Ridge and Partners LLP

To tackling Himalayan Balsam at Bristol Zoo to eating breakfast burritos for charity, find out how we supported the causes close to our hearts in August. Cecilia Mignon CMIOSH DipNEBOSH | Daniel Duce MRICS | Nicky Robbins | Bristol Zoo Project | Martin House Children's Hospice | Read Easy Winchester #TeamRidge #Charity #Community #SocialValue #Volunteering

In addition to being officially named a Great Place to Work, we're proud to say Ridge has also been named as one of the UK's Best Workplaces in Consulting and Professional Services™ 2024 by Great Place To Work UK! This achievement reflects our commitment to a people-centric culture by investing in our teams, tools, initiatives and working environments that support us in delivering a fantastic experience for our people. #BuiltEnvironment #GPTWCertified #UKBestWorkplaces #GreatPlaceToWork #TeamWork #Culture

A major plan to transform a Portsmouth neighbourhood by building hundreds of new homes, commercial spaces and public areas has been given the green light by Portsmouth City Council.      The ‘Somers Orchard’ project will see the creation of 566 new homes, including 319 council homes, as well as commercial spaces and a variety of green spaces. The site was formerly home to two 18-storey LPS (Large Panel System) blocks which were demolished in 2022 under our expert guidance.     One of the main focuses of the regeneration is community engagement, with the plans centring on sustainability, community safety and open green spaces.      We have been providing multidisciplinary design and management services on the demolition and redevelopment, including project management, quantity surveying, structural engineering, civil engineering, MEP engineering, transport planning, geo-environmental and sustainability services.        Congratulations to Karakusevic Carson Architects - we look forward to seeing the plans come to life. You can read the full article here 👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/eJWFjwxr     Steve Cross   #redevelopment #regeneration #portsmouth #planning #planningapproved 

Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron, is one of the most advanced scientific facilities in the world, and we’re thrilled to be part of its story by delivering a brand new extension building as part of the Diamond-II upgrade.     Diamond harnesses the power of electrons to produce bright light that scientists can use to study anything from fossils to jet engines to viruses and vaccines. The machine accelerates electrons to near light speeds so that they give off light 10 billion times brighter than the sun.    Jamie Williamson, Architect, said: “We are thrilled to deliver this critical project for Diamond Light Source, overcoming the constrained site challenges and integrating with the Synchrotron to provide a fantastic R&D facility for our client. Seeing the superstructure finalising and awaiting the cladding envelope to wrap the building is an exciting milestone for the project.”    We are delivering this in partnership with J4 Projects, CHASE Consulting Ltd and MESH Construction Consultancy. The project is being built by John Sisk & Son Ltd. You can read more about the project here 👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/eW4cW7_H   Harwell Science and Innovation Campus | STFC | Liz Sparrow    #LightSource #Synchotron #Physics #Science #Innovation #Electrons 

🏘 Ready for regeneration in Leeds.     Demolition of The Highways, two large panel system (LPS) 10-storey residential towers and a four-storey maisonette block in Leeds, has recently been completed, paving the way for regeneration of the York Road site.    Ridge was appointed as a multidiscipline team to manage and support Leeds City Council throughout RIBA stages 1-7. Under Ridge supervision, principal contractor Connell Brothers Ltd carried out the carefully phased demolition, achieving a Considerate Constructors “Excellent” award for the quality of their work.     14,000 tonnes of concrete was removed for recycling, achieving a 95% recycle rate.    In addition to the day-to-day duties of project and commercial management, we have been providing structural engineering, environmental planning and health and safety expertise to allow the client to make key decisions. Our experts are highly experienced in assessing the safety of LPS blocks and providing owners with considered options for their future, from refurbishment to demolition and regeneration.     For more information about our multidiscipline services relating to LPS blocks, please contact Steve Cross at scross@ridge.co.uk.    #LPS #Demolition #ProjectManagement #StructuralEngineering #Planning #Regeneration #Recycling 

It’s official 🏆 We’re over the moon to be recognised by our people as a Great Place to Work!    When asked what makes Ridge special, here’s what our team said:   ⭐ “The culture of innovation - I never feel stifled. I have the trust and autonomy necessary to spot opportunities and to put forward innovative solutions”  ⭐ “Ridge has a family friendly feel, you are made to feel valued as a person rather than a number”  ⭐ “There is a great culture at Ridge - it's open, honest, friendly”    Adrian O'Hickey, Senior Partner, said: “This certification is a testament to the hard work that goes into developing a workplace culture that we are all proud of. During periods of rapid growth, we’ve continued to stay laser-focused on our people, in turn propelling our progress and delivering the best results for our clients. I’m proud to be part of such a tremendous team.”    Although we’re currently celebrating this achievement, this is by no means the end of the journey – we'll continue to work on areas of improvements to drive meaningful change, making Ridge an even better place to work.     You can read more here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ern2C-9c   #GPTWCertified #UKBestWorkplaces #GreatPlaceToWork #TeamWork #Culture    Great Place To Work UK  

Supporting the next generation of sea cadets 🌊 The new Midlands Boat Station, sited on the banks of Edgbaston Reservoir, is the first part of a wave of regeneration planned for the area. It has new classrooms, overnight accommodation, a multi-purpose hall, activity spaces and a large commercial kitchen. Not only is this the new home for the Birmingham Vernon Sea Cadets & Royal Marines Cadets, but the site will also offer opportunities for other young people in the area.     Planning consent was granted in 2021, the works commenced in July 2023 and were completed ahead of programme in June 2024. We are very proud of our collaboration on this project, working with teams across Ridge and fantastic contractor Speller Metcalfe.       Ridge partner, Ben Greatbatch MRICS, said: “This was a wonderful project to be involved with, and it was a pleasure working with the team from Speller Metcalfe to help create this new and improved facility.”    Watch the full transformation below 👇 #Construction #TimeLapse #SeaCadets #RoyalMarines #BoatStation

At Ridge, we want to attract, support and develop passionate people – starting with our apprentices.    Five years ago, our first ever architecture apprenticeship cohort started on their learning journey with Ridge and have recently graduated as fully qualified architects 🎉 Becoming an architect is no mean feat, so we’re behind our apprentices every step of the way.     Currently we are proud to have 58 apprentices across different disciplines and offices. By this autumn this figure will increase to 87 and will include a further five architecture apprentices newly starting their learning journey with Ridge, University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education and University of Nottingham.     We’re ever expanding to offer this fantastic way of learning to all our people. We currently have apprentices in eight other disciplines, including project management, structural engineering and business operation roles such as HR. Our degree apprenticeship programme, ‘Elevate’, opens doors to hands-on learning and professional growth – through CPD, technical training, personal skills development, peer-to-peer forums, masterclasses in specialist areas, and breakfast sessions with our senior leaders.      Jack Davies, Architectural Assistant and current Level 7 apprentice in our Bristol office, said: ‘I love the greater perspective you gain from live project experience interconnected with the theory of architectural studies. The apprenticeship scheme offers the fantastic opportunity to develop skills and learning in parallel with professional practice. Working as an apprentice at Ridge has added depth to my academic studies and allowed me to gain much greater knowledge and confidence - both academically and professionally.’    From this year, we are also now proud members of The 5% Club, an association in which members aspire to have at least 5% of the UK work force in ‘earn and learn’ positions within five years of joining. We fully believe in supporting alternative routes for people to enter the job market or reskill – moving away from the entrenched university focus.   You can read more about our Elevate apprenticeship programme on our website https://lnkd.in/dEM7EtwS. Applications will be opening in the Autumn for our next intake, so keep an eye out for updates.    Cecilia Sofia Badiale | Hayley Wrightson | Laurence Cole | Stephanie Freeland | Rio Toyoda | Rachel Derricutt | Eric Cugnet | Tharani Chandran | Tasnim Khairina Kadrishah | Sam Elliott | Michaela Hickery | Bonnie Norris| Anna Pawlik | Madison Eisenstadt | Victoria Deal | Oxford Brookes University | University of the West of England     #Apprenticeship #Architecture #EarnAndLearn #Elevate #Training 

Summer holidays checklist:  ✔ Ice creams  ✔ Paddling pool  ✔ Trip to the zoo 🐯 🐘 🐒    With the appointment of Beard Construction in June, the first phase of the exciting Bristol Zoo Project, on which Ridge is providing Project Management and Employer's Agent services, is now underway. The new multi-million pound conservation zoo will be home to the world’s most threatened species and will see visitors and animals immersed in the natural landscape.    This first phase - the Central African Forest habitat - will recreate the dense forest of Equatorial Guinea in a wooded area of the site. The zoo’s troop of Critically Endangered western lowland gorillas will take up residence upon completion, joined by cherry-crowned mangabeys, slender-snouted crocodiles, African grey parrots and several threatened species of West African freshwater fish.    Want to know more about building a zoo? Read the full article here 👉https://lnkd.in/eGt4rEPA   Alex Murray | Kat Hill | Adrian Bullen | Phil Baker | James Milne-Smith MRICS | Nathan Moss | Bristol Zoological Society   #BristolZoo #EndangeredSpecies #Conservation #ProjectManagement #Zoo #Wildlife 

Salix decarbonisation funding – are you ready?    Phase 4 of the Salix Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) will make £1.17 billion of Government funding available to public sector bodies for heat decarbonisation and associated energy efficiency and building fabric enhancements between 2025 and 2028. We are expecting more information and guidance to be available in the coming weeks.    Decarbonising the way buildings are heated is among the many challenges in the UK’s journey to meeting its 2050 Net Zero target. A significant number of public sector buildings rely on fossil fuel-based heating and expert skills are needed so you can take the next steps towards securing funding to implement a robust heat decarbonisation plan.    If you’re a public sector organisation looking for funding to decarbonise, we can guide you through the complex process. You can find more information and read the full article here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eSdmHacR   Chris Rogers MRICS   #Salix #PSDS #Sustainability #Decarbonisation #NetZero