As we celebrate the start of a new year, national architects, GSSArchitecture, are reflecting on another busy year and are looking forward to further success in 2023.

Celebrating our 143rd year in 2022, GSS has gone from strength to strength, with award nominations and wins, alongside successful client and charity events. As the year continued, we also celebrated the successful completion of many projects including the Macmillan Cancer Support Centre at Kettering General Hospital and the new affordable housing residential development in Walnut Tree, Milton Keynes. In addition, planning permission was achieved for a number of listed inns in the Lake District with the Inn Collection Group, as well as the beginning of refurbishments at some other projects, including the newly renamed Tynemouth Castle Inn.

The Practice celebrated the successful reopening of the South Central Institute of Technology in both Bletchley and Oxford, which specialise in delivering technical and digital education, as well as the completion of the refurbishments at the historic Bishop Cosin’s Library for Durham University which underwent significant conservation works to improve the Grade II* listed building. In Wellingborough, works started on site at Glenvale Primary School and Nursery which forms part of the wider masterplan of the award-winning Glenvale Park development.

We also celebrated many award successes after being crowned ‘Employer of the Year’ at the Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards, as well as being shortlisted for the Land and Development Award for our work at Northampton Museum and Art Gallery which also won at the Town and Country Awards in October. In addition to this, Bishop Cosin’s Library was shortlisted for the Conservation and Regeneration Award at the Constructing Excellence in the North East (CENE) Awards in January.

Due to our sustained and planned growth, the GSS Newcastle Studio moved to a larger premises, together with the opening of the Leeds Collaboration Hub in June, which will continue to assist their clients in the Yorkshire region. In addition to this, we celebrated several staff promotions and achievements, including Phil Hunt being promoted to Associate and Shannon Walker passing her apprenticeship to become a chartered architect.

In 2023, we are looking forward to seeing the projects that are currently under construction progress and complete, including the Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre (NZIIC) for Teesside University, as well as the £500m Campus for Ageing and Vitality (CAV) in Newcastle. In addition, we are looking forward to hosting our annual client events for each of our national offices which will bring our clients, friends and stakeholders together to celebrate our achievements.

Senior Partner, Tom Lyons, commented, “It’s been another great year for GSSArchitecture, with many celebrations throughout 2022. I want to say a big thank you to our wonderful clients and friends who we have worked with us and supported us throughout the year, and we are very much looking forward to what 2023 will bring.”