With a reputation for being leaders in environmentally-friendly and often complex design, Wilson Mason and Partners formed in 1926, opened its London office in 1931 and Preston office in 1990, from which they continue to serve a wide range of discerning clients in the commercial corporate and education sectors.
The practice’s key areas of expertise are the provision of architectural, interior design and landscape consultancy services. It can also provide specialist support, including three dimensional modelling and CDMC duties. Moreover, with the current demands for sustainability, Wilson Mason has an uncommon expertise in the design of buildings that meet BREEAM ratings; these are generally in the ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’ categories, in both new build and refurbishment scenarios.
Wilson Mason see architecture not only as a visionary design medium, but also as a problem solving discipline in which an array of differing architectural talents are utilised.
One of its major strengths is a willingness to listen to clients and adapt visionary intuition to logical requirements. Indeed, a significant degree of its portfolio revolves around technically demanding work that requires the intricate coordination and balancing of services, structure, cost, and functional requirements, resulting in an effective and visually appealing solution.
It has recently, for instance, completed work at the Dalton Cumbrian Facility for the University of Manchester. The building houses a facility featuring an Ion accelerator and is used for research in materials science. The design was developed to reflect the rugged rural setting and comprises two blocks, one containing the laboratories and offices and the other the specialist science areas.
The arrangement allows the location of the scientific areas at ground level and for future expansion. The office space, at first floor level benefits from views out over the adjacent fells. This project has been awarded BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating, with strobic tristack discharge, offsite fabrication and recyclable materials all being utilised.
Also being awarded a BREEAM rating, this time ‘Excellent’, is the Booths supermarket at Hesketh Bank. In 2009 Booths instructed Wilson Mason to redesign the store at Hesketh Bank to respond to a revised brief. To reflect the fen-like setting, a new store was designed that was arranged to mimic the market garden glass house structures that are located in the surrounding countryside.
The same environmental considerations that were incorporated in the original design were also included in the revised scheme and the store refrigeration is supplied using carbon dioxide. Once more, the waste heat of the refrigeration compressors is used to provide under floor heating in the main retail areas.
Whatever the project, Wilson Mason is renowned for ‘seeing beyond the brief’ and going the extra mile. This is only possible because the team at the practice are fully committed to the delivery of excellence; a passion that is underlined by the fact that there are no ‘9 to 5ers’ at Wilson Mason, only creative and highly qualified people who, when asked why, reply why not?
To find out more, visit www.wilsonmason.co.uk.
