We are delighted that Director Simon Mellor has been asked to be part of the Constructing Excellence East Midlands Committee.Simon will be the Derby lead alongside Phil Cooper.
CE Midlands is a cross-sector organisation committed to improving business performance by driving innovation and best practice in the construction industry. We’re dedicated to the mission of CE and excited to get to work with an excellent team.
If there’s one thing we love as Architects, it’s numbers. Here’s some of our favourite from 2022:
Frost Architects are excited to announce the opening of our newest office – Frost Midlands, based in Derby.
Frost Midlands will provide Architectural services across the Midlands, including Derby, Birmingham, Nottingham and beyond.
The Midlands has long been an exciting area for property and development, benefiting from both public and private investment. With substantial capital in the investment pipeline, we want to bring our expertise in the residential and commercial sectors & deliver on the opportunities available to clients.
Director Simon Mellor explains ‘Derby is my hometown and this is a fantastic opportunity to return. I’m excited to work alongside local stakeholders and investors to help shape the present and future of the locality I grew up in.’
Director Dan Frost added ‘With several of our clients already using our services outside of London, the decision to expand was an easy one. There is a real nationwide appetite for construction and development and the development opportunities in the Midlands are at the forefront of that. We want to build on our successes and continue to grow as a business, and this allows us to deliver on that goal.’
For more information on Frost Arcitects, our work and how we can help you, please contact the office on office@frostarchitects.com.
One week in March, the way the world worked suddenly changed. At Frost, we shut down our office and went to remote working and things have stayed that way ever since. This short sharp shock has brought about a drastic change in the way we operate as an office. Staff have set up desks at home and are utilising remote working tools to communicate with clients, contractors, suppliers & each other. We wanted to investigate the impact these changes have had on our staff, and how we can ensure staff feel interconnected. How do we meet the social needs of the team, and ensure the environment of inclusion and togetherness is maintained while we work from a distance.
We chatted to our staff about the impact the changes have had on them, and how we can meet the challenges of remote working going forward.
For many, the biggest change has been felt socially. We asked everyone if they felt they had enough regular contact with their colleagues, and they all felt this had been limited by the change. While using Teams has meant work related conversation is easy, Laura said “I miss the informal chats you have around the office. It’s hard to justify setting up a Teams call for just a catch up”, which requires more effort and intent than just wandering over to a colleagues desk, or heading out for lunch at the same time, or three people going to do the washing up when really one is enough. Georgina said that while there was regular work contact with people she is directly working with, she is really missing Friday afternoon drinks or more informal get togethers. We have made a point at Frost to have weekly catch ups, but it remains to be seen if it’s possible to replace the natural social interaction of an office while working from home.
As Architects, a lot of our work is collaborative. Printing out drawings and gathering round a table for mark ups and design discussions is a key part of the development of our projects. Now these meetings aren’t possible, we asked the team if they felt the remote working software substitutes were adequate, or even an improvement on, these discussions. Both Elena and Simona felt they were, particularly noting that being able to screen share means live improvements can be made to drawings or documents directly on the software, expediting the design process. “Being able to access information during meetings is invaluable”, said Elena, noting that when in meetings or presenting to clients, if questions or queries pop up during the meeting, you have access to all of our files and drawings.
Additionally, having these focussed group calls keeps meetings productive and focussed on the project at hand. Dan noted that these video meetings tend to be shorter and more productive. Si added that these meetings are great for small focussed groups, however when there is too many people on a call it can be disruptive and harder to control. Ultimately they are still no substitutes for face to face meetings, which tend to have a more natural flow and rhythm, and as Simona noted, “it’s hard to beat a good old fashioned felt tip for mark ups.”
There are obviously some great benefits to working from home. There’s been a nationwide petdemic, with more dogs being adopted than ever. Laura took advantage of the extra time at home to adopt a very handsome little dog Max, and Georgina brought home the exuberant and loveable Charlie. They join Boo & Bear (Dan & Sam’s) on the Frost office dogs team. Charlie, Max, Boo and Bear are repawtedly all loving having their owners home all the time, and taking them out for a walk is a pawfect way to spend a lunch break. Simon, Elena & Simona, meanwhile, are thoroughly enjoying their lack of a busy London commute, using the extra time in the morning to take the kids to school, go for a walk in the park or have a lie in (we won’t disclose who is who!).
Directors Dan & Simon both felt that this change, albeit forced, had changed how they perceived the possibility of remote working. Even when things return to ‘normal’, at Frost we are expecting to blend the possibility of working from home with having an office location. The developments in remote working means the future of working looks more flexible than ever, which will be great news for the team, and more importantly, the Frost dogs!
It’s clear then, that the biggest challenge with remote working is replacing the social environment naturally created in an office. While collaborative working tools such as Teams work as a good substitute, and in some areas even enhance collaborative working, their ability to replace the more intangible sense of community and inclusion is a little less clear. We must ensure going forward efforts are made to replicate that feeling and ensure staffs social needs are met in this new, remote world.
About the jobs
We are looking to fill two vacancies in our expanding and talented team – Project Architect & Architectural Assistant.
We have a number of projects at all stages of development in the Residential and Commercial sectors, including multiple office projects.
Project Architect
Skills and experience:
· 1-3 years post Part 3 experience
· Experience delivering projects to the highest standards
· Experience in Residential and Commercial projects is preferable
· Strong design sensibility
· Proficient in AutoCAD
· Excellent communication skills in spoken and written English
Architectural Assistant
Skills and experience:
· Part 1 and 2 considered
· Experience in Residential and Commercial projects is preferable
· Strong design sensibility
· Proficient in AutoCAD
· Excellent communication skills in spoken and written English
Candidates must be eager to progress their career. We are a small but growing team so there are opportunities to take on more responsibility and grow with the practice.
If you are interested please submit your CV and portfolio to office@frostarchitects.com
Longer days are here and we have a spring in our step at Frost. Works completed at Parkhall, our scheme at Queen Victoria Street has had fantastic local feedback, things are progressing on site nicely in a number of locations, and we were finally able to meet up in person! Come and see what we got up to in a busy, sunny April.
Queen Victoria Street – We are delighted to show you all our mixed-use destination scheme in Reading. Read about it here. You can also see the glowing write up we’ve received in the local press here.
Parkhall Business Centre – Works wrapped up at Parkhall Business Centre and we’re thrilled with the end result. Check out the finished project here.
Dimes Place – Demolition of the old timber yard at Dimes Place is now complete, preparing the site for an exciting new development.
Dudley Road – Works are continuing at our latest project on Dudley Road, our favourite road in Wimbledon.
Bayswater Houses – Works continue on the new houses in Bayswater, and we can’t wait to show you the result.
Bennetts Hill House – Works are ongoing on our first Birmingham project, Bennetts Hill House.
Wandsworth House – We are in planning for alterations to a lovely home in Wandsworth.
Quicker than it takes Frost to secure a planning approval, February has been and gone in an instant! With March bringing longer days, more sun, and hopefully a little more fun, we’re in an optimistic mood here at Frost. Lots of that optimism comes from all the great projects we’re working on at the moment; come and take a look at some of the things we’ve been up to in the thankfully shortest month of the year.
Queen Victoria Street – We are now in planning for this fantastic scheme in Reading, including a market square, retail space & an Aparthotel. The scheme got a glowing right up from local media, check that out here.
Parkhall Business Centre – Works are almost complete at Parkhall Business Centre, take a sneak peek here.
Dimes Place – Demolition of the old timber yard at Dimes Place is now complete, preparing the site for an exciting new development.
Dudley Road – Works are continuing at our latest project on Dudley Road, our favourite road in Wimbledon.
Bayswater Houses – Works continue on the new houses in Bayswater, and we can’t wait to show you the result.
Bennetts Hill House – Works are ongoing on our first Birmingham project, Bennetts Hill House.
Dockmasters House – We secured planning for further alterations to Dockmaster’s House, a listed building in Canary Wharf.
Birthday Blues – We had two birthdays in the office, Sam & Georgina, both of whom were gutted to miss out on the traditional office cake (less gutted to miss out on some tuneless happy birthday singing).
2021 was threatening to continue where 2020 left off, but one snowy weekend has lifted everyone’s spirits and at Frost we’re starting to believe that everything just might be all white. We’ve got lots of exciting projects on at various stages of development, come and read about what we’ve been upto.
Snow place like home – We spoke to our staff about how they’re adjusting to working from home, you can read that here.
2020 – We also took some time to reflect on a our highlights from a difficult year, come and check that out here.
Parkhall Business Centre – Works are continuing at our latest Workspace project, Parkhall Business Centre.
Dudley Road – Works are continuing at our latest project on Dudley Road,our favourite road in Wimbledon.
Bayswater Houses – Works continue on the new houses in Bayswater, and we can’t wait to show you the result.
Dimes Place– Demolition is underway at Dimes Place, making room for a new 30,000 sqft office development in Hammersmith.
Bennetts Hill House – Works are ongoing on our first Birmingham project, Bennetts Hill House.
Banstead House – We are in planning for alterations to a family home in Banstead.
I’m sure many readers will be thankful 2020 is coming to an end, and who can blame them?! This unprecedented year of turmoil and uncertainty has affected all of us in unimaginable ways. The coronavirus pandemic shook the world and its ramifications are still being experienced 9 months (can you believe it’s been 9 whole months?) later, consequences that are showing no signs of abating.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Buoyed by news of the impending visits of both Santa Claus and Father Vacc-mas, we wanted to try and end a difficult year on a high. Join us as we look back at some of the highlights, changes, and things we’re looking forward to. Frost Architects, this is your 2020.
Like everyone, we quickly discovered we were not immune to the impact of the Coronavirus. We shut down our office in March and have been working remotely ever since. The change of scenery and pace of working at home has had its benefits, the number of Frost dogs doubled and, while we’re still adapting, staff are enjoying the freedom remote working has granted. You can read more about how we’ve adjusted to working from home here.
Considering the devastating impact the Coronavirus has had on the global economy, we are proud to have weathered that storm, retaining staff and continuing to deliver high quality projects for our clients. We have ended the year as busy as ever as our workload continues to grow. We are delighted to have started work for some notable new clients, including Thackeray Estates.
The ability to remote work has been particularly handy as we’re also spreading our geographic wings, taking on our first ever project in Birmingham for Dunmoore. We’re also working on projects in Reading, Bristol & Dorset, as word of Frost’s quality delivery spreads across the UK.
It’s been a great year at Frost for delivering finished buildings. We love the opportunity to see a client’s vision all the way through until the last brick has been laid, last bit of furniture placed, and that last light bulb is working. We delivered two of our biggest and best projects this year. Mare Street Studios, for Workspace, is an 83,000sqft office development in Hackney that takes pride of place in our portfolio, and we’ve entered it for the AJ Retrofit awards. Come and learn more about it here.
We also delivered the new HQ for the London Taxi Drivers Association. Taxi House, completed in September, is already a notable visual landmark in the local area. Have a read about the project and our experience with the LTDA here.
On the residential side of things, we completed several projects across London & Surrey, including this beautiful new build home in Surrey.
One of our biggest highlights of the year was Dan & Simon getting the opportunity to be interviewed by Workspace about our years of experience working with them. While giving a tour of Mare Street Studios they gave a wide ranging interview you can read here.
We had planned on spending most of 2020 celebrating our 10th year of trading. As you can imagine, this wasn’t quite how we saw our birthday going. You’ll forgive us if we extend our planned celebrations a bit longer, and hope we can spend 2021 enjoying and sharing our postponed festivities
The clocks have gone back but we’re looking forward to a busy end to 2020 at Frost. We have a number of projects across various stages of development, come and see what we have going on.
Mare Street Studios – We have entered Mare Street Studios into the AJ Retrofit Awards, and are excited about our chances in this great competition celebrating sustainable design.
Parkhall Business Centre – As well as being on site at Parkhall, we have been redesigning the break-out space.
Dudley Road – Works are continuing at our latest project on Dudley Road, definitely our favourite road in Wimbledon.
Bayswater Houses – Works continue on the new houses in Bayswater, and we can’t wait to show you the result.
Islington House– We are in planning for a contemporary new build home in the Islington conservation area.
St Albans House – We are in planning for alterations to a lovely home in St Albans.
Dockmaster’s House – We’re now out to tender for the works at Dockmaster’s House.
Bennetts Hill House – Works have begun on our Birmingham project, Bennetts Hill House.
The nights are drawing in and the weather is getting Frostier by the week. Things have stayed busy at Frost through September, have a look at some of the things we’ve been up to over the last month.
Mare Street Studios – We did a Q&A with Workspace about our latest and greatest project Mare Street Studios, take a look here.
Taxi House – The LTDA have moved into their new HQ and are delighted with the new space, getting lots of comments from passers by!
Parkhall Business Centre – Works continue at our current Workspace project, Parkhall and the site is looking good.
Bennetts Hill House – Works are due to start on site on our first ever project in Birmingham, refurbishing and extending an office building for Dunmoore.
Dudley Road – We are back on site on one of our favourite roads in Wimbledon. This time we’re adding a new annexe and extension to a lovely family home.
Bayswater Houses – We are currently on site building two new homes near Hyde Park.
Wireless Factory – We continue to work on these offices in Isleworth, which should be on site before the end of the year.
Nuffield Way – We secured planning for an additional floor to an industrial unit in Abingdon.
We’re back! It’s been a strange few months but things have come back with a bang in July and we’re as busy as ever. People want to Build, Build, Build and we’re here to help them.
Signal Works – Exciting news as our latest office development project is complete! Signal Works will serve as the new HQ for the LTDA. Keep an eye out as we bring you more information about this exciting project.
Hammersmith House – We are in planning for a new build two-storey home in Hammersmith.
Esher House – Works completed on this beautiful family home in Esher. Keep an eye out as we have more photos on the way.
Dockmasters House – We obtained planning approval for further modifications to one of our previous projects, Dockmasters House. The new designs include an extension internal modifications.
Parkhall Business Centre – We are now on site at Parkhall where we are refurbishing 20,000 sqft of space to provide offices, meeting rooms and breakout spaces.
Claygate House – We are also in planning for alterations to this lovely home in Claygate.
Birmingham Office – We have recently been commissioned to design an extension to a commercial building in Birmingham
We know it’s been a challenging time for everyone, and the world of Architecture has been no exception. At Frost we’ve been closely monitoring and responding to the situation regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
Our top priority is the health and safety of staff and colleagues. We are set up to work remotely and are following government advice closely.
We are now in a position to be fully operational during this period of uncertainty and can continue to offer our full range of Architectural Services. We look forward to continuing to work with you in the following weeks and please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
You can continue to contact us in the normal way, we look forward to hearing from you and hope you are all keeping safe and well.
Our projects managed to weather a stormy February! Mare Street Studios reached practical completion and several other projects continue at various stages of development as our busy start to the year continues.
Mare Street Studios – Mare Street reached Practical Completion this week. The building is looking amazing and we can’t wait to show you the finished result.
Banstead House – We also completed a residential project in Banstead which included new extensions and a complete facelift resulting in this great modern look.
Biscuit Factory – We are starting on site at our latest Workspace project, The Biscuit Factory. We are refurbishing the 25,000 sqft of office space across 4 storeys.
Parkhall Business Centre – Parkhall, another Workspace project, is also due to start on site this month. We are refurbishing 20,000 sqft of space to provide offices, meeting rooms and breakout spaces.
Claygate House – We received planning permission for alterations to this gorgeous house in Claygate.
Isleworth Offices – We are in the process of designing a new block of office buildings in Isleworth.
LTDA HQ – Work continues on Signal Works, which will become the new Head Office of the LTDA.
Esher House – Work is ongoing at this lovely family home in Esher.
We still can’t believe we’re ten years old, and as part of our celebrations we’re going to take some time showcasing our favourite ten projects from the past decade. Keep an eye out as we put some of our best work in the spotlight over the coming months, see if you can guess who’s going to win from the clues below.
Happy New Year everybody. We are delighted that January marks 10 years since Frost was set up, and can’t believe a whole decade has flown by so quickly.
It’s been an amazing ten years, keep an eye out as we’ve got plenty of events & content coming up we can’t wait to share with you as we spend the year celebrating our tenth birthday, reflecting on our decade and looking forward to another great ten years!
An election, a Christmas Party, some snagging and another three planning applications. The year might be winding down but things stay busy at Frost. Happy Christmas everyone!
Christmas Party – Thanks to the great teams at Heddon Street Kitchen and Electric Shuffle for a fantastic Christmas party.
Mare Street – The brand new units are Mare Street are almost ready to be occupied.
London Offices – We are designing a new, large scale office scheme in London.
Surrey House – We are now in planning for a single storey extension to this gorgeous home in Surrey.
Clerkenwell House – We are also in planning for a brand new 4 bed house.
The Light Box – This eye catching new entrance signage at The Light Box has now gone up.
Wandsworth Flats – We are in planning for a building in Wandsworth to provide 3 new flats and retail space.
Docklands HQ – We are in the process of designing a refurbishment for a HQ in Docklands.
London Development – We are also designing a new build residential development.
It’s a typically busy month at Frost, with several projects across various stages of development.
Mare Street – As part of a design intervention at Mare Street we have designed bespoke phone booths, including glass doors and velvet wall cladding.
Signal Works – These dramatic corten window reveals are currently being installed at Signal Works.
Parkhall – We are in the process of designing our latest Workspace project, Parkhall Business Centre. We are refurbishing 20,000 sqft of space to provide offices, meeting rooms and breakout spaces.
The Biscuit Factory – Another Workspace project, The Biscuit Factory, is starting on site this month. We are refurbishing the 25,000 sqft of office space across 4 storeys.
East Horsley House – We are delighted with this now completed beautiful new build home.
Claygate House – Our latest project in Claygate is now finished and looking great. The works included a rear extension and internal remodelling.
Hampton House – We are also delighted with this completed project in Hampton, including a rear extension and significant internal remodelling.
Esher House – We are now on site with this wonderful home in Surrey. We are really excited to see how the final designs progress. The works include extensions, a garage conversion and internal remodelling.
We are delighted that our Workspace project Southbank House won an FIS Gold Award for Interior Fit-Out over £1M. Check out the project here.
We are looking for an experienced Senior Project Architect to join our vibrant team in South West London.
We have a number of projects at all stages of development in the Residential and Commercial sectors, including multiple office projects.
Skills and experience:
Candidates must be eager to progress their career. We are a small but growing team so there are opportunities to take on more responsibility and grow with the practice.
Send your CV and portfolio to admin@frostarchitects.com if you’re interested.
The team at Frost are delighted that Build Magazine have named us the Best Office Architecture & Interior Design Firm in London, and our design at the New Covent Garden Market Authority has won the Build Project Award for Best Commercial Design. See more about the winning project here.
For our Christmas party this year the team kicked things off with homemade cocktails and secret santa in the office, before going bowling at Queens in Queensway. A nail biting affair ended in a tie between Sam and Dan. We followed this up with a fantastic dinner at No.65 & King, which we would highly recommend! Thanks for the staff at these venues for having us!
