Twenty First Century Design: MASCo WALCOT

 

 

 

 

 A warm welcome for MASCo in Bath

Progress gathers pace as the new MASCo Walcot project rises from the former architectural business started thirty years ago by Rick and Jane Knapp. The generosity of spirit  and welcome conveyed by the local people, Walcot Street Traders and civic leaders has been quite overwhelming.

When the work is complete and the display areas and offices properly on stream we can begin to roll out the full extent of our proposals.

Changing the face of architecture, design and material resourcing

Before long we hope MASCo Walcot in Bath will come to represent the very best in Sustainable Architectural Design and Planning Consultancy, all fronted by the new architectural antiques and traditional building materials showrooms at 108 Walcot Street.

The project will bring together in Bath, for the first time, multi disciplinary skills to change the face of architecture, design and material resourcing.

Dynamic Conservation of Bath’s heritage

The very lifeblood of the City of Bath as a World Heritage site must be rooted in conservation and preservation, as a dynamic and progressive movement that enables the Georgian architecture and Roman origins to be maintained as a living environment for the people of Bath in the 21st century.

The essential need is to establish a way to preserve everything that is worthy and be sustainable at a time of global environmental change.

The development of thinking and policies that will enable this magnificent city to prosper within the context of the national framework presents challenges that cannot be ignored.

Integrating sustainability  

We do not exist in a vacuum. However, we have a unique opportunity to address design and planning for the 21st century with new approaches of integrated systems that recognise the need to act and behave sustainably.

Preserving and reusing traditional building elements and materials, diverting them from landfill and finding alternative uses, is the ‘front of house ‘ mission’ for MASCo Walcot together with plans for a comprehensive conservation and sustainable design community to create ‘thinking’ to change our world

Never the ‘Right Time’ …Changing the World

Inflating expectation in a world that overstates most ideas has a horrible tendency to rebound on the proposer.

Contrastingly, we have reached a ‘tipping point’ in the debate on environmental sustainability that means we need to be radical.

It may be that it is too late to avert much of the consequence of neglect and indifference. Perhaps we should be reconciled to mitigation as the most that can be achieved. 

Announcing the MASCo Walcot PLAN

Human resolve and the probability that we can apply technology and science to avert the predicted problems of environment and resource efficiency is always a possibility.

We are going to look very foolish if as yet undiscovered solutions, delivered by research, fail to materialise.

In the meantime to give credence to a personal belief that analysis and negativity are valueless without commitment  to changing  and struggling  against problems that confront society,  MASCo Walcot have a Plan and the resolve to do our part to address the challenge.

Our Grand Experiment gathers momentum

The acquisition of the Walcot Street Yard in Bath enables  a ‘Grand Experiment’.

The Architectural Salvage yard at 108 Walcot  Street will continue to function as a resource for architectural features and period and traditional materials.

Together with conservation skills to support the City of Bath’s status as a World Heritage Site we intend to make the yard a centre of excellence for Architecture, Design and Sustainability .

A Sustainable Plan – but yet to be revealed

The Plan includes a scheme which will change the way Sustainability effects all aspects of our built environment.

It is too soon to expand on the detail of our scheme, there is much to do and lots of work ahead before our exciting proposals can be revealed in-depth. It is never the “right time” to over-hype an intention, but we  believe the need exists to engender both urgency and optimism for change through action.

It is our intention to extend the institution of Walcot created by Rick and Jane Knapp to become a pivotal element in all things of environmental excellence to bring about the change that will alter the way we regard integrated environmental thinking.

Watch this space.

Three new appointments next week…names to be announced !

MASCo ANNOUNCE EXPANSION TO HISTORIC WALCOT YARD

Sustaining Bath’s Heritage

We are proud to announce the expansion of our Cotswold based reclamation operation to historic Walcot Yard premises in Bath.

MASCo brings to Bath 30 years of expertise in design and building conservation and a rock solid reputation for sensitive deconstruction. Taking over the landmark shop at 108, Walcot Street in the artisan district of the city, MASCo will showcase and sell unique artifacts for garden and home as well as supplying original architectural antiques and traditional building materials.

What will MASCo bring to WALCOT?

The acquisition of this internationally recognised site means that reclamation will once again become synonymous with its distinctive Walcot Street venue. Homeowners, builders, designers and architects alike will be treated to MASCo’s inimitable sense of style, scale, history and occasion. The new MASCo shop and showrooms will complement the long-established and larger sister site near Stroud, Gloucestershire. The same outstanding product quality, specialist knowledge and advice will be on offer, and with the added benefits of city centre accessibility.

MASCo’s founding director and renowned Sustainability Consultant Steve Tomlin recognises the huge potential of the Walcot Street site:

“Walcot is MASCo’s opportunity to become Britain’s largest architectural salvage company. We will play an active part in Bath’s future development and Walcot Yard will become a centre of excellence for Design and Architecture. Equally important to us is the ongoing sustainability debate which will be given new impetus by bringing reclamation back to Bath.”

MASCo at WALCOT opens at 9am Saturday 1^st May 2010

Steve Tomlin is available for interview. 01285 760886

walcot.com coming soon!

MASCo: our identity, our name, our evolution…

Developing a brand image is not to be undertaken lightly, but earlier this year, it became apparent that the quality of our traditional reclaimed products, the care taken over presentation at our Cotswold garden yard and showrooms, and the range of specialist services we offer (sourcing, dismantling, design advice, restoration, conservation, consultancy), was not being communicated clearly enough in our marketing; and that’s not good for our customers, for our trade partners, or for the architectural salvage and reclamation industry.

Brand energy

Never the shrinking violets, we seized the opportunity and recruited a marketing professional to review and revitalise the MASCo brand. Not an easy task when there are so many aspects and channels to our business. The core logo, which you see applied to this blog and in our advertising, is underpinned by the ‘window’ concept. At first, you might think we’ve forgotten to insert a picture in the gold square, but no, it is a living window for looking into the MASCo world – sometimes looking at the past with our products, sometimes looking firmly forward into a sustainable future.

The sustainability logo

OakieDoakie – our wood flooring department with its own identity

What’s in a name?

Minchinhampton Architectural Salvage Company….it doesn’t really trip off the tongue. So, we’ve cleaned it up: MASCo Architectural Salvage. Or, just MASCo. Simple, focused and memorable. You will also find a summary of what we do written on our brand communications:

- Reclamation

- Specialist Dismantling

- Sustainability Consultancy

Roll out

The new MASCo identity is beginning to appear in advertising, e-flyers, marketing literature, and online directories, like the Construction Centre. Soon, you’ll see us on signs and our vehicles. And, the big one, a brand new website which has been very carefully designed to work for our customers, including an online shop, customer case studies, special offers, and over 2000 stock items to browse. More on that later. And much more on our blog and Twitter as the MASCo story continues to be told…

Examples