Gaunt Francis Architects

We enjoyed hosting students from Cardiff Metropolitan University 3rd year BA Architecture this week at our office for a mentoring session. Our team had a great time sharing their insights, offering advice and guiding the next generation of creative professionals. We look forward to more opportunities like this and are glad to hear the students found it insightful.

Great to see our Part II Assistant Priyansha Kamdar using her skills to improve the City Centre for everyone with FOR Cardiff. Good luck Pari, and a nice demonstration of how we put the principles of the Placemaking Charter of the Design Commission for Wales into action. #urbandesign #architecture #placemaking #masterplanning

Very grateful to FOR Cardiff and Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales for hosting a great Night at the Museum networking event this week, where they caught a great shot of me and Marga Munar Bauza in reflective mood speaking to one of the brilliant Museum gallery team who are so passionate about this amazing place. And what a treat to catch a final view of the star attraction - the staggering Van Gogh Portrait of the Artist on loan from Musée d'Orsay. #networking #event #selfie

Australian Later Living. I’ve just returned from a fantastic extended holiday in Australia where we travelled by plane, train and automobile and covered every state on the continent- except Tasmania! I was lucky enough to be able to meet up with Lisa Jackson , Operations Manager- Retirement Living of Amana Living one of Western Australia’s largest not-for-profit providers of care and services for older people. It was illuminating to share thoughts and experiences with Lisa who showed me around her Collier Park village: I was amazed to find out that this community was originally built by the local authority and subsequently purchased by Amana Living who now have plans to update and extend. To think that a council can provide this product on another continent shows how early we are in the gestation period of this sector in the UK. Collier Park Village comprises 169 2B bungalows set within beautiful landscaped gardens. A few takeaways from my visit: In an Amana Village owners can use alternative home care providers. Wellbeing is paramount and integration of local community into the site is key. Most Australian villages offer varying care packages and Amana is looking to spearhead a one set care package for all owners. Rental format very popular ; also long leases with DMF. Communal facilities include multi-functional dining areas with kitchens, salon, snooker, craft rooms, ample storage and generally- but not in this village a pool/ spa, gym and treatment rooms. Garage parking and driveways. Extensive landscape gardens. Aspiration to develop multi-generational schemes. Thank you for your time Lisa Jackson. Looking forward to finding out further insights into this sector at next week’s Retirement Living and Care Conference which should be a great follow up to the superb ARCO (Associated Retirement Community Operators) Conference that was held in the Summer.

Australian Later Living. I’ve just returned from a fantastic extended holiday in Australia where we travelled by plane, train and automobile and covered every state on the continent- except Tasmania! I was lucky enough to be able to meet up with Lisa Jackson , Operations Manager- Retirement Living of Amana Living one of Western Australia’s largest not-for-profit providers of care and services for older people. It was illuminating to share thoughts and experiences with Lisa who showed me around her Collier Park village: I was amazed to find out that this community was originally built by the local authority and subsequently purchased by Amana Living who now have plans to update and extend. To think that a council can provide this product on another continent shows how early we are in the gestation period of this sector in the UK. Collier Park Village comprises 169 2B bungalows set within beautiful landscaped gardens. A few takeaways from my visit: In an Amana Village owners can use alternative home care providers. Wellbeing is paramount and integration of local community into the site is key. Most Australian villages offer varying care packages and Amana is looking to spearhead a one set care package for all owners. Rental format very popular ; also long leases with DMF. Communal facilities include multi-functional dining areas with kitchens, salon, snooker, craft rooms, ample storage and generally- but not in this village a pool/ spa, gym and treatment rooms. Garage parking and driveways. Extensive landscape gardens. Aspiration to develop multi-generational schemes. Thank you for your time Lisa Jackson. Looking forward to finding out further insights into this sector at next week’s Retirement Living and Care Conference which should be a great follow up to the superb ARCO (Associated Retirement Community Operators) Conference that was held in the Summer.

https://lnkd.in/eXHcnfhX We are very proud of our latest Integrated Retirement Community scheme for Untold Living, on an incredible seafront site in Eastbourne, which recently achieved a resolution to grant consent. So proud in fact that we decided to make our own magazine where you can read a bit more about the site, the design concepts and the materials we hope to use. Please click on the link to read, and look out for the next edition in our new WhitePaper series. #Eastbourne #Architecture #IRC #Retirement #Whitepaper #Edition01

It’s #TrusteesWeek! The time of year when we celebrate the amazing contribution made by trustees for their charities and recognise the difference they make. You can find out about this week’s range of events and access free guidance and resources at www.trusteesweek.org Trustees’ Week is a time for us to come together to celebrate the achievements of nearly one million trustees across the UK. Thank you for the time, commitment, and effort you bring to your charities to help them thrive. #TrusteesWeek At GFA, we'd like to thank our Directors Alan Francis and Toby Adam, and Senior Architect Kimberley Harris who all volunteer their time as Trustees for local charities. Toby is a Trustee (and current Chair) of the Makers Guild in Wales, who are a national applied arts and crafts organisation based in Cardiff. They engage and inspire audiences with their centre of excellence for craft at their award winning gallery in Cardiff Bay. https://lnkd.in/gBy8CvxN Kim is a Trustee of Ffotogallery, who have supported photographic and lens-based artists in Wales since 1978. They are the forefront of new developments in photography and lens-based media in Wales and beyond, encouraging public understanding of and deeper engagement with photography and its value to society. Alan is a Trustee of CROFT Pontypool - the Campaign to Rebuild the Old Folly Tower, which led the fundraising to reconstruct the Folly Tower in Pontypool Park #Trustees #Volunteer #Charity #SocialValue

We are so thrilled to be shortlisted as finalists in the Architectural Consultancy and a few other categories for the 2024 Cardiff Property Awards this year! We're looking forward to celebrating all the incredible work on showcase this year at the awards ceremony soon!

It was a pleasure to attend HealthInvestor Senior Housing Awards on Tuesday, as we, along with Bernard Interiors Ltd celebrated our nominations as finalists for the Architecture & Design of the Year award. We had a great time looking through some incredible projects that were showcased yesterday and would like to congratulate all the winners and nominees!

Gaunt Francis is delighted that Mayfield Village Watford was awarded IRC of the year at Health Investor Senior Housing Awards last night. We were very lucky to work with a brilliant client, a skilled and committed contractor team and some great design consultants in a truly collaborative process. On a personal level it really has been one of the most rewarding projects in my architectural career so it is fabulous to see that success recognised. Mayfield Villages Balfour Beatty plc Arcadis Walsh - Structural, Civil & Geotechnical Engineers Marchini Curran Interiors Outerspace Regal Mechanical and Electrical Services Limited