Pictured above: Bob Ghosh and John Shakeshaft
K4, an architecture practice founded in Birmingham, has formally
launched with the announcement that it has already secured a
portfolio of prestigious projects totalling more than £65
million.
Founded by Bob Ghosh and John Shakeshaft, K4 is dedicated to
delivering exciting places by combining creativity with commonsense
and commercial reality.
The practice's ethos is proving a winning approach, with K4's
portfolio already including projects as varied as the £30m
Central Birmingham Fire Station, a £2.5m private residence in
Belgravia and a multi-million dollar residential tower in
Taiwan.
Employing a team of 11, the company has this month moved into
its new home, a Grade II listed building at 122 Fazeley Street in
Warwick Bar, the historic heart of Digbeth in Birmingham's creative
quarter.
With a range of specialisms including architecture,
masterplanning, urbanism and project management, the practice works
across a variety of sectors with government agencies, developers
and contractors to deliver projects of exceptional quality.
As former directors of Kinetic AIU, Bob Ghosh and John
Shakeshaft decided to establish K4 to fill a gap in the market
which demanded bold architectural solutions with tangible
commercial benefits.
K4's founder, Bob Ghosh, is clear on why the practice is
different, "From day one, K4's focus is the delivery of the
project, with due consideration given to construction detail,
procurement and cost, as well as site conditions and logistics.
"Central to this entire process is the use of creativity to
deliver an exciting space that is functionally, aesthetically and
commercially successful."
With its principals' unparalleled track record in planning the
most complex sites and buildings, John Shakeshaft, K4's co-founder
explains why it's understandable that the practice has secured a
portfolio of complex projects so early on.
"We've developed a particular expertise in dealing with sites
and buildings with challenging physical, planning, heritage and
economic constraints, such as the redevelopment of the Central Fire
Station site in Birmingham.
"Because we adopt a systematic approach that includes rigorous
testing, modelling and simulation, our clients are reassured that
time, cost and quality targets are met." One example of this is
K4's work on the historic Warwick Bar waterside scheme in
Birmingham, a location the practice regards as its 'spiritual
home'.
Mike Finkill is regeneration director with waterside developer,
ISIS, "We are excited to welcome K4 Architects not only as a new
tenant to Warwick Bar, but also as a partner who will be working
alongside us in planning and shaping the future of the scheme.
"We aim to create a distinctive quarter, which links to the
existing cultural community in Birmingham through the development
of a lively and creative neighbourhood. K4 Architects will be
integral to both the design and realisation of these
ambitions."
With Bob Ghosh and John Shakeshaft appointed as masterplanners
in 2007 by ISIS Waterside Regeneration, the co-founders' decision
to move to Fazeley Street was borne from their intimate knowledge
of the area and love of its raw industrial heritage.
John Shakeshaft comments, "We've taken a 10-year lease and are
planning major works to the interior and surrounding site,
including the introduction of gallery space and a new research
garden for experimental urban growing."
Other schemes within K4's burgeoning portfolio include new build
apartments in Smethwick, the conversion of a former post office to
a boutique hotel in Wolverhampton, a refurbished footbridge in
Birmingham's city centre and a Hindu centre in Coventry.
With a current portfolio totalling £65 million, K4 is
already becoming known as the practice of choice for those seeking
original, engaging and effective design and delivery.