Medequip Assistive Technology Ltd provides access to a wide range of equipment and support to people to allow them to retain their independence, and stay in their own homes, for as long as possible. They have a mission to support as many people as they can, and that means having local depots based in communities across the UK.
We were appointed to create a new depot in Bedford, from which to coordinate the services of the new Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes Community Equipment Service. The greatest challenge was meeting a tight deadline that was fixed, due to the urgency of need of people in this area.
We have worked with Medequip fairly extensively already, so that allowed us to hit the ground running using solutions we’ve already developed for previous developments.
The project required the industrial fit out and remodel of an existing building, for which we conducted a feasibility study to ensure that it would be fit for purpose. The main contractor was new to Medequip, so there was a steep learning curve, but we were able to support them. We also had to work with the local electricity board’s EVCP installation team to include Electric Vehicle Charge Points (EVCPs).
This was a sizeable project with a significant budget, which was operational on time with some ongoing works to make final adjustments.
The grand opening of the new Bedford depot took place on 16th May and was officially opened by the Mayor of Bedford, Tom Wootton. You can read more about that here.
Accreditations: BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology, ICIOB – Incorporated Chartered Institute of Building, CIAT affiliate
Skills: Autodesk CAD, project management, specification writing, contract administration, principal designer, knowledge of building regulations, energy performance of buildings, designing for neurodiversity.
About Tony
Tony is the Big Dog of Farrar Bamforth Architecture. Starting his career here in 1999, he acquired the business and became Managing Director in 2018. Tony loves process driven buildings; creating buildings that can make a positive impact on business performance and people’s lives. Tony takes an intuitive approach to architecture and can often be found in buildings waving his hands around to indicate where rooms should go. He’s also a ‘fixer’; solving problems and dealing with the difficult issues others would rather delegate. Think ‘Mr Wolf’ in Pulp Fiction but with building regulations rather than dead bodies.
In his many years with the company, his favourite project so far has been Berendsen Laundry in Durham. A £5million build and £5million fit-out, Tony was involved from start to finish and enjoyed the perfect combination of interesting job, great client, and good team of contractors and consultants.
And finally…
Tony’s favourite toast topping is two rashers of bacon, brown sauce, and another slice of toast. That’s a sandwich Tony (there’s always one 🙄). When not standing in buildings waving his arms around, he can often be found at heavy metal or Adam Ant concerts, supporting Wakefield Trinity, playing touch rugby, or watching bad car chase movies. Though not, apparently, the Fast and the Furious (too bad).
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A feasibility study allows you to comprehensively evaluate the viability of an architectural project before committing significant investments to it. Viability is assessed from architectural, financial, and environmental perspectives. As well as the functional aspects of the build, it also includes some preliminary designs, allowing you to start visualising the outcome. The process could include a pre-application submission to the planning department for their opinion prior to a formal application. Conducting a detailed feasibility study protects you against the, often costly, ‘surprises’ that can come from not anticipating and taking steps to avoid the pitfalls that come from not being suitably prepared.
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There is a much-used phrase that applies to all design but was specifically coined for architecture: ‘form follows function’ and it’s something that we live by. Primarily, buildings and interios have to work so we listen to our clients when they tell us what the structure needs to do for them. For our commercial and industrial clients, this is often 95% of the brief. For residential projects, whether a housing development or a bespoke high-end dwelling, functionality and aesthetic appeal need to be finely balanced. We are equally skilled in both approaches and always client-led.
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Building regulations are simultaneously the rules that keep us safe and the requirements that give architects and builders headaches as they strive for compliance with ever-evolving specifications. Not a problem for us though, as several members of the team live for the minutiae and details of regulations, and standards so we’re all over them. That not only means that your development complies with (and often, exceeds) building regs but that we also know the strategies for working with regulations in ways that don’t compromise creativity, function, or budgets.
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Contract administration is all about making sure everything happens according to the terms of the contract. When we take on responsibility for contract administration, you can be reassured that everyone delivers as agreed. That means providers are held to account, budgets are tightly managed, and deadlines are met.
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Project management is all about taking care of the whole shebang. It’s more than contract administration, it’s holding your hand through the whole process: managing all parties, making sure that things happen when they should and to the standards demanded. We also ‘sort stuff out’, because not everything goes to plan all the time and fixing s**t is all part of the service! Project management of a build removes the stress from you and gives you peace of mind that stuff is just getting done.
×Making an existing structure suitable for a new purpose isn’t always easy but we are highly experienced in this area. See our case studies for Magic Rock Brewery & Taproom and VW Leeds for some great examples. If you would like to discuss a similar project, contact Tony at tony@farrarbamforth.co.uk or call 01484 424008 where any member of the team will be pleased to help.
