Background

Justin Smith formed the practice in June 2002, initially based from his own home. From the very beginning Justin realised the importance that customer focus and professionalism would play. He therefore set about building the foundations for a practice by developing tailored services backed by quality procedures and systems that were scaleable.

A client base, portfolio and track record were quickly established. In order to expand the practice moved to Friar Gate Studios. The prestigious Friar Gate Studios in Derby, completed in 2007, was purpose built in line with the Derby Cityscape master plan in order to provide a home for the creative industries. As such, space is only offered to companies which meet the ‘creative’ criteria.

Justin Smith Architects were the first occupants of Friar Gate Studios in March 2007. The practice initially moved into a small studio, but subsequently moved studios several times in line with the company’s growth. The practice now occupies one of the largest and most prestigious units within FGS, fronting Ford Street.

The synergy with other creative companies means we are on the cutting edge with new methods and technologies. The studios are state of the art with a networked environment providing ultra fast broadband connections and WiFi. This keeps us at the forefront of today’s digital economy.

 

 

Geography

Friar Gate Studios are located in Ford Street in the centre of Derby. They are within walking distance of the historic Friar Gate, home to many professional service companies, as well as the city’s best bars and restaurants. The Studios are ideally placed, being opposite the Derby City Council Planning Office, adjacent to the inner city ring road A52 and close to the A38 and A6.

Derby has very good transport links, being close to the M1, A38 and A50. Birmingham is only 30 minutes by car and London can be reached by train within 2 hours. We are therefore happy to receive enquiries from beyond our immediate environment.

As a guide to our geographical reach, here are some of the local authorities we have administered statutory applications with:

AMBER VALLEY BOROUGH COUNCIL; ASHFIELD DISTRICT COUNCIL; BLABY DISTRICT COUNCIL; BOLSOVER DISTRICT COUNCIL; BROXTOWE BOROUGH COUNCIL;  CHARNWOOD BOROUGH COUNCIL; DERBY CITY COUNCIL; DERBYSHIRE DALES DISTRICT COUNCIL; EAST STAFFORDSHIRE BOROUGH COUNCIL; EREWASH BOROUGH COUNCIL; GEDLING BOROUGH COUNCIL; HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL; LEICESTER CITY COUNCIL; NORTH WEST LEICESTERSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL; NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL; RUSHCLIFFE BOROUGH COUNCIL; SOUTH DERBYSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL.

 

 

Systems & Software

Justin Smith Architects is an innovative hi-tech practice. The days of drawing boards, parallel motions, set-squares and rotring pens are long gone and, thankfully, so too is the method of using a razor blade to scratch out ink drawings in order to correct them!  We are committed to using the latest equipment and technologies in order to consistently improve the delivery of our services.

We run a Microsoft Exchange Server environment meaning our staff can log into the office server from any location worldwide, and can access email on the move via a laptop or PDA. All our architectural drawing work is carried out digitally in AutoCAD software. PDF copies of drawings are used for email distribution. We have been uploading planning applications digitally, via the planning portal, since its inception in 2006.

All our processes, from marketing to accounts, are managed digitally via a dedicated software program which is either networked or cloud hosted.

The benefits of the above systems are numerous. They offer collaboration; outstanding quality of information; tremendous speed of delivery; and reduced costs to clients through efficient working practices.