We are recognised for our work in architectural design and placemaking. Our live portfolio of work is diverse in scale, complex in uses, and varied in context. Our buildings and places are imaginative, exciting and firmly rooted in their locale, inspiring those who encounter them to live well and do better.
One Studio Culture
Our talented studio teams provide us with the flexibility and balance to react to the needs of our clients internationally. Our long-established ‘one studio culture’ is fundamental to our ability to operate as a connected entity through effective communication and knowledge sharing.
A cosmopolitan mix of individuals from around the world provides us with a diverse range of expertise. Knowledge of many building types and geographical locations allows us to devise sustainable, fully integrated design solutions that are uplifting in use and effective to operate.
We spend time carefully weighing pragmatic considerations with ambition and re-interpretation, creating designs with integrity and commercial clarity.
Newcastle
Our first and largest studio in Newcastle has evolved with us constantly. The studio is shaped to encourage collaboration and includes our own model workshop. From here, our architects and designers deliver projects around the world.
Vancouver
Established in 2018, our growing Vancouver team is located in historic Gastown. Led by partners Kate Busby and Paul Rigby, the studio works on an eclectic mix of projects, from libraries to velodromes, across British Columbia and Canada.
Dublin
Our Dublin studio opened in 2022 and is led by partner Niall Durney. Located on Leeson Street in the city’s southern Georgian quarter, the studio’s portfolio includes mixed-use regeneration and national sports projects in Ireland.
Process
First, we look and listen. Then, combining our considerable experience and extensive research, we develop designs that support and sustain our clients’ aspirations. The results prove that the constraints of cost, time and resources can be met without compromising quality.
We believe in looking at the broader picture, taking inspiration from examples of best practice in building design and placemaking. This involves research visits at home and abroad to inform our thinking, analyse and test current trends, and cultivate step-changes in building design.
We are constantly searching for new materials, systems and processes by which to deliver architecture of enduring quality.
Sustainability
Social, environmental and commercial considerations are at the heart of our thinking and we consider these to be mutually interrelated aspects of our design process. We believe that with good design, no single aspect need be sacrificed.
We conduct our business operations and configure our design process to ensure we deliver maximum social value through our project work. As a result, we have been presented with the Special Award for Community Impact and Engagement by the Civic Trust twice in five years.
We have been driving sustainable design innovation for many years, and recently received the first UK award of a BREEAM Outstanding Design Stage Certificate for a wet and dry sports facility.
Climate Change
Climate change is the defining issue of our time and as designers we have a major responsibility to reduce emissions from the built environment. As signatories to the UK Architects Declare Climate and Biodiversity Emergency, we are committed to raising awareness, implementing carbon mitigation strategies, and continuously benchmarking the performance of our designs.
To equip us for this challenge we have developed skills and expertise in net zero carbon strategies, lifecycle carbon modelling, Passivhaus principles and BREEAM advisory services. We have also linked specialist software to our BIM models to define the carbon performance of our projects and to inform a database of building types.
With our clients and professional colleagues, we strive to set ambitious targets for carbon reduction, and we support the robust framework offered by the RIBA’s 2030 Climate Change initiative.
Testing Through Making
We build, test and review our designs digitally and physically, with the support of our in-house modelshop.
With the use of models, we communicate our ideas and concepts with insight and clarity throughout the design process. This helps us to develop and maintain strong relationships with our clients which are valued and respected.
We truly delight in gaining repeat commissions which acknowledge our design competence as much as the associations which we forge.
Building Information Modelling
We recognise that the use of BIM has significant benefits not only for our own effectiveness and that of the wider consultant team, but increasingly for the construction delivery supply chain and building owners and operators.
We believe BIM to be much more about process than a particular software application. We adopt a flexible and pragmatic approach to its implementation, considering the capabilities of the entire design team and how each stakeholder will benefit from employing a BIM process.
Our aspiration is always to provide high quality BIM designs for our clients. This enables efficient delivery of building design, construction and operation without removing the scope for innovation.