Cullinan Studio

Our latest newsletter features a first look at several projects fresh off the drawing board, including model design schools for the Department for Education, impactful work with the London Borough of Islington on some of their high-rise residential buildings, and a new campus gateway building at the University of Cambridge. We also share a candid account of how IPI (a claim-free procurement and deliver route) works in practice, and details of our upcoming London Festival of Architecture event in collaboration with the team at Finsbury Library. Read the full newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eE9PnXrQ Islington Council, University of Cambridge, Department for Education, IPInitiatives Limited, London Festival of Architecture, #SustainableDesign #Retrofit #Refurb #Housing #NetZero #LFA2026 #LowCarbonDesign #Decarbonisation #LowCarbonEnergy #LocalAuthorityHousing #CommunalHeating #IPI #Architecture

"We do need to fundamentally shift what the process is and what the outcome is. I feel quite evangelical about this model because it represents the industry I want to work in." Sahiba Chadha and Carol Costello talk to Architecture Today about how insurance-backed alliancing offers a radical departure from the often adversarial behaviours encouraged by conventional procurement. Find out more about how Integrated Project Insurance (IPI) works differently, bringing clients, designers, contractors, the supply chain, and insurers together from the outset under shared objectives, aligned incentives, and a single definition of project success: https://lnkd.in/ec6YJMxd

This morning at UKREiiF: Join us to hear an honest account of how IPI (a claim-free procurement and delivery route) works in practice... “𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦-𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘵” 🗓️ Wednesday 20th May 🕙10:15 – 11:00 AM 📍UKREiiF, Public Private Partnerships Stage, Level 4, Armouries Building, Leeds City Centre 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬: 🎤 Dr Jo Jolly, Director, Environment and Innovation – Ofwat 🎤 Carol Costello, Partner, Architect RIBA – Cullinan Studio 🎤 Louise Lado-Byrnes, Director – IPInitiatives Limited 🎤 Simon Cash, Project Director Cost Management – Artelia UK 🎤 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳: Sahiba Chadha, Partner, Architect – Cullinan Studio For estates directors navigating tight budgets, sustainability commitments and complex briefs, Integrated Project Insurance (IPI) offers a genuinely different approach. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ec6YJMxd #alignedincentives #commongoals #IPI #alliancebackedinsurance #procurement #collaboration #wellbeinginconstruction #UKREiiF

Most construction disputes don't start on site. They start in a procurement decision made months or years earlier. The construction industry is known for fragmented teams, separate contracts and far too many grey areas where it can be difficult to hold any party accountable. Everyone is protecting their own position. If something goes wrong the structure that was supposed to deliver the project is the same structure making resolution far harder than necessary. This is what conventional procurement is designed to produce. Integrated Project Insurance works differently looks to turn this on its head with a one team approach with one shared policy and goals. When something goes wrong, the instinct is to solve it together rather than pass the liability down the chain. A no blame, no claim principle is built into the contract. Our client, Steve Johnson, Executive Director of Estates and Capital Projects at Dudley College of Technology, has experienced both sides of this. A previous project delivered through conventional design-and-build ended in arbitration. Three IPI projects later, his view is unequivocal. "𝐈𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐏𝐈 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥. 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐝-𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬." If you are managing a capital programme in FE or HE and the structure of your contracts keeps producing the same frustrations, the full piece is worth a read here: https://lnkd.in/ec6YJMxd You can also find out more at UKREiiF on Wednesday 20th May, where you'll be able to hear first-hand the practical, specific, and transferable lessons from projects delivered with the IPI model: “𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦-𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘵” 🗓️ Wednesday 20th May 🕙10:15 – 11:00 AM 📍UKREiiF, Public Private Partnerships Stage, Level 4, Armouries Building, Leeds City Centre 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬: 🎤 Dr Jo Jolly, Director, Environment and Innovation – Ofwat 🎤 Carol Costello, Partner, Architect RIBA – Cullinan Studio 🎤 Louise Lado-Byrnes, Director – IPInitiatives Limited 🎤 Simon Cash, Project Director Cost Management – Artelia UK 🎤 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳: Sahiba Chadha, Partner, Architect – Cullinan Studio #alignedincentives #commongoals #IPI #alliancebackedinsurance #procurement #collaboration #wellbeinginconstruction #UKREiiF

What if the most sustainable decision on a project isn't about materials, systems or energy strategy, it's about whether to build at all? A college came to us with a demolition brief. We came back recommending retrofit instead. This wasn’t the easiest call, retrofit carries real uncertainty, but it was the right option. Retrofit and refurbishment brings unknown existing conditions, tighter constraints as well as a VAT disadvantage that new-build wouldn't have faced. But under Integrated Project Insurance, the full team was in the room early enough to actually question whether demolition was the right answer. Designer, contractor, cost manager and client, working together before positions had hardened. The answer was no. The building could be saved. The embodied carbon avoided by not demolishing and rebuilding new was the single largest sustainability saving on the project. It came in on time and under budget. That decision didn't come from one person having a good idea. It came from a procurement model that gave the right people the right information at the right moment, early enough to act on it. Three projects later, Steve Johnson, the College's Executive Director of Estates and Capital Projects, puts it plainly: 'In my view, every major construction project should be delivered using the IPI model. Find out more about the project and IPI: https://lnkd.in/ec6YJMxd #InsuranceBackedAlliancing #IBA #IntergratedProjectInsurance #IPA #Procurement #alignedincentives #refurbishment #retrofit

Thrilled to share this Cullinan Studio and Islington Council collaboration at Finsbury Library for the London Festival of Architecture in June - part of their "Reconnecting with libraries" collection. The Cullinan team have loved learning more about the library and the amazing heritage collections in the co-located Islington Museum, and we can't wait to share this with visitors to the Festival. https://lnkd.in/ee66DJEb

As local authorities across the UK begin replacing ageing communal heating systems, the retrofit of Islington's Grade 2* listed Bevin Court offers lessons in balancing decarbonisation, heritage protection, and regulatory complexity. https://lnkd.in/e2RpdHZt #LowCarbonHeating #HousingRetrofit #SustainableHousing #DecarbonisingHeat #HeatNetworks #HeritageBuildings #BertholdLubetkin #ModernistArchitecture, Islington Council

Fresh on the Cullinan Studio website are the Department for Education's New Model Designs for Schools! https://lnkd.in/e6udHhUN We designed these Primary, Secondary, and Special School exemplars alongside an expert consultant design team and through close collaboration with the DfE’s architectural, landscape, and standardisation design leads. The schemes were a first test of the DfE's Pattern Book and demonstrate how standardisation can harmonise with a nature-based approach. Consultant team: Building Services: Cundall Landscape Design: Turkington Martin Structural Engineer: Engenuiti Educationalist: Sharon Wright, the-learning-crowd ltd Accessibility Consultant: Jane Simpson FF&E Consultant: Red Apple Designs. #standardisation #schooldesign #newmodelschool #collaboration #departmentforeducation #designwithnature

If you've worked with us recently, chatted to me at networking events, or just come into my general vicinity, I'll have no doubt told you about the promised land of IPI (Integrated Project Insurance) and how much I've enjoyed developing the Dudley IoTT and Dudley ASC projects utilising this procurement and delivery model. Well, don't just take my word for it... If you're at UKREiiF next week come and join our Cullinan Studio event and hear a series of different perspectives about this genuinely transformational approach and how it might be applicable for you. Wednesday 20th May Public Private Partnerships Stage Level 4, Armouries Building, UKREiiF 10:15 - 11:00 AM Background on the projects: https://lnkd.in/e3dSy5ku https://lnkd.in/eSVVQYm7

For estates directors navigating tight budgets, sustainability commitments and complex briefs, Integrated Project Insurance (IPI) offers a genuinely different approach. If you’re attending UKREiiF later this month, join us on Wednesday 20th May to hear first-hand the practical, specific, and transferable lessons from projects delivered with the IPI model: “𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦-𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘵” 🗓️ Wednesday 20th May 🕙10:15 – 11:00 AM 📍UKREiiF, Public Private Partnerships Stage, Level 4, Armouries Building, Leeds City Centre 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬: 🎤 Dr Jo Jolly, Director, Environment and Innovation – Ofwat 🎤 Carol Costello, Partner, Architect RIBA – Cullinan Studio 🎤 Louise Lado-Byrnes, Director – IPInitiatives Limited 🎤 Simon Cash, Project Director Cost Management – Artelia UK 🎤 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳: Sahiba Chadha, Partner, Architect – Cullinan Studio And over the next couple of weeks, we will be posting a series of articles giving an honest account of how this claim-free procurement and delivery route works in practice; reflecting on three IPI projects we have delivered with Dudley College of Technology… watch this space! #alignedincentives #commongoals #IPI #alliancebackedinsurance #procurement #collaboration #wellbeinginconstruction #UKREiiF