Architects launch with £65m portfolio
A NEW architect’s practice has launched in Birmingham on the back of a portfolio of projects totalling more than £65m.
The practice, K4, was founded by Bob Ghosh and John Shakeshaft, who say their aim is to deliver exciting places by combining creativity with common sense and commercial reality.
K4’s portfolio includes the £50m 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 also moved into its new home, a Grade II listed building in Fazeley Street, in the Digbeth area of the city.
As former directors of Kinetic AIU, Mr Ghosh and Mr Shakeshaft said they decided to establish K4 to fill a gap in the market which demanded bold architectural solutions with tangible commercial benefits.
Mr Ghosh said: “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.”
Mr Shakeshaft said: “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’.
Other schemes within K4’s 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.
