RR eventually joins Facebook

I should have created a Facebook page for Red Raven a long time ago but someone that isn't too keen on following fashion I've been ignoring the ever present Facebook. But there's no harm in giving it a go. So why not take a look and 'like' the page or some of the new photos and projects I haven't publicised before. You can find RR as RedRavenDesign or click on the link www.facebook.com/RedRavenDesign

More award success

Last Friday I was in Edinburgh to receive another award for the shop front works in Cockemrouth. Of the 52 short listed national and international projects (whittled down from 306) Red Raven Design was one of the winners of the prestigious Civic Trust Award for 'Community Recognition'.

Civic Trust Awards Managing Director, Malcolm Hankey said: “The Civic Trust Awards celebrate not only design excellence, but also the relationship between structures, places, the environment and communities. Winning projects have demonstrated architectural excellence whilst offering cultural, social or economic benefit to the local community. We are delighted to bring the 2012 Civic Trust Awards Ceremony to Edinburgh and would like to take this opportunity to thank the City of Edinburgh Council for their support. The event attracted hundreds of leading architects and built environment professionals to the historic city for a wonderful evening of celebration.”


Bryson's one of the winning shop fronts designed by me!

Winner: Restoration of a Georgian Building in an Urban Setting

I'm very pleased to be able to post that this Monday at Christies in London I received on behalf of the Cockermouth Civic Trust from The Georgian Group an award for winner of "Restoration of a Georgian Building in an Urban Setting".

The award was in recognition of all the improvements to Cockermouth shop fronts since the floods. 15 shops so far have gone through major improvements as part of the grant aided scheme with the majority of them designed by me!

A small selection of some of the shops designed by Red Raven.....

Arts Centre Feasibility Study

Earlier this year I was asked to carry out a feasibility study for an arts centre, it's still in the early stages and I can't reveal who the client is or where the site is located but I can show a visualisation of the proposal.

The proposal extends an existing building with a single storey addition which will house a large function room, entrance foyer/display space and small cafe. The scheme attempts to link the existing domestic type building with the landscape and create a more welcoming functional space.

Nearly the last shop

Despite my quiet blog things continue to be ongoing with improvements to Cockermouth Main Street. The latest completed shop to add to the long list of shops Red Raven has designed since the floods is Bryson's, the bakers.

Prior to the floods of 2009 Bryon's where based on the other side of Main Street nearer to Market Place. Moving to the old Blockbuster shop gave them the chance to make more of the passing bus stop trade.

The job was more than just a shop front enhancement as the whole building has been gutted and its layout changed to improve both the shop and the flat above. The previously centrally located staircase has been moved to the side so that the shop and flat above are no longer cut in half and have their own idependent entrance. The result is, even if I do say so myself, much better.


The new Bryson's Shop on Main Street, Cockermouth


As it was prior to the works.

Strolling4Shoes - shop number 2

The New Shop at 35 Main Street


How it used to look


The success of Strolling4Shoes re-modelled shop at 29 Main Street has been so successful that they have now moved to new larger and more prominent premises on the corner of Main Street and Station Street.

I'm pleased to say it's yet another re-vamped shop I can add to my list (...and there are still more to come!).

Extension to The Kirkgate

Late last year I was invited to submit proposals for the extension and improvement of The Kirkgate Centre in Cockermouth. For those that don’t know Cockermouth The Kirkgate is a volunteer run arts venue showing a variety of productions and films in what was All Saints School.

Collaborating with Hayward Associates I proposed a contemporary solution based on a narrative derived from the process that takes place between stage and audience. Using the architectural metaphor of a cube that starts in its pure form and becomes transformed, open and more complex as it journeys through the building to represent the process of ‘education’ art can deliver. The end result is a multifaceted glass atrium that is open and welcoming to the visitor without masking or hiding the Victorian architecture of the existing building.

Sadly, it was too radical and another solution was chosen. Never mind, you can’t win them all! But I hope The Kirkgate remembers that architecture is part of the arts too and plays a very important role in shaping our cultural future. ...playing it safe is not what art is about!

Celia Eddy's QuiltStory

Celia Eddy's QuiltStory is one of the very earliest websites I designed and after nearly 10 years it was about time it got updated. The new site is now more magazine-like and uses Wordpress as the back-end to power the CMS (content managment system). This is very useful as now Celia can edit and add pages without the need for my input.

Celia Eddy's QuiltStory

Another New Shop Front

Arguably one of the most prominent buildings in Cockemrouth town centre is getting a new shop front. It took a while to confirm but work has now started on what was Marmaris Cafe - now soon to be the new home of Strolling4Shoes.

2 more new shop fronts

The improvements to Cockermouth town centre continue with the restoration of 2 shop fronts to Market Place - that's 5 completed by me so far and another 3 still to come.


Before


...and after