: I think from a project development perspective, for sure, but also just the way that people at the moment, and the way homes are today, this most common functional issues are usually down to inefficient circulation and layout of spaces, which ultimately compromises the way you use those spaces and means you’re not extracting the full potential of your home. It’s surprising how much more usable a home is when it’s structured in an efficient way. It really can improve the way you live – simple things like how you move around and between rooms can make such a difference. Chris West: And how do you overcome the design issues you face? Michael Day: I guess it depends on the issue and whether it’s a client looking to improve or change something from the outset or if it’s an issue that has arisen on a project. The approach will vary, but ultimately, it’s about exploring design solutions and being dynamic about it. Approaches and solutions to design are not ‘one fits all’, so you can draw on past experiences but I think it’s about keeping an open mind to the options and applying careful consideration really. Chris West: A lot of the premises you do are bespoke, do you do commercial project as well, and it must be very difficult to overcome the challenges of the functional detailing of a commercial property? Michael Day: Yes, for sure, I think that on commercial projects., everything that you do is a fine balance between cost and end product. But that said - good design doesn’t need to be expensive. It’s about selecting the right design approach and the right products for each individual project. Challenges often arise on projects and to refer back to a previous point, it’s about exploring design solutions and applying open minded consideration to those. Chris West: Yes, and obviously you do residential and commercial, if people want to find out more about Turner Jackson Day Associates, where do they go? Michael Day: Well they can visit our website or they can give us a call and speak to myself or one of my colleagues and we’ll be more than happy to chat through with them what their ambitions are and what their project goals are, and hope to be a part of their journey. Chris West: Yes, that’s great and it must be very exciting to be at the beginning of the stage with someone like yourselves, to actually create something that one day you may be living in. Michael Day: That’s it, for sure, you know whether its residential or building extension or a new build for an individual client, or it’s a space that’s usd by the public, you know ultimately our goal is to help improve the way people live their lives, so being part of that process is very rewarding for us and the team. Chris West: Excellent, well Michael thank you very much for speaking to us today. That’s Michael day from Turner Jacks Day and if you want more information, go to their website or give them a ring. Have a good day.

  • Business Park Expansion

    Turner Jackson Day Associates have prepared a full planning application for the expansion of Barham Business Park. The scheme comprises a further 22 no. commercial units, and 4 no. office units, and has been developed to sensitively integrate with the surrounding built environment, whilst carefully considering the impact on its rural setting and the adjacent AONB.

  • Alex Jackson - Director. Radio interview

    Radio interview with Director, Alex Jackson on TJDA's architectural approach and work stages. From project conception, feasibility and concept design, through to final use and feedback from the client. The process is the same, but each project is unique. TJDA provides as much service as a client needs. Audio Text Audio transcript Chris West: Good morning Alex Alex Jackson: Good morning Chris, how are you doing? Chris West: I’m fine thank you, now Alex, who are Turner Jackson Day Associates? Alex Jackson: Ok so Turner Jackson Day Associates are an Architectural Studio founded by myself, Alex Jackson, and my two business partners Gary Turner and Michael Day. We formed the practice with a mission to provide a client focused, design lead architectural service, the real driving force is to create beautiful architecture that’s affordable, cost effective design. Chris West: Now you specialize in Residential, Commercial, Healthcare and Education, can you give me an example of some of the amazing buildings that you’ve created? Alex Jackson: Well, there are a lot of different projects to list, I think in the Residential side we take commissions ranging in size from small extensions up to large housing developments. One of the more fun and involved projects was a development recently completed in Highgate in the conservation area in North London, and that was for three enormous luxury homes. One was a new build ad two were extensions to existing properties but all of them had large two storey basements with entertainment complexes and real high spec fit outs. It was a really exciting project to be involved in and also quite exciting where we’ve recently saw one of them feature on MTV Cribs, pop star Taylor Swift and footballer David Luiz had decided to make their homes, so that was an exiting project to be involved in. Chris West: Wow, how incredible is that, that’s fantastic. Now if I brought a plot of land and I wanted a house built, was is the process? Alex Jackson: We follow the Royal Institute of British Architects plan of work, which maps out the process through the design through to construction and that can be downloaded through the RIBA website by anyone. Basically, there are 8 work stages from 0 to 7 starting with project conception and feasibility, concept design, leading all the way through into the final use and feedback from the client. Although every project is unique the process is basically the same where we start at stage 1, flow through the stages with client involvement and we can provide as much service as the client needs and that can be dependent on their requirement in terms of the design or budget or previous building experience. We’ll always put the client at the centre of the design process and will walk you through all of the steps, development of the brief, to understanding the site and its context and then developing a concept design, and then once we’ve agreed the final concept design, we then flesh the scheme up into full planning submission, so planning will typically take around 8 -10 weeks (subject to the local authority and their work loads unfortunately) and then once approvals been gained, we then get on with the technical design process, building regulations drawings, tendering of the project, and then appoint the building contractors, and contract administration and project management on site if that’s what the clients wants us to provide. Chris West: Right, so will actually provide, basically what the customer wants. Alex Jackson: Absolutely, in a design lead process, the client really is the heart of that. Our job is to really eek out of them what their requirements are, help them to formulate and develop a brief that’s specific and bespoke to them. Chris West: Yes, and looking at some of your work, it’s fantastic. The one that stands out for me 9I know the building as well) is the Savoy in Whitstable. Now that’s an architecturally wonderful building. Alex Jackson: Thanks Chris, that’s very kind of you so say so. We really did enjoy working on the Savoy actually. It was a great opportunity for us to regenerate that part of Whitstable. The building that it replaced was unfortunately not reflective of the general context that surrounds it. It was a challenging site but we’re really happy with the outcome. We’ve also got some really interesting projects on the go at the moment that we’re working on, a new build place of worship on Peckham road in London, which will also serve as a fantastic community hub. That’s going to be a real landmark building and we’re really excited to see that come forward. And then on the other side of the scale we’ve got a heritage lead scheme conversation, restoration and extension of a complex of Grade II listed buildings on a waterfront site, so that’s going to be a conversion in to residential, so both very different projects, with very different technical requirements, which is really interesting and exciting for us. Chris West: Yes, and as you were saying, you’ll put an extension on a house if someone wants it. Alex Jackson: Absolutely, we can work from small extensions, which actually sometimes are the more challenging projects, you know. Really trying to make a difference to how someone lives in their house, focusing on the best overall outcome for spend, or budget, but right up through to the bespoke housing to multi unit development. Chris West: How do people get hold of Turner Jackson Day Associates? Alex Jackson: So, the best thing to do is visit our website initially www.turnerjacksonday.co.uk on there you can see a selection of different projects and our portfolio of schemes that we’ve worked on, or our email address is on there as well, or you can call us on 01227 261453. Chris West: Excellent, well Alex thank you very much for talking to us this morning, and thank you for supporting Academyfm Alex Jackson: Chris, thanks ever so much for having us on. Chris West: Lovely, we’ll speak to you soon. Thank you very much, bye.

  • Haywards Heath planning approved

    Planning has been granted for a large 2 storey front and basement level rear extension on a private dwelling in Haywards Heath. The steeply sloping site presented an opportunity for us to fulfil our clients brief with a significant increase in living space, resulting in an improved connection to the rear garden, and greatly enhanced street presence to their property.

  • Regeneration of former pub site

    Planning has just been granted for the regeneration of the former Plough Inn public house, in Broomfield, Kent. The scheme comprises the sensitive refurbishment and conversion of the existing pub into a family home, and the construction of a period style detached family dwelling, and 4 no. 2 bedroom flats on adjacent land and former car park. Update on construction

  • Assisted Living concept design underway

    Turner Jackson Day Associates have been instructed by a long-standing client to commence design work on a new Assisted Living facility. Located on an urban brownfield site in the south east, the scheme comprises 45 no. 1 and 2 bed units, generous day space, and basement parking to fully maximise scope for external landscaping provision.

  • Full planning approved

    Turner Jackson Day Associates are pleased to have gained full planning consent for this development of 34 traditionally styled family homes on a green field site in St Nicholas-at-wade, Kent.

  • Planning Submitted

    Turner Jackson Day Associates were recently instructed to prepare a full planning application for the development of 22 dwellings on a semi rural greenfield site in Shadoxhurst nr. Ashford. The design utilises a traditional vernacular aesthetic, planned around a central landscaped green, with long views through the site to the surrounding countryside beyond.

  • Construction Underway

    Construction is now underway on this high quality contemporary apartment development on the Westcliff in Ramsgate. Our client opted to use the Future Found passive foundation system, and works on-site are progressing at an impressive pace.

GET IN TOUCH:

Tel: 01227 261453

Email: enquiries@tjda.co.uk

Open: Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm

  • TJDA LinkedIn page
  • Instagram page for TJDA
  • Facebook company Page
  • Twitter page for TJDA

CONTACT US:

Radio House, Thanet Way,

Whitstable, CT5 3QX

Thanks for submitting!

© 2022 by Turner Jackson Day Associates Limited (TJDA) 

bottom of page