Local Architect Robert Le Page has many projects on his drawing board at present in various stages of design. His practice, Robert W Le Page Architects and Chartered Surveyors, operates from its own purpose built studio in Kings Road, St Peter Port, Guernsey and has just celebrated its 42nd Anniversary. The practice handles Architecture and Building Surveying Contracts varying in type and size from private dwellings to various types of commercial contracts and also provides a Consultancy Service in airport design.
Ninety-nine per cent of the practice’s work is in Guernsey.
But over the years the practice has been running it has handled work in Jersey, Alderney, Sark, various parts of the UK, Florida, Saudi Arabia, France, Spain and Portugal (For Local Clients).
‘We provide a very personal service and have adapted ourselves to deal with virtually any local architectural project,’ said Mr Le Page.
The practice handles architectural and surveying work, whether it is from inception through until conception or any part of the service ranging from producing survey drawings, feasibility studies, sketch scheme designs, working drawings, tender documentation and supervision.
It also handles Architectural and Building Surveying oriented work including producing Island Development Framework briefs, Island Development Plan Representations, Structural Surveys, House Buyers Reports, Record Photography, including Aerial Photography, Computer Presentation and Plan Copying.
This wide variety of work provides for a busy practice. To deal with this work, Mr Le Page employs staff with a wide range of experience, some of whom have been with the practice for over 25 years.
Examples of the practice’s work include the large extension built on the Hotel de Havelet. This includes a swimming pool and facilities with hotel rooms above, the reconstruction of Maryland Garage at Cobo, the large extension of the Guernsey Press incorporating the Press and bookbinding machinery and numerous large residential developments.
‘Work is handled by the practice from individual clients from all walks of life, corporate and government clients.’ said Mr Le Page. ‘We tend to accept almost any project people throw at us but we are careful knowing what our limitations are.’
Approximately 50% of the practice’s workload is residential. This includes many alterations and extensions to private dwellings and has included the design and building of over 750 new houses for private and corporate clients in recent years.
‘The practice tries to keep apace with the changing needs of clients and the building industry and provide in-house training, as well as seminars, building exhibitions, and factory visits outside of the practice,’ said Mr. Le Page. The demand of up-to-date technology means that the practice is constantly upgrading equipment, including opening its own website.
‘As well as being involved with a heavy workload, the practice tries to put something back into the community and over the years has been heavily involved with the Young Businessmen’s Group, the Chamber of Commerce and numerous charities,’ said Mr Le Page.
Mr. Le Page was educated at St Sampson’s Secondary Modern School until 1966. That year he started his architectural training with Harry and Elizabeth Speakman. Whilst at this practice and a number of other reputable local practices until 1975, Mr. Le Page completed many architectural and design exams and advanced from a junior architectural technician up to a senior architectural assistant and job architect, responsible for contracts in the range of £250,000 to £3m.
Following initial training, Robert Le Page has continued to study and has gone on to obtain many qualifications. These include MRICS (Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveying), FCIOB (Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building), FCABE (Fellow of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers), FASI (Fellow of the Architectural Surveyors Institute), FBEng (Fellow of the Building Engineers), and FIPD (Fellow of the Institute of Professional Designers). In addition, in recent years the practice has been pleased to have become a Chartered Building Consultancy.