Good Rooms

We invest a lot of thought into how to create characterful interiors, rooms with specific and unique views and atmospheres as defined by light, colour, materials, linings and furnishings. We are interested in the idea of ‘mood’ in architecture, and the long history of room types, many of which were forsaken for the free plan. We also invent new space types suitable for today’s emerging live-work culture. We explore in our houses, ways in which enclosed rooms can be combined with open plan arrangements, to create a more dynamic and usable sequence of spaces.

Tradition

The word tradition from the Latin means both to translate and to ‘pass on’ ; not static and conservative but always developing. As designers we are very sensitive to what have been called ‘lost fundamentals’ ; aspects of craft culture which were lost or abandoned during the modern era.

We are interested in reviving what were historically persistent building types and forms, fabrics and linings, ornamentations, and in developing expertise in materials with long traditional usage, but detailed in a contemporary manner: brick, stone, fine metalwork and timber.

For this reason we are very interested in the creative remodelling of existing or derelict buildings. Tradition for us is a way of connecting architecture with what is already familiar and understood within the society, translated into the present, through a projected awareness of contemporary needs.

Building Types

Our knowledge and understanding of building types helps us structure our response to design briefs across a wide range of building uses and programs. Type here means not the function, which is temporary, but the formal character of the building which is persistent and recognisable within the culture. An example might be the English barn, the Irish cottage, the London mansion block, or the country Villa.

These building types are modified to the specifics of region and site but carry a universal appeal. In the context of existing buildings they can be adapted to a multitude of alternative uses as previous functions die out.

The Site

Our design approach always begins with a rigorous analysis of the proposed site and surrounding context. The site is gradient, orientation, trees, existing buildings, and views. The site is also the climate of a place, and its vernacular building methods.

As a practice we are experienced in working across a wide range of contexts, from urban to rural sites, from high density city environments to pristine landscapes. We are very concerned with how our buildings meet the ground, how they are anchored both in the city and in nature. Experience has also taught us how the material treatment of the external surroundings of our buildings, the gardens, and external landscaping, can greatly enhance the character of the architecture.