Aaron Chetwynd Architect Studio

Leisure and Retail Projects

Shops

We have undertaken high-end luxury shops, retail outlets and concessions in London and throughout the UK. These have been done to extremely high standards required by clients and in compliance with ridged time scales. We are happy to work in collaboration with internal design teams and are mature enough to understand the retailers' sense of style and branding. We have worked in collaboration with Kristina Eriksen on luxury shops around Bond Street in London.

Hotels and Guest Accommodation

This appears to be a growing area in our business. Having worked on hotels in Brighton and guest accommodation including Ingestre Lodges - located adjacent to our Architectural Studio in Ingestre, Staffordshire. Our forté is redeveloping existing properties and on occasion Listed Buildings.

Leisure

We have also undertaken a number of interesting exhibitions. Plus a lottery funded Heritage Trial at Ingestre Hall. At the moment we are working on a new heritage trial and outdoor education centre in North Staffordshire.

Aftershock

Location: London

Gross Area: 100 to 200 square metres [sqm]

A prestigious new accessories shop in Central London. The brief was to design a shop as part of Aftershock's image re-brand. The aim being to move away from their previous image, to one as a high-end luxury retailer.

The concession area was to display their range of accessories, handbags and shoes. Specialist display cases were built with light boxes - each showcasing a different range. The elegantly restrained shelving was juxtaposed with a feature wall

This was all showcased within a store designed in an overall black space, featuring floating elements to reference a piece of theatre.

Contemporary Resort Village

Location: Canari, Corsica

Built into the excavated cliff face at Canari. The Corsica Resort Village puts back the missing part of the mountain with a “landscape building” using green architecture. This brilliantly re-establishes the once damaged profile of the Corsican landscape.

The existing factory will be rebuilt using sympathetic materials and a vernacular yet contemporary design. Meanwhile, the coast below will have weather breaks to create a docking bay and vertical infrastructure. This allows access the coast, road and buildings.

The design envisages, amongst other things, a marina restaurant, event theatres, a spa centre and resort terraces. Ideal not only for general tourism but also for business and international conventions. In addition, facilities are made available for human activities which would support the project in the long-term, such as planting.

Corsica is a unique island. It’s history goes back thousands of years to the waves of settlers and invaders. Each leaving their cultural footprints and the geological and climatic features in all their diversity. This gives the island and Canari in particular its unique character.

Ingestre Follies

Location: Staffordshire

Gross Area: 4000 to 5000 square metres [sqm]

An ambitious Heritage Trail, featuring landscaping and an outdoor educational area.

We have designed an exciting new Heritage Trail at Ingestre Hall in Staffordshire. Formally home to the Earl of Shrewsbury, this is a magnificent Grade II* listed building. It features part Jacobean, has Nash rear façade and grounds designed by Capability Brown.

The Heritage Trail comprises fifteen points of interest. These are situated between installations - called Follies - crafted in the style of traditional English Country House landscaping. Some of the Follies were in the form of furniture and a further few were audio-visual projections situated within the Hall itself.

The intention of these sculpted Follies is to bring added activity and interest to the grounds. In turn this will encourage attention to the gardens and maintenance of the existing mounts and overall site. While the concept of sculptured Follies is historic, their appearance here is of a contemporary design with elements responding to the historical context and function.

This is especially true in the case of the Observatory Folly. Built as a response to the observatory that Walter Chetwynd used for his astronomical observations. It also pays homage to his friend Sir Christopher Wren, who shared this same interest and was a fellow at the Royal Society.

Meanwhile, the Camera Obscura is another very different Folly altogether. It demonstrates a very direct way of engaging with the functions a Folly may offer. In this instance a form is featured that creates a darkened space to see an image of the Hall.

Architect experts covering Stafford, Uttoxeter, Abbots Bromeley, East Staffordshire and beyond.
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