Turning your dreams into reality

Whether we’re working in a domestic or commercial setting, new build or retrofit, our methodology follows an established framework.  

Our process is designed to empower our clients to make the right choices for you. We map out how a vision can be achieved, how schedules and budgets can be managed to achieve it, and how performance targets and environmental targets may be incorporated into its delivery. This forms a solid foundation of your project right from the start, and the same rigour is woven throughout the delivery stages. 

Project foundations

Explore Aspirations
This includes your creative goals, practical requirements, eco and energy performance targets and last but by no means least, hopes and dreams.
This includes setting and maintaining realistic and affordable budgets, defining site limitations and assessing timescales.
Each project is a collaboration between many people – designers and builders.  As architects, we lead the team on your behalf to design your building, apply for consents and build the building. We offer a ‘full service’ from initial conversation to moving in, or you can choose to work with us for only part of that if, for example, you choose the manage the construction stage yourself.  Either way, we work closely with you on a step by step basis. Collaboration with everyone involved is key to getting the best quality. This includes at construction stage, where we work with good contractors to build your project. This includes, if necessary, providing training for them in passivhaus and eco design. We will also make introductions to our roster of surveyors, contractors, and suppliers.

Innovation and design exploration

Every commission is an opportunity to explore a new canvas with a unique palette. Our experience and creativity is tested by constraints and limitations whether we’re designing a rural eco-new build or navigating the complexity of a heritage-focused retrofit. The demands of the process always inspires creativity and even a tight budget can present an exciting opportunity.

Why this works

Most of our clients are referred to us because we’re recognised as a safe pair of hands for leading innovative, high-performance building works in all sorts of circumstances.

We have our own framework that leads every project through a multi-layered, tried-and-tested process underpinned by three core tenets:

  • Collaboration is key
  • Balancing adventure with risk management
  • Tailored support for your journey

Collaboration is key

Our joy is found in helping our clients to understand the breadth of possibilities ahead of them, translating their dreams into ambitious but achievable goals for their project.

We start by capturing our clients’ hopes, dreams, and aspirations. In truth, this collaboration is what fuels our enthusiasm for the work we do. It’s a chance them to explore their appetite for ‘adventure’ and us to push their expectations for what is possible.

Collaboration enables us to guide our clients towards making the right choices for them and for the site we’ll be working on and to help them establish clear and well-informed expectations of what ‘success’ will look and feel like.

Importantly, this involves working with the whole delivery team to set goals, benchmarks, and performance targets that everyone understands and all can be held to. Every stakeholder, partner, and contractor will understand the vision we’re working towards and their role in delivering it.

Balancing adventure with risk management

Most of our clients arrive through referrals because of the experience and expertise that we’re able to offer. We adapt our approach to meet their needs and ease their way on their journey.

Once a vision is set our framework and in-practice experience manage, and reduce, risk at every stage. Even the most innovative approaches are grounded in the strongest risk management processes.

We take our responsibilities seriously when embarking on any project, and we’re there to support our clients in as much or as little as they need.

Tailored support for your journey

When we take on a project it means we’re interested and invested. We want our clients to achieve the best possible version of their vision.

The support that we offer is adaptable, able to be applied to every stage of the journey, and shape the nature of the journey itself.

This can mean working with clients on a step-by-step basis working gradually through a project: developing early-stage concepts and exploration that we hold all the way through to delivery, providing aftercare and ongoing performance monitoring.

In other circumstances we might only take on the initial scoping and feasibility phase, supporting clients as potential sites and concepts are explored, to help them understand whether a project is the right choice for them.

Importantly, the specialist nature of our work means that supporting a client usually includes helping them to build the right team for the project and tap into our network in order to assemble the best possible team for their vision.

There are lots of great contractors out there who can deliver our designs and we can help our clients choose someone suitable.

And, when our clients have consultants and contractors with whom they’re happy and trust, we can provide training and support to fill in any gaps in experience or expertise, as we do with the consultancy side of our business.

Projects

 

We are friendly and always happy to talk.