On 12 October 2020, A’Bear & Ball Architects LLP is celebrating the practice’s four-year anniversary! During 2020, the architectural practice, along with people across the world, has faced new challenges due to COVID-19 and lockdown restrictions. Through this, we have learned to adapt and become more flexible.

During the lockdown, the team started working remotely, and site inspections and meetings were kept to an absolute minimum to protect our staff, clients and fellow consultants. While adhering to lockdown restrictions and social distancing guidelines and adapting to our own new practice measures, we still strived to keep projects on time and running smoothly.

Even through these challenging times, we have seen many projects complete recently, and we have even been able to get professionals photographs taken on a few of our new and older projects. We’ve added numerous projects to the practice’s portfolio on our website. And below we highlight four interesting schemes we’re really happy with how they turned out.

Chapel House | Littleworth, Oxfordshire | Full Refurbishment, Extension & Alterations

A’Bear & Ball Architects designed the contemporary extensions to Chapel House, which is a former Methodist Chapel originally built in 1882. The contemporary nature of the extension clearly differentiates the old from the new, enhancing and respecting the original building and separating the building elements by era.

Located in Littleworth, Oxfordshire, the project also included a full refurbishment and alterations to offer a five-bedroom modern family home, whilst still respecting the original building. The building was in a poor state of repair, particularly internally, and required care and attention to restore, preserve and enhance its fabric.

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Bolero Gardens | Bicester, Oxfordshire | Self Build Project & Construction Drawings

Bolero Gardens is a timber frame self-build project in Graven Hill, Bicester. For this project, A’Bear & Ball Architects was commissioned up to the RIBA Stage 4 (Construction Information), in which a complete set of Construction Drawings were handed over to the client. We were only retained on an ad-hoc basis during the construction phase when required.

Throughout the entire build, we only needed to have one video conference with a plumber. The client was diligent with ensuring the drawings were followed meticulously. This project is a fine example of how a well determined self-builder can deliver an amazing home with limited experience. The key is having a comprehensive construction drawings package carried out by an experienced architect.

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Martens Close | Shrivenham, Oxfordshire | Extension Design & Contract Administrators

This residential extension at Martens Close was developed around three interlocking boxes of differing scales, providing a dynamic design with extended living and bedroom space. For this project in Shrivenham, A’Bear & Ball Architects also undertook the tendering process and acted as Contract Administrators through to build completion.

Wolstanton | Liddington, Wiltshire | Extensions, Loft Conversion & Face Lift

Located in Liddington, Wiltshire, Wolstanton is a nondescript brick house originally from the 1950s and was extended on both sides in the 1970s. This project involved a total transformation with a face lift, loft conversion and front and back extensions. The design has a New England aesthetic and was driven by the client with clear ideas on what they envisioned.