Happy Christmas

To Finish 2011

And so we reach the end of another busy year... the Prajapati hall has been undergoing a dramatic interior transformation as shown here. Structural work for the partition wall is in progress and stage/drapes are being arranged.

The Madani High School changing block project is drawing to a close, Sanatan Mandir Day Care Centre interiors are being sourced and another exciting community project is being prepared for submission to pre-planning.

We have also put our Christmas tree up, what do you think?

The Transformation of Number 9

It's Taking Shape...

The lights have been fitted, the carpet is in and the furnishings have been bought. To say it was an extremely tight squeeze trying to pack 11 bookcases (plus many other items) into a BMW estate is a serious understatement, but Sanjay Mistry and office manager/graphic designer Vandana have once again succeeded where most would fail and brought it all home, well done car!

October Updates

The biggest news of the month is our takeover of 9 De Montfort Mews to house our brand new sister company, SKM Interiors. Part of the wall separating the two units has been knocked through to create a more open plan space. This week will see the fitting of the new carpet, painting of walls and placing of furniture, as well as wiring/cabling and skirting. Interiors director Sarju Lad, our new interior designer Syama Paw and graphic designer Atish Mistry will live in the new unit.

 

Other news includes welcoming our new work experience student Janki Patel to our team and our prospective work on the Belgrave Road regeneration. Signage for the high school changing block is being finalised and we have plenty of interior work underway. Our website is also undergoing some long overdue updates, so be sure to check it out. More blog updates soon.

Happy Hallowe'en!

Happy Diwali

September Updates

Our interior design commissions are flooding in, so this month we are incredibly proud to announce the birth of our new company, SKM Interiors (UK) Ltd. Directors will be Kiran Munde and Sarju Lad, with Sanjay Mistry as Managing Director.

Official opening evening for Brett & Randall's new offices in AGM House at Grove Park took place on the 22nd, attended by Sarju Lad and Kiran Munde. We received plenty of positive feedback about our interior work for AGM House, which is fantastic news.

The Hindu celebration of Navratri began on Wednesday so we've tied in a new display for the Prajapati hall with our phased masterplan, which will be on display for the 9 nights of the festival.

Another residential project has received planning permission, and we've picked up some significant new prospects, so bring on October!

August So Far

We have a number of new projects in the pipeline including a major mixed-use refurbishment in Leicester and a 22-acre site in a Nottinghamshire conservation area.

Our 173-bedroom apartment scheme has been submitted for pre-planning so we are awaiting the planners' comments. Permission has now been granted for a new high school changing block, which we are very happy about, and the Grove Park site is also reaching its final stages of interior fixtures and fittings.

Interviews for our architectural technician vacancy are in progress; we're very much looking forward to welcoming a new crew member on board the SKM ship. More updates soon!

Corporate Outing

The team finished off a busy and hectic week with a trip to the go-karting centre just outside Loughborough. This corporate outing also marked the first anniversary of SKM Architects' move to De Montfort Mews.

Sanjay Mistry clocked the fastest lap time (as usual) and interior designer Sarju, a first time go-karter, was unfortunately disqualified early on for reckless driving. Many excuses were given by various drivers for slow lap times and kart malfunctions but ultimately a highly enjoyable evening was had by all.

We Have a Vacancy

We are looking to employ an architectural technician with proven experience and excellent building regulations and detailing knowledge. Previous experience in the residential, commercial, retail and industrial sectors is essential. Duties will include preparation of building regulations and working drawings, along with site experience and confidence dealing with contractors. Knowledge of AutoCAD is essential and to have a competency with Microsoft Office. CIAT or similar approved qualification in building studies is also essential.

Shree Sanatan Mandir - Day Care Centre

The groundbreaking ceremony for Shree Sanatan Mandir's new Day Care Centre took place on the beautiful summer's day of 27th June. The ceremony was attended by a number of committee members including the Vice President, Mr. Jashvantlal Chauhan and the Commercial Manager of Shaylor Special Projects, Richard Davies.

The Mandir was also given a donation by SKM Architects Ltd, presented to the committee by managing director Sanjay Mistry and project architect Kaushal Mistry. Building work is due to commence this month.

All Change Please

As we now have four new pairs of hands contributing to our practice, we required another office reshuffle. We now have 13 desks (plus seating, bookcases, drawer units, printers... staff...etc) in a roughly 400sq/ft space, there is more light entering the office and it still feels spacious if not more so than before.

Now that's putting architectural/interior design skills to fantastic practical use, even if we do say so ourselves!

Regeneration of The Golden Mile

In addition to a couple of new residential projects, we will also be getting involved with the proposed regeneration of The Golden Mile area in Leicester. This bid has been brought to the attention of the public by the local media and new Mayor of Leicester, Peter Soulsby, as the area has been in decline for a number of years and needs to be reintegrated with the rest of the city.

The Golden Mile Regeneration Bid will take place on Friday 3rd June at 15:30 at the Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre in front of invited dignitaries including Peter Soulsby and RT Hon Keith Vaz.

Part 2 Student Required

We are on the lookout for a Part 2 Architecture student to join our ever-growing workforce. The successful candidate will have good knowledge of AutoCAD; experience with SketchUp and Photoshop would be an advantage but is not essential. Could you be that candidate? Send us a PDF version of your CV and we'll take it from there.

RIBA and the Budget 2011

RIBA published an article on Wednesday outlining what the Budget 2011 will do for architects and the construction industry. You can read the article here.

Our Other Platforms

You can now:

• follow us on Twitter: @SKMarchitects

• Review us on FreeIndex: www.skmdesign.freeindex.co.uk

• Find 'SKM Architects' on Facebook

February Update

Are we into February already? A lot has happened this month (besides Valentine's Day and three office birthdays); not only are we now a chartered practice, but we also received planning approval for a residential project in Oadby. This particular project was a long battle with planners but we triumphed in the end. Also picked up some more prospective projects, so plenty of variety and exciting work ahead.