Office move sees significant growth for Stephen George + Partners in Birmingham
The Birmingham office of leading architectural practice Stephen George + Partners has relocated to larger premises at Longbridge Technology Park following a recent merger with Birmingham-based MKguru Architect Ltd. The move marks a significant expansion of Stephen George + Partners in the West Midlands and has also seen the appointment to the practice of Juma Chipeta as Project Architect to boost its already significant technical and BIM expertise. The news comes on the back of the practice’s Birmingham office submitting planning applications for two notable schemes in the region.
Kumar Muniandy, Director of Stephen George + Partners’ Birmingham office, comments: “The Midlands region is experiencing tremendous economic growth and we’re seeing continued investor confidence in property and development. The move to a larger, permanent office in Longbridge demonstrates Stephen George + Partners’ long-term commitment to help drive the future growth of the region and we’ll be looking to build on our workload in residential, retail and leisure, commercial and industrial. Stephen George + Partners has an enviable reputation for quality design and robust delivery, and the range of strategic services we offer across our other UK offices are sought by developers and local authorities in the region. The contacts and local knowledge that both Juma and I have from many years’ experience working here are already proving invaluable to clients looking to tackle regional planning issues or spot the right sites for development.”
Juma Chipeta has 25 years’ experience in consulting practice and joins Stephen George + Partners from Walker Troup Architects where he worked on major residential developments in the Midlands region, including most recently the 150-home scheme on the site of the former Armitage Shanks Tap Works in Wolverhampton. As Project Architect he will take a hands-on approach to managing projects for clients who will also benefit from his technical expertise in computer-aided design and Building Information Modelling (BIM). Juma will also oversee the Birmingham office expanding its BIM capability across all sectors.
Stephen George + Partners’ Birmingham office has meanwhile submitted planning applications for two schemes in the region: the first for four luxury design-led homes off Torrs Close in Redditch for client South Crest Nursing Home; and a second application for a proposed extension and refurbishment works for Westworld Care Home, Burton Joyce, Nottingham, which will see the nursing home upgraded to a Centre of Excellence for Dementia Care.
The practice is currently working on a planning application for a boutique hotel in Wolverhampton.
Whilst Stephen George + Partners believes the construction and development sector in the West Midlands to be buoyant, it also acknowledges that it is at a critical period, particularly when it comes to the delivery of new homes. Says Kumar: “The Government has made housing a strategic priority, but building new homes at the scale and speed needed to meet this region’s needs will require innovative solutions such as modular systems and offsite manufacturing. The majority of our residential clients see schemes using modern methods of construction as the way forward – but whilst the will and the funding is there, the skills and expertise are often not. Our years of experience in housing design and working on offsite, system-built schemes mean we are in a fantastic position to help developers and local authorities deliver quality residential schemes and meet housing targets.”