Architectural process

Our design process starts with a detailed conversation about all aspects of the site and the clients brief. We then return this brief in spatial form to set out clear guidelines for the project. This is a very important stage as if done well it ensures a smooth process as the project develops.

The concept design phase then commences and we explore the spatial planning and start thinking about the main architectural ideas around form and layout. To begin with we focus more on the layout and overall driving concept and take the design to a 50% concept stage to map out the main adjacencies, spatial sizes and an idea of the form. We will sometimes present up to three different form options.

Once our clients are happy with the design at this stage we then move on to refine the form and consider the cladding and other key materials for the project.

Environmental considerations are important to our approach to design. We begin by making sure we cover the cost neutral items, including optimized increased insulation, sun shading to the north and west, and consideration around designing for future additions and changes that may occur over time such as installation of solar panels. Material selection is considered to avoid harmful materials to people or the planet and we encourage the use of more natural materials which reduce the impacts on the environment.