We’re delighted to have been appointed for Phase 2 of the ongoing renewal of the Gascoigne East estate in Barking, East London as structural, civil and highways designers for the project, alongside award-winning building environment and services engineers Skelly & Couch, who are providing M&E design services. This substantial commission comes as part of a team led by White Arkitekter who won a competition, organised by Barking & Dagenham Council’s regeneration company, Be First, to design phase 2 of the estate.

The development, which is one of London’s largest regeneration schemes, will deliver Scandinavian-style family apartments and smaller homes built with communal gardens and high-quality public realm. The brief requires the use of off-site construction methods, in which the team have strong and varied experience.

Rob Westcott, Director of Civic Engineers’ London Studio said: “This is a fantastic commission for Civic Engineers. Working on large regeneration projects like this from both a structural and civil engineering perspective is exactly what we’re all about, as it gives us the opportunity to not only help shape the buildings but also create an inspirational place where people want to live, work and visit. The project also builds on our experience of off-site construction, which we have used on projects such as Climate Innovation District in Leeds – also with White Arkitekter – and our work for Dandara in Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester. These construction techniques provide quality, economical, fast and less disruptive solutions for large residential schemes like Gascoigne East and we believe that will contribute significantly to the design and delivery of the project.”

Skelly & Couch Director, Tristan Couch, said: “We are extremely pleased to be given the opportunity to contribute to such an outstanding project. We work on a wide range of residential developments, from student accommodation at Scape Greenwich and the 2018 RIBA Stirling Prize contender Chadwick Hall at Roehampton University, to a BIM prototype home for developer Pocket Living.

“Uniting all our projects is a commitment to designing sustainable buildings which not only use less energy, but perform environmentally and socially, and stand the test of time for future generations.”

Linda Thiel, Director of White Arkitekter’s London Studio, adds: “We are delighted to be working once again with Civic Engineers and Skelly & Couch. Our previous collaborations have delivered several successful schemes around the UK including the pioneering zero-carbon Climate Innovation District in Leeds and a new residential development and church for the Diocese of London in the Colindale Estate, Barnet. It is incredibly rewarding to work with consultants who mirror our enthusiasm for delivering high-quality and innovative solutions in the built environment, which are also rational, cost-effective and socially sustainable.”

Jenny Coombs, Head of Affordable Housing at Be First, commented: “To build affordable new homes on the Gascoigne estate at the pace and quality our community needs, we’re introducing new designs and new construction methods.  To do this we need a top quality team, so we’re really pleased to welcome Civic Engineers and Skelly & Couch into the fold. We’re confident that their talent and experience will help ensure the project’s success.”