Group Ginger

A sneak peak of our fabulous timber shopfront designs taking shape at Doncaster Corn Exchange, fabricated by a talented team of local tradespeople for Commercial Team City Of Doncaster Council

As our refurbishment project at Henry Moore Institute nears completion on site, find out more about the vision behind the transformation here.

Today marks the fifth anniversary of The Bis, Whitby Street Studios in Hartlepool's official opening.     Working with Hartlepool Borough Council, this Grade II-listed former post office has been beautifully restored to create a home for a community of artists, designers, and creative start-ups. Buro Happold worked with architects Group Ginger to realise the potential of this project. We offered consultancy across a range of disciplines including structural engineering, building services engineering (MEP), infrastructure and civil engineering.  The project significantly contributes to the wider regeneration ambitions for Hartlepool and was credited with an array of awards in 2021 including the RIBA North East award, RIBA North East Project Architect of the Year and RIBA North East Building of the Year.     Christine Lowry, Partner, Buro Happold, said "Working within the constraints of a listed building with stripped-back internal finishes meant there was nowhere for services to hide. Getting beneath the skin of the building to identify existing voids, spaces and openings enabled a clever fundamental distribution strategy; minimising the scale of services routed horizontally. Precise final coordination and set out with the architect really achieves the initial vision of services on show but hidden in plain sight. They are there, but your eye is not drawn to them."     Read more about this award-winning project: https://buro.im/2YQPy5W   #Restoration #repurposing #builtenvironment #structualengineering #RIBA #awards #uk #northeast #engineering #renovation #officespaces #Refurbish 

From the archive: Making the future from the past at The Tetley. In 2014 Group Ginger converted the the original 1931 art deco former headquarters of the Tetley Brewery in central Leeds into The Tetley - a centre for contemporary art and learning that operated at the heart of the city's art community for the next decade. Group Ginger's designs reworked the former office to create new gallery spaces, an auditorium, learning space, café bar and workspaces all arranged around a spectacular wood-panelled central atrium which links to the original open staircase. The challenge was to celebrate the character of the building, originally conceived as an introverted HQ for brewery staff, whilst editing it to make it fit for purpose for its new use as a public art facility. Group Ginger's design retained historical features, repaired damage and re‐appropriate the spaces to serve their new visitors, preserving the memory of the building's previous life and the important role it played within Leeds. After ten successful years of delivering ambitious art programmes, the gallery moved out the iconic building at the end of 2023 when their lease expired. In 2024 The Tetley are working offsite to present Inside Out, a three-year art and play project for children and families in Beeston and Beeston Hill.

Thank you to Architects’ Journal for covering our transformation of the Henry Moore Institute.

We are proud to share that Group Ginger’s Milena Chyla has won the 2023 RIBA Student Award for the RIBA Yorkshire region for her Part 1 final project. The Citron Sanctuary is a space of culture, nature, silent reflection and making. The building acts as a cultural centre for Liverpool’s South East Asian community, where members can gather together to celebrate Buddhist holidays and share their crafts. The community is brought together by the centrally situated hothouse where citron fruit (a Buddhist symbol of prosperity wellbeing and enlightenment) are grown and celebrated. The building is run by the funds collected from essential oil production, which takes place in a specially designed extraction lab/workshop.

Group Ginger is pleased to reveal designs for the refurbishment of the Henry Moore Institute, the first major refurbishment its thirty-year year history. We have designed a series of interventions which will transform the public engagement aspect of the Institutes work, reflecting their desire to increase access to the arts. Designed in the early 1990s by Dixon Jones, the Henry Moore Institute was the first purpose-built sculpture gallery in the UK and is a distinctive landmark on Leeds’ Headrow. One of the largest sculpture galleries in Europe, the Institute has been a beacon in the arts landscape in recent years, bucking the trend of dwindling visitor numbers to attract visitors beyond the traditional arts audiences, increasing engagement with families and diverse audiences. The refurbishment, due to open in summer 2024, will create a suite of support spaces to deliver social impact - public spaces that are fit for growing visitor numbers, while also offering income generation opportunities through retail; and efficient staff workspaces that are economical to run and encourage cross-team working. Concerned by the lack of arts provision in the UK’s school’s curriculum, the Institute commissioned Group Ginger to re-work the building to provide facilities to help them fill the void. Our designs cleverly convert an introverted staff boardroom on the buildings second floor into an inspiring light filled space for school visits. New multifunctional learning and engagement facilities will host creative workshops, discussions and events and encourage people of all ages to engage with sculpture as learners, thinkers and makers. The works include: -       A more welcoming and navigable entrance area designed to be a meeting point, encouraging visitors to stay longer, take a seat and browse the shop. -       A refreshed area on the ground floor that offers free, creative drop-in activities for all visitors. -       Inclusive, fully accessible toilets with baby changing facilities. -       An improved entrance to the Research Library on the first floor with new provision for displays drawn from the library special collections. -       Increased comfort in th basement seminar room for research events, with natural light, new seating and upgraded technology.   Sustainability is important to the project, with environmentally friendly materials and approaches throughout. In a nod to the work of Henry Moore, Group Ginger have selected a palette of robust and tactile natural materials (timber, wool, rubber) that create a welcoming environment, will age well and have a low environmental impact. New heating, lighting and ventilation systems are carefully incorporated to improve energy efficiency and user comfort to contemporary building standards. Works are due to start on site in January and are expected to be complete by Summer 2024.

Our sister venture, Ginger Works gallery and exhibition space, is proud to host ILLUMINATE: Architecture & Light photography exhibition, organised by the Leeds branch of the modernist Join us for the private view tomorrow.

Great to see work on our project at Doncaster Corn Exchange progressing on site. #retrofit #reuse