Glancy Nicholls Architects

🎄✨ That's it—2024 is officially wrapped! ✨🎄 This year has been extra special as we celebrated our 20th anniversary, a milestone that allowed us to reflect on the incredible journey so far. From our home city of Birmingham to projects across the UK, it’s been a privilege to design spaces that inspire and stand the test of time. As we look ahead to the next 20 years, we remain driven by the same passion and dedication that brought us here. Thank you to our clients, collaborators, and team for being part of this story—we couldn't have done it without you! Wishing you all a joyous Christmas and a bright start to 2025! 🎅🎁✨ #GNA20 #MerryChristmas #DesigningTheFuture #architecture

Our final entry in our 20th year anniversary selection of projects is The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Building for Three Counties Medical School, University of Worcester completed in 2023. Located on the banks of the River Severn the former printworks for the Worcester news was constructed in 1965 with a bespoke design for the curating, editing, printing and distribution of the local newspaper. The adaption of the building into a school of Health Wellbeing and Medicine required an imaginative and bold design strategy. The existing brutalist concrete building was devoid of natural light, with obscured rooflights. The focus on re-use rather than demolition was a key design driver. The buildings exposed concrete, expressed detailing and strong rooflight forms, have been carefully adapted within the final solution, expressing structural lines in the façade, with a new high-performance finish, delivering a high level of energy efficiency and air tightness, also maximising daylight to the whole building through the refurbished north light rooflights. Now a distinctive focal building on the campus, in which future doctors, nurses, paramedics and healthcare professionals will be trained to support the NHS. The architecture focuses on inclusivity, with the creation of calm and welcoming teaching spaces. The scheme has achieved SKA gold and an A rated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), a key part of our client’s brief, delivered by GNA with careful specification and reuse of existing finishes and materials. This year the project was award ‘Best Private Medical Facility’ at the Building Better Healthcare Awards 2024 and was shortlisted for the AJ Architecture Award 2024. 20 of 20 – Part of our anniversary collection celebrating 20 projects over 20 years #gna20 #awardwinning #medicalstudent #healthcare #universitylife #architecture #worcester University of Worcester

The Goodsyard in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter is a transformative mixed-use development completed in 2023. It features 395 residential apartments, retail spaces, and beautifully landscaped courtyards, all designed to honour the area's rich industrial heritage and historic significance. By restoring the scale and character of goods warehouses lost in WWII and engaging with the site’s extensive rail and metro links, The Goodsyard creates a vibrant new gateway to this historic area. A space for modern living, working, and leisure that celebrates Birmingham’s past while looking to its future. The project was recognised with the Residential award at the RICS 2024 Midlands awards. 19 of 20 – Part of our anniversary collection celebrating 20 projects over 20 years. Sir Robert McAlpine #gna20 #jewelleryquarter #birmingham #architecture #awardwinning

This remarkable project saw Glancy Nicholls Architects acting as executive architects, breathe new life into Birmingham’s Grade II listed Former Municipal Bank, transforming it into The Exchange — a vibrant city-centre campus for the University of Birmingham. Built in 1933 by T. Cecil Howitt, the building holds deep cultural significance for the city. Through meticulous conservation and sensitive adaptation, we preserved its heritage while creating spaces for innovation, learning, and community engagement, including a café, student incubator, and conference facilities. From restoring the iconic banking hall to delivering a modern extension in Portland stone and bronze, every detail of The Exchange was crafted to do justice to this unique part of Birmingham’s past. A proud moment for our team, showcasing how adaptive reuse can celebrate a city’s past and energise its present. The project was awarded RIBA West Midlands Award 2023, RIBA Conservation Award, Birmingham Civic Society Renaissance Award, RICS Regional Heritage Project Award and the Conservation and Regeneration Award at the Constructing Excellence Awards 2022. 18 of 20 – Part of our anniversary collection celebrating 20 projects over 20 years. University of Birmingham #architecture #conservation #adaptivereuse #heritage #birmingham

We are pleased to announce that our scheme for the Pritchatts Park Student Village at the University of Birmingham has won a Student Residential Award at the 2024 Student Accommodation Awards in London. Nestled within the Edgbaston Conservation Area, this project harmoniously integrates with the existing Ashcroft and Pritchatts Park residences, enhancing the student experience while preserving the area’s character, heritage, and natural assets. Designed in collaboration with the University Campus Services team and Birmingham City Planning Authority, the scheme delivers 489 student units and a 482-space multistorey car park. Completed by Equans/Equitix in early 2024, the development is now a vital part of the university community, offering a sustainable, inclusive, and welcoming environment. We’re proud to see this vision come to life and honoured by this recognition. #awardwinning #studentaccommodation #sustainabledesign #glancynichollsarchitects #birmingham #universityofbirmingham #designmatters

We’ve been on site this week to check on the steel frame progress of our Westminster Works scheme, now under construction in Digbeth, Birmingham by Torsion Construction. This regenerative residential development is transforming a key brownfield site, by introducing 222 new homes with a nod to the area’s industrial heritage. Use of masonry and a design that echoes Digbeth’s iconic warehouse architecture, this project seeks to celebrate the story and urban grain of this up and coming area. #onsite #construction #steel #architecture #birmingham #digbeth

In October 2017, Glancy Nicholls Architects were appointed as Lead Architects/Master-planners for the transformative redevelopment of the former Birmingham City University campus in Perry Barr. Collaborating with the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA) and Birmingham City Council (BCC), we worked to craft a forward-looking masterplan that is set to become a catalyst for the regeneration of Perry Barr. Seeking to reinvigorate the local community with over 1,400 new residences, recreational spaces, centred around sustainable design principles and all connected by enhanced public transport links. The design of the new village aims to raise the aspiration of local inner city living and reduce the carbon footprint, providing efficient and sustainable living. “We are delighted with the quality-of-service Glancy Nicholls Architects have provided. They are extremely dedicated and highly professional, providing innovative solutions and ensuring Birmingham City Council are involved at all stages.” Birmingham City Council, Housing Investment and Development Team In 2022 the project was awarded the RICS Regional Awards West Midlands Residential Project of the Year and the Insider Media Property Awards Residential Regeneration Project of the Year. 17 of 20 – Part of our anniversary collection celebrating 20 projects over 20 years. #masterplanning #regeneration #sustainabledesign #birmingham #architecture #gna20

Glancy Nicholls Architects were appointed to design and deliver The Ada Belfield Centre and Belper Library; an integrated care centre and library for Derbyshire County Council, completed in 2020. This crafted considered scheme was multi award winning, benefiting the residents, the Belper community and the wider UNESCO world heritage site   ·        RIBA Regional Award East Midlands ·        AJ Retrofit Awards 2021 Health ·        MacEwen Award 2021 Commended ·        Derbyshire Historic Building Trust Architecture Awards 2021 Reuse of an Historic Building ·        Building Better Healthcare Awards 2021 Grand Prix Design Award ·        Building Better Healthcare Awards 2021   Best Dementia Care Development ·        Planning Awards 2021 Best use of Heritage in Placemaking The RIBA judging panel said of our scheme, “The architects’ team and their local authority clients have made the enlightened decision to combine a residential care building for the elderly with a new library for the town. Our panel felt this was a brave stand against the traditional isolation of elderly care, extending independence, and improving the dignity and quality of life of residents. The team were clearly committed to re-use as much of the found structure, facades and fabric as they could and this will have made significant embodied carbon savings. We found the scale and massing of the different elements worked well together, with both library and residential care uses re-inhabiting the red brick shell, while the entry corner of the library building is expressed as infill to complete the orthogonal form of the overall plan - picked out in local Stanton Moor stone. The elderly care accommodation is gathered in a sheltering ‘U’ around a west-facing garden, looking off to the distant hills – with windows gently canted to emphasise this outlook. The design has been aligned with the Stirling University Gold standard for dementia design, with the potential for reinvigorating experiences across the traditional divide between elderly care and the host community. This is a pragmatic and quietly bold enterprise that has addressed each of the social, environmental and economic facets of sustainable design, while improving urban connections. Belper is better for it." #dementiacare #awardwinning #derbyshire #architecture #GNA20 16 of 20 – Part of our anniversary collection celebrating 20 projects over 20 years.

We are delighted to share that Stoke-on-Trent City Council has granted Planning Approval for our latest project: a new satellite provision for Watermill School in Packmoor. This two-storey building will provide much-needed space for up to 82 SEN pupils, addressing the capacity challenges of the current school while offering a modern, purpose-built environment designed to support both learning and wellbeing. The design reflects a thoughtful approach to functionality and aesthetics, with a striking main entrance, a combination of dark brick and render, and a layout that carefully differentiates between academic and communal spaces to enhance supervision. Outdoor areas include a woodland learning zone and enclosed spaces for informal sports, providing diverse opportunities for play and exploration. Sustainability has been a key focus, with the project incorporating photovoltaic panels, high-efficiency heating systems, and electric vehicle charging points, ensuring the building is both environmentally responsible and future-ready. This project revitalises the site of the former Middlehurst Special School, aligning with the local authority’s long-standing strategy to repurpose education land for future provision. We are proud to contribute to the legacy of inclusive and innovative education in Stoke-on-Trent and look forward to bringing this vision to life. Seddon / TACE #specialeducation #inclusivedesign #sustainability #glancynichollsarchitects #planning #stokeontrent

Our unforgettable project at the Black Country Living Museum brought history to life. Our team at GNA proudly led the creation of a new historical and industrial town, set between the 1940s and 1960s, as part of the museum’s Forging Ahead project. - 17 individual buildings - 13 recreations | 4 translocations - Featuring a library, pub and iconic shops like a butcher, Co-op, and music shop Designed in collaboration with museum researchers, the project captures the industries that shaped the Black Country, from brickmaking to aluminium founding, complete with restored historic machinery like a beam engine and drop hammers. This celebration of heritage combines historical accuracy, visitor engagement, and conservation. It was a true honour to play a part in preserving and showcasing the legacy of the Black Country for generations to come! 15 of 20 – Part of our anniversary collection celebrating 20 projects over 20 years. #blackcountrymuseum #forgingahead #historylovers #1940s #1960s #gna20 #architecture #accidentallywesanderson