Month: January 2018

CABE Regional AGM

Posted on by Amy Taylor

CABE regional AGM

Michelle recently organised the Annual General Meeting for the Yorkshire and Humber Region on Thursday 25th January 2018. The meeting was held at The Clifton Park Museum in Rotherham.

It was confrmed at the meeting, which was attended by over 20 delegates, that Michelle and Tony Riley were to continue as regional Secreatry and Treasurer respectively. Basil Parylo, the region’s Chairman handed over the role to John Loom. Basil will remain on the Committee as an active CPD Co-ordinator.

Immediately after the formal AGM Sarah Siyver from CABE HQ gave a presentation by the Association’s President David Taylor who unfortunately was unable to attend in person.

The delegates were then provided with a CPD session presented by Simon Leeming of the Coal Authority, this gave an insight into who the Coal Authority are and the services which they provide. He disussed how they have arrived at where they are today and a range of examples of the work that they carry out across the UK. The presentation then looked forward at the new types of work they are undertaking and the opportunities that they see for the future.

More about the Museum

The Clifton Park Museum is an exciting modern museum that takes you through Rotherham’s rich history. The Museum highlights the history of the borough in a way that appeals to all ages and helps to bring both our lives, and those of our ancestors, into sharp focus.

Clifton House was built for Joshua and Susannah Walker in 1783 and has housed Rotherham Museum since 1893. It was designed by the Yorkshire architect John Carr, with additional work added at a later date by Rotherham architect John Platt. It is listed Grade II* due to the many original features still intact.

The Walker family lived here until 1861, when Henry Walker died. After his death the house was bought by William Owen who died 1881. In 1883 the house and grounds were put up for auction for redevelopment but failed to meet the reserve. In 1891 the house was sold to Rotherham Corporation for £23,000 for use as a Municipal Park. The park was opened by the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII) in 1891 with grand celebrations, with the Museum opening in 1893. Many of the early collections were made up of items donated and lent by local people. A significant number were also provided by local societies, such as finds from the Roman excavations of Templeborough in 1877 by Rotherham Literary and Scientific Society. The first Museum Curator was also the President of the Rotherham Naturalists Society.

Why not visit http://cliftonpark.org.uk/ for more details on the exhibitions and collections held at the Museum, and entry is completely free.

Michelle Tuxford

January 2018

Hi, I’m Amy and I’m a knitter…

Posted on by Amy Taylor

Write a blog post, they said, it’ll be easy, they said… So, uh, yeah, hi, I’m Amy, newest recruit for Taylor Tuxford Associates. I’m going to be the company Engineering Geologist, social media wrangler and have the dubious distinction of being Rhys and Anne’s daughter

I studied Geology at the University of Manchester for my undergraduate degree after which I promptly discovered that no matter how much fun it might have been, there are surprisingly few jobs that use a straight geology degree!  And it was fun… or at least that’s the word the lecturers were using when we were halfway up a mountain in Snowdonia and the rain was coming in sideways. There was also the point at which my flatmates were convinced I was doing a degree in joining the dots and colouring in, but I’m not bitter about that.

I took a break from all things geology related for a year or so after finishing my undergraduate degree, before starting a Masters’ degree in Engineering Geology at the University of Leeds. Engineering geology is essentially geology but with less rocks and more soils and maths.

As an aside, the difference between engineering geology and geotechnical engineering is essentially the amount of maths involved. Engineering geologists are geologists that have been swayed to the dark side of engineering; geotechnical engineers are often civil engineers that have seen the light. Both are convinced they are superior to the other and both are kinda looked down on by “proper” geologists and engineers.

It later turned out that an Engineering Geology Masters’ degree is basically a gateway to academia and I was lured even further to the dark side by the promise of funding for a PhD.

In related news, I may have lost control of this metaphor.

Anyway, I moved to Sheffield, started work in the Civil & Structural Engineering department of the University of Sheffield and was made to interact with Engineers on a daily basis. Having grown up with a Structural Engineer parent, I was well practised in distracting them by offering large amounts of tea and biscuits and, if necessary, scaring them away by discussing such things as Miller Indices and geophysics.

Working for a PhD is a full time job in which you become more than a little obsessed over a single topic and slowly develop a case of imposter syndrome. You learn a lot about your topic and learn even more about all the things you don’t know, leading to a constant feeling that you’re a fraud and that you don’t belong there and that someone, somewhere must have made a mistake. I’m assured that everyone in our research group felt that way at some point.

But I am now one of only a handful of people in the UK and Ireland that can even vaguely consider themselves an expert in expansive pyritic mudrocks… which is nice.

I’m going to be working with Rhys and Michelle on the Geotechnical side of things within the company, as well as taking on some of the design and site investigation work.

Amy Taylor

 January 2018

News Archive – Designing Disabled Loos

Posted on by Amy Taylor
Are Unisex Disabled toilets really genderless?

We happened across an interesting article recently on Scope’s website where they were discussing whether loo designers see the users of the disabled facilities as genderless.

Source: Scope Community

A guest writer on their Blog, Milo, presented a thought-provoking post about disabled toilets but from a very different perspective: the provision, or lack thereof, of multi-sex facilities within these toilets. More specifically, the general lack of vending machines for tampons, condoms etc.

Designed for People or Compliance?

It’s fair to say that most designers will follow the guidance set down in approved Document M for disabled toilet layouts and consider that they have successfully achieved compliance with the Building Regulations, job done.

Milo’s perspective shows us that as Designers we must remember that the building must be suitable for everyone, that we are designing spaces for Humans with all kinds of needs, and make sure that we’re not just complying with legislation and guidance. Oh, and we need to provide more mirrors.