Some buildings ask politely for a second chance, the Watershed arrived with water around its ankles and challenged us to do something useful with it. For Week 18 of our 40 Projects in 40 Weeks series, we are deep diving into The Watershed, a Hereford heritage conversion that transformed an old, dilapidated single-storey riverside warehouse […]
Some projects have unusual beginnings and this one started with RRA’s Mark Powles telling a young developer that he didn’t need an architect for his project. Unusual sales technique, granted. For Week 17 of our 40 Projects in 40 Weeks series, we are revisiting Vespers, a contemporary Cheltenham SIPs house from 2019. It is […]
Some projects are ahead of their time. This one was so far ahead of its time that part of the job involved explaining what the construction method actually was. For Week 16 of our 40 Projects in 40 Weeks series, we are revisiting what is believed to be the first SIPs house in the UK, […]
It has been known as Aula Superior, Over Court, Over Hall and finally Upper Hall. And, frankly, if a building has had that many names, you know it has lore. For Week 15 of our 40 Projects in 40 Weeks series, we are revisiting the Upper Hall Ledbury heritage conversion, a substantial Grade II listed […]
As part of our 40 projects for 40 years series, this week we are heading to a residential conversion in Cheltenham. This is Week 14 of our 40 projects celebrating 40 years of RRA Architects. Tivoli has always been one of Cheltenham’s most characterful neighbourhoods. While the town became famous for spa waters, promenades and […]
Our clients were looking for a new property and asked RRA Architects to view potential houses with them. They had a clear idea of what they wanted, but nothing was quite right. The search was proving fruitless. Then, over a cup of tea at the clients’ kitchen table, RRA’s Mark Powles asked the obvious […]
Mark Powles – The Lando Norris Response Time Award for outstanding responsiveness, never letting an enquiry gather dust and keeping RRA moving at F1 speed. As part of our 40th anniversary celebrations, the RRA Architects team headed to the Queens Hotel in Cheltenham for lunch, laughter and a little light-hearted fun. Whilst we have […]
Some projects start with a brief, this one started with a memory. For Week 12 of our 40 Projects in 40 Weeks series, we are heading to Edw Cottage, a small cottage in Aberedw, Wales, on the banks of the River Edw. It has stone walls, a beautiful valley setting, plenty of wildlife and, allegedly, […]
Some projects begin with a careful brief, a detailed programme and a client meeting or twelve. This one began with a rather brilliant question: could a team of Herefordshire architects help bring a little bit of Hay Festival into the centre of Hereford? As today marks the opening day of Hay Festival 2026, Week 11 […]
As part of our 40 Projects for 40 Years series, this week’s project is one that really did hit the right notes. Week 10 of our 40 projects celebrating 40 years of RRA Architects looks at Balcarras Music School in Cheltenham, a CSR-supported education project that created dedicated teaching, rehearsal and performance spaces for a […]
