Axis Mason Profile

Axis Mason Profile

Axis Mason, the Jersey and UK architecture firm with 35 years’ experience in designing and developing residential, hospitality, and office projects, has completed a group of projects which showcase its collaborative and creative personality.

Crossing different sectors and meeting unique client briefs, these projects exhibit Axis Mason’s integrated architecture, landscape, and interior design capabilities, as well as meet a diversity of communal needs. The team are always aware of the impact their work can have on people and places, and each of the following developments demonstrates a consistent desire to design live-able and loveable spaces that are sustainable, creative, and inspiring.

Clos de la Bout

Working with Ashbe Construction, Axis Mason has completed work on 16 3-bedroom houses in La Rue de la Mare Ballam for first time buyers. Finished in July, the two storey houses, adjacent to St John’s Primary School on the village’s edge, are constructed with timber frames, rendered blockwork and granite features to establish a stylish, sturdy, and homely presence.

Axis Mason led the design of the development, oversaw its construction, and coordinated much of the landscaping and external works. The result is a welcoming development of homes set within a spacious and thoughtfully organised rural setting, offering first time buyers dependable and accessible properties. With three bedrooms, a private garden, garage or car port, and two additional parking spaces, each home is adequately equipped for comfortable living in a carefully landscaped setting. Generous tree planting and selected plant species combine with the retained mature trees along the South boundary, and the natural screening established with traditional walls and hedging create privacy to neighbours. There is also a new pedestrian footpath connecting the development to the school and the future sports field.

A traditional ‘Clos’ style permeates the site’s arrangement and design, with slate and pantile roofs blending with the village context. Artwork by local sculptor Mark Guest has been positioned facing the courtyard entrance into the development, giving the buildings a dash of charm that enhances the visual experience of the residential space.

Prosperity 24/7

Jersey-based Prosperity 24/7 presented Axis Mason with the challenge of producing a workplace like no other. Following on from the pandemic, the technology consultancy identified the empty Tiffins site at Castle Quay as their chosen location to provide what would become a centre of innovation and excellence.

With the support of Style Interiors, Aston Services, Colin Smith Partnership, Rothwells Consulting Engineers, TNG, and WorkSafe, Axis Mason was able to turn this vacant 300-square-metre unit into a stunning and progressive workspace.

Commencing in July 2022, the 8-month project saw Axis Mason and its collaborators introduce a mezzanine floor into the structure alongside 3 ‘suspended’ meeting room pods which protrude through the curtain walling. These pods turn the space into a dynamic, layered interior which additional features and facilities could be woven into to optimise working conditions.

Built from a steel frame and floating concrete slab, an open powder-coated steel staircase by JPM Ironworks links the mezzanine to the space below. This mezzanine level is a space which stimulates collaboration and innovation. The new upper floor is now the perfect space for different working groups to pursue their respective targets. JPM Ironworks played a key role in bringing this new area to life, completing all of the mezzanine steel work and balustrades.

On the ground floor, the space provides both Prosperity 24/7 and the wider community a space perfectly tailored for discussions, events and learning opportunities.

Entering the new site, local businesses will find it to be a haven for analysis and collaboration. The ground floor is modern and spacious, with a vibrant café offering a laid back and energetic arena for talks.  A conference area grants greater privacy for smaller meetings, leadership events, and quiet work. There is also a spectacular marina view from this floor, with the intention of inspiring those hard at work to reach new heights!

The new centre has been designed and constructed with the intertwining priorities of functionality and contemporary design in mind. Structural timber stud and double glazed partitioning combine in the construction of the meeting room pods to provide effective acoustic separation between different groups. Recycled acoustic wall panelling, fabric-backed digital wall coverings and acoustic-backed carpeting also contribute to the acoustic mitigation whilst also providing users with a stylish aesthetic.

A core focus on sustainability underlines the project too. Not only has the Prosperity 24/7 site been designed to optimise energy efficiency – with pods being positioned to take advantage of the warmth generated by natural sunlight – but energy consumption has been streamlined, with intelligent lighting controls ensuring power usage is minimal. Throughout construction, unwanted furniture was also donated to Family Nursing Home Care and new furniture sourced from ethical suppliers using sustainable materials and finishes.

Completing this project demanded intricate teamwork between Axis Mason and its partners to align the interior design vision with complex ventilation and AC systems. A spokesperson from Axis Mason said that striking the balance between functionality and aesthetics was the creative allure of the project, and that it was “wonderful to work with a client so willing to push the boundaries of modern design.”

The Beach Club

Bringing a taste of the Mediterranean to St. Brelade’s Bay, The Beach Club bar and restaurant has been designed by Axis Mason for Randalls, Jersey’s leading hospitality group. The team’s brief was to design a place where locals and visitors alike could relax in an environment which reflects a laid back and informal ‘beach vibe’ that provides a first-class food & beverage offerings. Located on the site of the former Wayside Café, the newly constructed building also contains a ‘Grab & Go’ outlet as well as a residential unit on the first floor.

For inspiration, the team sourced imagery of global beach bars and assembled an exciting mix of eclectic materials and finishes which allowed them to create what is a contemporary yet relaxing aesthetic. Weathered timber panelling, Millboard, terrazzo, and rattan all combine effortlessly to bring the interior to life. The interior design team also assisted in carefully selecting the furniture and fittings within the space as well as designing the bespoke joinery of the banquet seating and bar.

Views out over the Bay can be gained from both inside the restaurant and outside on the raised decked terrace, which is protected from the elements by a frameless glazed screen. This project was successfully undertaken by Mitchell’s Building Contractors along with Mercury, DIS, and Lotheringtons. QS and project management services were undertaken by CSP, structural designs by BSC, and MEP designs by MWL.

The beach club by Axis Mason

Plat Douet Dementia Care Village

St Saviour’s Plat Douet Dementia Care Village, due to begin construction in mid-2024, is a groundbreaking redevelopment project in which Axis Mason are turning a redundant warehouse site into a 120-bed specialist care village for those living with dementia, alongside new apartments.

Working closely with Dandara Jersey and dementia care providers, LV Care Group, Axis Mason submitted planning proposals earlier this year and obtained detailed planning approval in June. When finished, the project will have transformed this redundant, brownfield site into a transformative, modern care facility, complete with 8 staff apartments for those providing care alongside 66 private residential apartments.

Across 12,000 square metres, the care village will feature a range of independent living units, or ‘households’, alongside specialist nursing care beds, café space, resident’s high street, shop, bar, hairstylist, courtyard garden, and roof terraces. Designed to provide a rich and comfortable quality of life, the project is the first of its kind in Jersey and has been strongly influenced by the principles of De Hogeweyk Dementia Village in the Netherlands which prioritises adaptable, inclusive, and humanistic care, facilitating normality and independence in everyday life.

The apartments, constructed from loadbearing cavity masonry, have been designed to meet the latest guidance on residential space standards in Jersey and will provide a new residential street frontage at Plat Douet Road. The dementia facility will be constructed using a light gauge steel frame system, and this combination of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), a ‘Fabric First’ approach to the building envelope, on-site renewable energy generation from a PV array, and highly efficient building services will deliver a highly sustainable new development that meets the 20% target energy reduction required under planning policy.

A key challenge for Axis Mason throughout the design process was to take account of the respective visions of everyone involved in the project, including the client, the neighbouring school, local residents, and other community stakeholders. The resulting plans have been crafted to provide an integrated, mixed-use development that will repair the urban fabric; enhance the landscape character and amenity of the area with extensive new boundary planting, podium gardens and play areas; provide a range of public realm improvements that will improve pedestrian and vehicle safety and ensure a more accessible place for all.

Axis Mason is currently working on the Stage 4 technical design, with the construction phase anticipated to commence in mid-2024.

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