Added to the calendar around 700BC, January is named after Janus, the Ancient Roman God of beginnings and gateways; particularly associated with 'Jani,' - freestanding, ceremonial gateways. Often depicted with two faces, Janus sees the past and the future, the ending of the old year and start of the new. At RRA we like to think Janus would appreciate our award-winning restoration of Pittville Gates, preserving the past heritage of this grand entrance to the Pittville Estate for future generations.

Following nearly 10 years at RRA, Associate, Oliver Steels, is leaving for pastures new. We would like to thank Oliver for his years of service and wish him well with his future, although don’t be surprised if you see his name in later newsletters, as we are already looking at collaborative projects.

Congratulations to our #ChristmasDog Competition winner, Katie of Officeworx, Cheltenham. When we delivered the Champagne to Katie we found Officeworx had welcomed a particularly cute Christmas puppy, Evie, to their office too. Thank you to everyone who entered the competition and the answer was that, Lottie, our #ChristmasDog, was in the Dunkertons Cider at Dowdeswell Park project photos, it’s there for a few more days if you want to check for yourself.

As a practice with a reputation for delivering hard to achieve planning permissions we were approached to look at a sloped site in Charlton Kings with significant challenges. We were very happy to be able to inform our client that we overcame the issues, including restrictive covenants, by proposing an alternative solution which appeased both the planners and the neighbours, and avoided a costly legal procedure. We look forward to seeing this project developed.

Construction is progressing well onsite at the SAID properties development, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, with the finishing touches starting to go in. This stunning house featuring double height master suite, crittall glazing and five bedrooms, has been constructed using the high-performance, energy efficient SIPS panel method. The property is due to reach the open market around the middle of the year, when it is expected to receive significant attention. Contact Oliver on osmith@rraarchitects.com if you would like details of the development and sale.

RRA Director, Jonathan White, and Office Manager, Jane Cooke, were invited to represent the architectural industry at the Careers Convention at Sir Thomas Rich’s School. This event was open to all year groups and enabled access for students to chat with professionals in a varied range of sectors. According to Jonathan, “These events are fantastic for students who are just embarking on their careerpath and those who don’t quite know yet. We were extremely impressed by the quality of questions and some students had clearly done their homework. Our intention is to encourage the next generation of construction professionals and I think we’ve done that. With these students, the future is looking very positive.”

Works are progressing well on our Church repairs on St. Michael and All Angels Church, South Herefordshire. RRA has confirmed that, following a full investigation of the roof timbers, the contractors have removed the heavily decayed sections whist retaining as much historic fabric as possible. The re-roofing to the vestry and the chancel are almost complete with the bespoke handmade ridge tiles due to be installed shortly. The Nave roof is set to be completed this month which will mean the building is watertight once again.

Along with our clients, we were delighted to achieve planning permission for change of use for a Grade 2 Listed, 19th century, three storey, terraced house in the centre of Cheltenham. The scheme proposes to change the residential property into office space with the addition of a stylish rear extension, assisting our client to relocate their business into the town. The design demanded careful consideration to create a scheme that is both sympathetic and appropriate to the original aesthetic, whilst meeting the brief to create a contemporary, modern office space.

Todays advancing technology has enabled the old school architects plans to be presented in fantastically realistic ways with 3-dimensional renderings, fly-thrus, photorealistic CGIs and even augmented reality showing construction in situ. This encourages a more collaborative process with the client and architect working together on a joint vision. At RRA, with our reputation of creative solutions to challenging sites, we find that the use of high quality CGIs is the best way to demonstrate to the planning department and public forum that a design will be appropriate or sympathetic to it's setting, vastly increasing the likelihood of approval.

Thank you to Oakfield Design+Creation for their images.

Jane Cooke, Office Manager, attended the first Circle2Success lunch of 2019 at Hotel du Vin, Cheltenham where Luke Millikin, General Manager of Hotel du Vin, welcomed the assembled guests and wished everyone a happy new year. Joanna Cracknell, Director of Sales at Bamboo Technology spoke about the new developments in IOT ‘internet of things’ within their company – yes we learnt a new acronym too! At the end of the lunch Suzanne Hall-Gibbons and Jackie Mitchell of C2S were delighted to present Julie Kent and Rachel Berry with a cheque for £335 raised from today’s raffle for the Pied Piper Appeal. A fantastic event; already looking forward to the next one!

RRA’s Tom Froggatt would like to thank match sponsors, Hereford Means Business, after enjoying a great afternoon as their guest watching Hereford FC play Nuneaton Borough. After the no score draw when these teams met in August both teams played ‘all out’ for the win; despite opening the scoring Hereford found themselves behind at half time, with a second half penalty ensuring the points were again shared as the match finished 2-2. Man of the Match, Tom Owens-Evans, scored both goals for the Bulls. As always the atmosphere at Edgar Street was fantastic and we are looking forward to the rest of the season.

Photo: Thanks to Hereford Means Business and Stephen Niblett.

1st Feb • Start of 6 Nations Tournament • France v Wales, Stade de France, Paris
France v Wales marks the beginning of the Six Nations; 5 weeks of international rugby culminating with England v Scotland at Twickenham on 16th March. For details of all the fixtures click the link above.

2nd-3rd Feb • Architectural tours • Berrington Hall, Herefordshire
Our volunteer will show you many clever elements of Berrington's Georgian architecture. Designed and created by Henry Holland, there's plenty of hidden secrets to discover.

2nd- 24th Feb • Light Up Cheltenham • High Street, Cheltenham
The event will see landmark buildings throughout the town lit up in dazzling colours during February Half-Term.

4th-10th Feb • 2019 Ladbrokes World Grand Prix • Cheltenham Racecourse
Bringing 32 of the biggest names in world snooker and a total prize fund of £375,000, The Ladbrokes World Grand Prix will be hosted live at Cheltenham Racecourse.

16th Feb • Valentine's Dinner Delight • Hillside Brewery, Gloucestershire
Treat your Valentine to an incredible evening at Hillside Brewery, complete with a heavenly three-course meal.

16th-24th Feb • Puddle Jumping Championships • Slimbridge Wetland Centre, Gloucestershire
Get your wellies and waterproofs on and jump into the puddles for a chance to be the ultimate splasher.

20th Feb • Junior Rugby Camps • Sir Thomas Rich's Sports Centre, Gloucester
Keep the kids busy this half term with a thrilling girls-only rugby camp for girls who have previous experience playing rugby and those completely new to the game.

23rd Feb • Chase Distillery Tasting Evening • Saxtys, Hereford
You will sample a fantastic range of spirits created right here in Hereford, alongside a selection of delicious nibbles!

23rd Feb • The Chocolate Festival Cheltenham • Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire
A day of delectable confectionary, singalong live music and chocolatiers! Full of delicious treats and Willy Wonka inspired characters to keep the kids entertained all day.