Chalmers Gibbs Architects, as the Lead Consultant for the New John Gray High School, worked collaboratively with an international consulting team in developing the new, state-of-the art secondary school.  The scheme integrates three partially-completed buildings which were remaining from a previous school project. The new structure that connects these buildings creates a departmentally-organized high school as a single building rather than a campus.

The current design has been developed through extensive consultation with the school community, government and education authorities to ensure that the facility accommodates current and best educational practice and standards.  Energy-conservation and sustainability considerations have informed many aspects of the final design – examples are a solar controlled façade that will maximize daylight whilst reducing solar heat gain and the incorporation of large cisterns for rainwater collection.

The new facility has also been designed as a designated hurricane shelter which will accommodate over 3000 occupants as part of Hazard Management Cayman Islands goal to increase the country’s storm shelter capacity and with the adjacent Gym, constructed 2 years ago, this increases the overall capacity to 5,000.

From the milestone of receiving approval from Planning to commence early works on the new cistern and foundations, significant progress has been achieved with the refurbishment and construction on site.  In anticipation of the agreed phased opening refurbishment works to existing buildings are nearing completion with a target to be completed for the new 2021/22 school academic year.

These sectors include the building / construction, automotive, clothing & textile, robotics and home economics workshops; a new performing arts sector with dance & drama, music studios as well as a double-purpose performance theatre/assembly hall; the main entrance, administration offices, health suite, commerci.al kitchen and inclusion/nurturing rooms. The construction of the new structure that links the three existing buildings is progressing very well.  These sectors house the classrooms for core subjects, visual arts & humanities classrooms, ICT labs, main dining hall, and library which will be the central hub of the new school.

Each sector will have their informal collaboration staircases which connects the first and second floors and provides added internal space for seating, meetings and collaboration. An abundance of daylight enters these double height spaces through clerestory glazing.

PASSING OF FORMER COMPANY FOUNDER JOHN MARTIN

SIX

The new landmark building at Cricket Square, SIX, will soon be an integral part of George Town’s central business district. Designed to meet the needs of today’s corporate world, SIX boasts 106,000 square feet of office space with hurricane resistant construction and LEED Gold certified design.

High end materials, high ceilings and a roof terrace are just some of the design details bringing SIX to the high standard of Cricket Square Business Park. Its contemporary architecture is complemented by lush landscaping and ample covered parking.

OFFICE SPACE PLANNING AND DESIGN

The Cayman Islands currently has architectural firms with qualified interior architects and designers specializing in corporate interiors, many with extensive international experience. In the progressive climate of today’s global business world, creating a successful and enduring corporate workplace goes well beyond merely designing beautiful spaces.

It is important to start the design on a comprehensive brief defining functional and aesthetic requirements which can include setting goals for the promotion of your team’s wellbeing, accounting for technological advancements in your industry or articulating your company’s core values as they may apply to a physical space.

Involving your designer prior to selecting a new office space can be very beneficial as they may assist in evaluating available spaces for your company’s needs prior to agreement to lease or purchase. This analysis may involve a ‘test fit’ of the space to ensure it will meet either short and/or long term requirements, check lease area measurements and evaluate base building mechanical, electrical and communications infrastructure.  

With a current trend towards ‘open plan’ offices requiring less space per employee, creating a successful ‘open’ plan requires skillful space planning. Providing areas of acoustic and visual isolation responsive to your unique organizational needs will help to limit unwanted disruptions and loss of focus whilst still maintaining the goal of an open office environment of shared natural light, flexibility and connectivity of your employees.

Many people have a great deal of difficulty in visualizing a spatial layout from two dimensional plan drawings. When looking at proposed designs with your design team, 3D representations can be a great help in visualising your new workplace in the early phases of the design process. These visual aids can be valuable in clarifying the design intent before progressing with detailed documents that are required for construction and obtaining required statutory approvals. All fitout works in Cayman are required to meet our local building code requirements, plans and specifications must be submitted to the Central Planning Authority to obtain a building permit prior to construction.

Many architectural firms also have experience in working with international rating authorities such as LEED, Green Star, BREEAM, WELL Building Standard and other globally recognized rating systems that promote more sustainable, energy-efficient and healthy fit-outs. These standards can benchmark your organisation’s commitment to creating a better workplace against internationally recognized industry standards.   

     Lara Adams
     Interior Architect

     Published on the 2018 issue of Cayman Resident and on caymanresident.com

WHAT IT MEANS TO GO GREEN

The choice of whether to “go green” or not is often simply linked to the dollar and we as designers and building owners have the option to seek environmental certifications such as LEEDS, Green Star, Energy Star and Green Global for our projects.

This does help to provide us with some incentive and direction to reach a certain plateau.

However, in endeavoring to have an environmentally sound and inspiring development, there is one most important element which is often overlooked. This is education.

What does it mean to “go green”?

I was fortunate enough to work in a small Asian country a few years ago. One day a friend of mine, a school teacher, told me how he had observed his students’ parents throwing their rubbish into the main river. This had been an acceptable practise for hundreds of years.

He arranged to meet with the 20 students’ families after school one Friday evening. At this meeting he gave them all a rubbish bin and suggested that instead of throwing the rubbish in the water, they should put it in the biodegradable bags he had also bought for them.

His serotonin level was peaking when he left that day, as he felt that he had achieved something wonderful for the village. When he returned after the weekend, he saw 20 bags of rubbish floating down the river.

At the end of the day, we need to understand the big picture and what it means to go green.

Are we doing it for the right reasons? Is it for certification? Is it to win clients? Is it a trend which may pass? Or is it something so altruistic that we are driven to help this planet remain beautiful for generations to come? This is what I believe it should be.

     Owen Merodon
     Senior Architect / Senior Project Manager

     Published in the Spring 2017 issue of Inside Out magazine

CRICKET SQUARE PHASE SIX BREAKS GROUND

 Cricket Square announces the groundbreaking of its sixth phase of development including a 100,000 square foot office building, new food outlets, conference centre and fitness centre.

‘This is an exciting time for Cricket Square,’ explains Clarence ‘King’ Flowers of Orchid Development, ‘When complete in 2018, SIX will provide over 100,000 sq ft of Class A office space to Gold LEED Standards. With six floors, it’s twice the size of our last building and will provide a dynamic, modern look with high-end lobbies and public spaces.’

The leading office park in the Cayman Islands capital, George Town and the single biggest dedicated corporate development in the Cayman Islands, Cricket Square originally launched in 1994.

The groundbreaking of its sixth phase represents a further milestone not only for Cricket Square but also for the redevelopment of George Town’s central business district, especially the Shedden Road corridor. The centerpiece of this latest phase will be a new building, appropriately named ‘SIX’.