General

James and Chris were excited to attend the grand opening of Tolvean House recently.

“Everyone was overwhelmed by the design and attention to detail, evident in every aspect of the scheme.” – Advance Housing

Tolvean house had been used for a number of administrative functions since ceasing to be a grand town house, which had involved a number of interventions over the years. LLA were approached by Advance Housing (with the help of Coastline) in 2012 to convert the surviving house and coach house plus look at sympathetic extension options to provide 16 new Extra-Care apartments designed to meet the independent living needs for those with physical and learning difficulties. Particular work was put into trying to waymark places within the building with distinctive features to aid navigation for dementia sufferers within a fairly large building.

With the house’s labyrinthine layout born of several phases of rebuilding, the latest conversion involved some imagination to reorganize the spaces to provide successful domestic spaces. Furthermore the brief drew heavily on the guidance from “HAPPI” ( Housing our Ageing Population: Panel for Innovation ) to provide a building fit to meet the needs of people with diverse and multiple special needs. In particular designing the circulation to allow connection of disparate levels for access by those with limited mobility in an economic way was a significant challenge of design as well as on-site.

The construction was undertaken by Mi-Space under a Design and Build contract with LLA novated as lead designer. The initial stages involved major demolitions internally with careful design required to allow phasing of the works to introduce major new supporting steelwork and masonry repairs without disrupting the external appearance and roof.

The finished conversion maintains the integrity of the old house, including entrances and major spaces, while also creating new legible connections between those spaces. The extension seeks to provide exemplary layouts for those with low-mobility, with plenty of light and views from full height windows to bring in as much of the green surroundings in as possible. At the same time natural timber louvre screens provide privacy, sun-shading and safety. Finally the extension forms the third side of a new secluded communal courtyard, taking in the mature trees and afternoon sun for the enjoyment of the future residents.

Lilly Lewarne are pleased to announce that we have secured planning approval for the redevelopment of a brownfield site to provide 14 residential apartments within Truro City Centre.

Image courtesy of Make Believe.

Lilly Lewarne recently worked closely with Garden Designer Jo Midwinter on a design in connection with a one-off house that we previously gained planning permission on. Jo approached us earlier in the year for a challenging site that she could add her expertise in the field of Garden Design. Jo has now entered the scheme into the Society of Garden Designers awards 2015 and was short-listed as a finalist. Results are due on 7th September, Fingers Crossed!

Jo Midwinter Garden Design: https://www.jomidwinter.com/

It is with great sadness that we have to report David Lewarne, a founding Partner of the Practice, passed away peacefully on the morning of 13 July 2015. David was a good friend to us all and he will be remembered fondly.

Our love and thoughts are with his wife Tina and their two sons, Jonathan and Darren and their families.

David’s funeral is set for 1pm on Thursday 23rd July 2015 at the Trelawny Chapel, Penmount Crematorium, Truro for all who would like to attend, and his family are extending an invitation for refreshments in Fowey in the afternoon.

Family flowers only but donations if desired for The Cove, Macmillian Cancer Support, 89 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7UQ or by donation box at the service.

180 Degree Blue, a replacement dwelling in Porthleven has a feature article in Build it magazine this month. Situated on the cliff edge with dramatic views overlooking the Atlantic . For more images of this project click here.

As featured in Build It Magazine – July 2015

Sealanes, which was a renovation and extension designed by Ben White at the Practice has featured on the front cover of Build it magazine this month. Situated on the coast in Penzance the house has harnessed stunning views out to sea. For more images of this project click here

Lilly Lewarne are pleased to announce that we have been accepted onto the Devon & Cornwall Housing Framework after a 12 month PQQ/ITT and interview process. This means that we are one of a short list of architects that can be considered lead designer for Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Housing. As a firm based in Truro we will be proud to support affordable housing in Cornwall & Isles of Scilly.

Lilly Lewarne are pleased to announce that we have secured planning approval for a new contemporary dwelling in Newquay overlooking the Gannel. This new design now supercedes a design LLA had previously achieved planning for back in 2012. After an intricate design process developed with the clients the new design sits neatly into the slope whilst allowing panoramic views to the South. See more images here

Our work regarding the recent conversion and extension of the ground floor of the Headland Hotel has earned Lilly Lewarne a commendation from the Cornish Buildings Group. The Headland Hotel in Newquay now boasts a contemporary luxury Spa treatment centre along with modernised pool complex as seen on our project pages here.