Case Study: Footsteps Nursery

3D Architectural Designs of Nursery in Tamworth

Commercial

Footsteps nursery in Tamworth have provided year-round care to children & babies from 0-5 years since 1994 from their site on Lichfield Road in Tamworth.

Having acquired neighbouring land previously used for container storage and with existing buildings, Footsteps Nurseries were looking to expand to enhance their facilities. The goal, to provide new and exciting facilities indoors and out enabling them to bring new experiences to the children, improve their existing facilities and be able to care for more children from the local area.

Their list of ambitions and ideas was long and far-reaching, they had a clear idea of the potential for the redevelopment. The initial plan involved demolition of the whole site and a full rebuild. Challenges posed by COVID required the plan to be rethought, the costs would have been too high to sustain. A solution was needed if our client’s vision was to become a reality.

Type

Site Redevelopment

Services

Planning consultancy
Commercial 3D Design
V.R Design
Flood risk assessment
Geotechnical assessment
Shadow path analysis
Structural alteration, Drainage
Strategy, Building Regulations

Location

Tamworth, Staffordshire

Gallery

A fully rendered 3D flythrough of all of the footsteps buildings, showing you the interior of each room and giving a good sense of scale for the project.

Commercial property before architectural planning and redevelopment

Footsteps Nursery in Tamworth before development begins. The adjoining property and the yard behind it are to be redeveloped to be an all new nursery centre.

To the rear of the property a commercial yard would be removed and become part of the nursery. Almost all the trees were saved as part of our plan.

Virtual architecture experience showing view from balcony of commercial development

A 3D rendering of the view from the balcony back over the outdoor play area

Architectural designs for commercial development of nursery property

Looking back from the front of the property over the ample car park with the balcony to the right and play area in the distance.

Interior 3D rendering of commercial redevelopment in Midlands Nursery

With furniture and children digitally added, our 3D models can create a realistic atmosphere.

An open-plan interior layout allows for flexibility in how the spaces are used. Our 3D model was a big help to our client in planning the interior spaces.

A fly through the nursery at night. Renderings like this can be helpful in planning lighting to be ample but not intrusive.

More about our work with Footsteps

Foosteps Nursery needed an architectural planning partner that could find a way to deliver on their vision whilst properly meeting a long list of complex planning requirements and all for a cost-effective price.

Neptune Architectural were engaged to work on a new concept and manage the project all the way to the construction phase. The new approach would work with more of the established buildings on the site, it involved removal and redevelopment of the existing nursery buildings alongside a change of use for the former dwelling, a car park extension and an all new nursery building with adjoining office. This approach was shown to be much more cost-effective than the initial concept whilst delivering the ambitious list of features the nursery were looking for.

Neptune Architectural have bought this project from a concept, though a detailed 3D design phase and onwards to a full approved development with all of the required assessments and a highly detailed construction plan.

Our services as part of this development

Flood risk assessment
Geotechnical assessment
Secured planning permission
Prepared detailed construction and tender drawings
3D design process and VR viewing
Shadow analysis
Flood risk investigation
Discharge of planning conditions
Formal tender pack
Assisting with contractor tendering
Coordinating consultants

Our services in detail

When planning a commercial development project of this kind, there are a great many requirements and options relating to the planning and assessment process. Our service included a range of essential assessments but also vital assistance in handling third parties from the council to specialist consultants and contractors tendering for the job.

The design and plans were honed through reviewing our 3D designs rendered in a virtual environment. This was invaluable to our client as we shaped the details of the facilities but also from an architectural point of view as it helps us spot areas of concern and potential issues that otherwise could have made it all the way to the construction phase before being evident.

Our experience and expertise allows us to pre-empt certain issues solving problems before they arise. We recommended and conducted a shadow analysis to prove the extent to which the development might cast shadows on nearby properties. Not only does this improve neighbour relationships but it leaves our client prepared with clear evidence should any concern of this sort be raised in future.

A thorough flood risk investigation was a vital part of the project. This involved examining finished floor levels vs known flood extents. We ensured the plans included a floor that was set above the flood-risk-level for this location. With flood risks increasing in the U.K, this kind of careful analysis can be vital.

A commercial development of this sort requires input from consultants who provide detailed input on specific things like draining, surface water plans, geotechnical considerations alongside the structural engineers and the quantity surveyor. Our role is coordinating the 3rd parties and their work to ensure the final plan includes all proper considerations.

After the initial approval of our planning application we handle discharge of planning conditions. We work through the council’s checklist of requests, requirements and queries to fully satisfy all planning requirements.

With planning in place, tendering for construction can be challenging. For our client we produced a ‘formal tender pack’ with in-depth drawings far more detailed than standard plans, looking at detailed structural considerations within a building. This specifies the construction requirements down to a more granular level of detail ensuring contractors are more accurately informed, potential issues in construction can be anticipated and solved ahead of time and work can be more closely evaluated to the details in the pack.

We continue to assist the client in tendering the work to contractors by setting the spec in detail, responding to queries and asking pertinent questions throughout the process. We ensure quotes are fair and based on a detailed plan.

Providing 3D resources for marketing and communications

With the practical side of this development firmly on track and under control, we put our talents to further use for our client. Neighbours and parents would be interested in the development plans and for our client, communicating details of the development effectively to those concerned is a big part of ensuring the whole thing goes smoothly.

We used our 3D models to create ideal ‘walk-through’ tours and specific still images to suit our client’s needs for marketing and communication. This enabled them to show people how great it would be, address any concerns and ensure the response to the news was overwhelmingly positive from all concerned.