GSS Annual 2025

2025

Together we can...

Together we can...

Welcome to the fifth edition of the GSS Annual, bringing together a snapshot of the projects, people and moments that have defined the Practice over the past year. Throughout 2025, our team has worked on a wide-ranging portfolio of projects across the UK, celebrating numerous successful completions alongside the many new, design-led commissions.

This year has also brought important recognition of the quality and commitment of our work. GSSArchitecture was named Consultant of the Year at the National Project Excellence Awards 2025, reflecting not only our ability to deliver complex projects successfully, but also the design thinking, creativity and problem-solving that underpin our approach.

Beyond our projects, the year has been enriched by a full programme of practice-wide activities, including charity challenges, volunteer days and our Summer and Christmas Socials, bringing teams together and reinforcing our shared values, meaning we can celebrate the culture that makes GSSArchitecture what it is.

We would like to thank our clients, collaborators and the wider GSS team for their continued support throughout 2025. As we look ahead, we remain excited about the opportunities to come and about further strengthening the balance between creativity and delivery as we continue to produce architecture that is thoughtful, engaging and rooted in a clear understanding of people, place, and purpose.

Wellbeing Challenge

During the autumn, our teams, alongside friends and family, took part in our Team Wellbeing Challenge.

In the south, our Kettering and Milton Keynes teams ventured around the Milton Keynes Heritage Trail, picking routes that ranged from 3 to 10 miles. Meanwhile, our Yorkshire and Newcastle studios set off on a 15km circular walk around the beautiful town of Masham and its surrounding countryside.

The challenge was a great reminder of the value of wellbeing, teamwork and connection outside of the office.

The Grammar

Project: The Grammar

Client: Amber Valley Borough Council

Location: Heanor, Derbyshire

The restoration of a Grade II listed former Grammar School in Heanor Town Centre has recently completed. We were appointed as Architect, Lead Consultant and Principal Designer on the regeneration of this much-loved building, which now provides mixed-use business and community facilities. A major aspect of the project brief was to decarbonise and improve sustainability of the existing building, which has been achieved through the introduction of an all-electric heat pump based strategy and improved building fabric.

School of Dental Sciences Phase 2

Client: Newcastle University / Robertson Group

Location: Newcastle, Tyne & Wear

We have successfully completed Phase 2 of the complex refurbishment of Newcastle University’s School of Dental Sciences. The project comprised the internal remodelling of a live medical building situated on Level 7 of the Royal Victoria Infirmary to provide an exceptional suite of multifunctional, digitally capable, specialist teaching spaces with digital VR facilities. This will allow the next generation of Newcastle University students to develop, enhance and excel in their clinical dental training and take those skills into workplaces around the world.

599 Grafton Gate

Client: Galliford Try Investments

Location: Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

We have successfully achieved planning permission for 599  Grafton Gate, which will deliver much-needed, highquality homes in the heart of this vibrant and growing city. The 33-storey residential building will provide attractive, modern and open-plan living within a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments, alongside attractive shared amenity spaces including a fitness studio, flexible workspace, an orangery and two landscaped terraces on the 10th and 29th floors.

Bedford Academy

Client: Ashe Construction

Location: Bedford

We designed the Bedford Academy extension to deliver 16 state-ofthe-art classrooms, changing rooms, a dining area, and a community café. Built to be highly efficient, it achieved Net Zero Carbon in Operation. The design included multi-use spaces, dual-access rooms, and a landscaped terrace, enabling both school and community use. Secure outdoor access further enhanced flexibility, establishing the extension as a sustainable and adaptable community hub.

Trevelyan College

Client: Durham University

Location: Durham

We acted as Lead Consultant, Architect, and Principal Designer, delivering a comprehensive refurbishment focused on modernising student accommodation. Works included upgraded bedrooms, new cluster pantries, an IT suite, and additional kitchenette facilities. Communal areas were redecorated to create welcoming social spaces, while energy efficiency was improved through new external windows and doors and enhanced thermal insulation to the building fabric.

Swallow Falls

Client: The Inn Collection Group

Location: Eryri National Park (Snowdonia)

The Swallow Falls Inn, near Betws-y-Coed, has reopened following a multi-million-pound refurbishment by The Inn Collection Group, for which we provided Lead Designer and Architectural services. The 19th-century inn has been sympathetically restored to align with the group’s “pub with rooms” vision, offering 38 contemporary bedrooms, a refurbished restaurant with outdoor seating, and enhanced outdoor facilities. The project retains and upgrades the popular campsite with renovated pods, alongside new amenities including showers, bike storage, and a drying room. This scheme continues our strong partnership with The Inn Collection Group, building on projects such as the Tynemouth Castle Inn and Offshore.

Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School

Client: Stepnell Construction

Location: Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham

We worked closely with Stepnell Construction, providing Architectural and Principal Designer BR and CDM services to deliver a £6.2 million new-build, two storey Learning Resource Centre for Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School. The development will enrich the School by offering students modern, state-ofthe-art facilities and increase its sixth form capacity, whilst remaining sympathetic to the existing School’s façade.

GSSArchitecture

Team Summer Event

Location: Battersea Power Station, London

Elverby Primary School & Health Centre

Client: Ashe Construction

Location: Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

We were appointed to design a three-form entry primary school, a 39-place nursery and a sustainable community health centre as part of the Milton Keynes East Strategic Urban Extension Development. Together, the new facilities will provide much-needed education and healthcare provision for the area’s growing community.

Ramsden Building

Client: University of Huddersfield

Location: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

The Ramsden Building is a Grade II listed teaching facility at the heart of a live campus. We are leading the project across RIBA Stages 1 to 6, managing the full consultant team to deliver the refurbishment of this highly sensitive and technically complex building. The scheme introduces three new stakeholders: The Graduate School, International Office, and International Study Centre, and aims to create a Net Zero in Operation facility, while enhancing visibility, accessibility and space efficiency. Our designs are sympathetic to the building’s heritage, seeking to reveal and appreciate those elements of the historic fabric that have survived later use.

Allied Health Phase 2

Client: Sewell Construction

Location: York, North Yorkshire

Leading the spatial co-ordination and technical design as Lead Consultant, Architect and Principal Designer (BR) at York St John University, we have reimagined the existing sports hall, introducing a sophisticated two-storey steel frame structure that creates a brand-new upper level which dramatically increases the facility’s usable space. This innovative reconfiguration has enabled the introduction of a host of advanced clinical training spaces, including a mock operating theatre with canopy and pendants, a specialist birthing suite, and facilities tailored for radiography, midwifery, and operating department practitioner training.

A new Interdisciplinary Facility for Indoor Air Quality and Health Research, also referred to as INTERIORS, has been delivered for the University of York. We acted as Lead Consultant, Architect and Principal Designer. The research facility comprises two identical, three-bedroom residential properties, one of which will be built to Passivhaus standards and the other to 1990’s UK Building Regulations standards. Both properties are to be linked by a central single-storey laboratory facility, which will offer space for scientists to measure how everyday activities affect the quality of the air we breathe at home.

INTERIORS

Client: University of York

Location: Heslington, York

South Tyneside College

Client: Castle Building Services

Location: South Tyneside, Tyne & Wear

Works have started on site for the multi-million pound campus development for South Tyneside College, which involves the relocation of the College from its base in Westoe to the centre of South Shields. Our designs, all predicted to meet BREEAM standards, include a new main building for the College and the refurbishment of a listed building, which will become the new administration space.

King’s Gate

Client: Overbury

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Working closely with fit-out contractor, Overbury, we provided Architectural services on the extensive refurbishment of King’s Gate at Newcastle University. The ‘one-stop-shop’ for student services has been redesigned to provide a more welcoming and flexible environment, with the incorporation of additional event space to accommodate more studentfocused activities.

Kirklevington Hall Hotel & Spa

Client: JCM Agriculture & Leisure Ltd.

Location: Kirklevington, Stockton-on-Tees

We are working as Architect and Principal Designer CDM on the transformation of the former Country House Hotel site in Kirklevington, Stockton-on-Tees.

The works will see the 140-year-old estate undergo significant restoration and refurbishment, with a new restaurant extension, a luxury wellness spa, events pavilion and woodland and walled garden lodges also included within the designs. The plans will result in this historic estate becoming a prestigious five-star hotel and spa.

Workington Ambulance Repair Shop

Client: North West Ambulance Services

NHS Trust

Location: Workington, Cumbria

Procured through the NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) Framework, we provided Architectural, Lead Consultant and Principal Designer services for a new ambulance maintenance and fleet support facility in Cumbria. The redevelopment includes a dedicated ambulance maintenance workshop with MOT testing capabilities, specialist bays for electric vehicle servicing, modern staff welfare areas, fully equipped office accommodation and a flexible training room.

Theatre & Performing Arts Refurbishment

Client: East Durham College

Location: Peterlee, County Durham

East Durham College enlisted our help to evaluate and present architectural, mechanical, electrical and acoustic enhancements for the Peterlee Campus. The project involved modifications and refurbishments including the installation of an acoustically treated modular recording room system, and several audio performance, practice, and recording spaces with new state-of-the-art AV connectivity. The theatre space was improved with the installation of a glass theatre balustrade system, theatre lights and sound system along with refurbished wall and floor finishes.

GSSArchitecture

Christmas Event

Location: The Vermont Hotel, Newcastle

SPECIALIST IN-HOUSE SKILLS

Sustainability

At GSSArchitecture, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Our dedicated Sustainability Innovation Group works across all projects to ensure that environmental responsibility, social value, and long-term resilience are embedded into our designs and processes.

By combining technical expertise with innovative thinking, the team helps clients achieve ambitious sustainability goals - from reducing carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency, to creating healthier environments for people and communities.

Whether it’s guiding early design decisions, supporting accreditation processes such as BREEAM and WELL or exploring new technologies and materials, our Sustainability Team is here to deliver practical, forward-thinking solutions that make a measurable difference.

Artificial Intelligence

GSS’s in-house Artificial Intelligence (AI) Innovation Group is responsible for providing comprehensive guidance and assistance, ensuring the safe and appropriate utilisation of AI within our work.

Fostering a collaborative environment, the group encourages innovation and integration of AI technologies that can add value to our clients. Their efforts include developing customised AI solutions, training for wider GSS team members, and overseeing a robust framework for AI governance.

Heritage & Conservation

Led by our in-house Architect Accredited in Building Conservation, the GSS Heritage & Conservation Team has significant experience in the conservation, alteration and enhancement of historic buildings.