Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture

If there’s one thing we’ve learned makes better buildings, it’s empathy. Architecture never happens in isolation—and simply by being interested and engaged, we’ve found it’s possible to open up the conversations that connect a scheme to its clients and community.

We believe that the more constraints there are, the better the architecture. If there aren’t any constraints, we create them. Challenging sites, existing buildings and complex briefs almost always present incredible opportunities for great design.

To limit our environmental impact, we start with what is already there. By manipulating the form and fabric of a building—whether new or existing—we can work with the existing conditions of topography, light and orientation, and harness the natural energy sources offered by air, ground and water.

If a site’s constraints guide the bigger design decisions, then it’s empathy that informs the smaller, social details. These details frame the human narratives that aren’t included in the brief, anticipating specific moments in the users’ lives.

Good architecture is as much about what happens on the building site as it is about what’s on the drawing board. By working alongside contractors as well as clients we can ring-fence the ideas and details that matter, championing the quality of the building throughout its construction.

Curl la Tourelle Head

Revitalise Peckham Rye

Tight site and budgetary guidelines 
Extending the park into the new buildings

Hornsey Library

Preservation and restoration of a Grade II Listed community asset
Retention and re-use, fabric first approach to sustainability

Unity Hub at Craig Park

Co-designed with the hub's young people
Reusing, extending and transforming an existing youth club

Morland Gardens

Rooftop gardens and sheltered courtyard green spaces
100% social housing, adult education and affordable workspace

New Towns, Stevenage

DETAILS from the UK's first New Town
Quality detailing during an economic downturn

Independent School, Harrow

World Heritage Site context

Cutting edge STEAM facilities for pupils

Whitehall Museum

Five hundred year old Grade II* Listed museum
Sensitive extensions improving access for all

Alfreton Park SEN School

Open, light-filled spaces for a range of activities
Outdoor learning spaces connected to park surrounds

Derriford Care Centre

Sloping site utilised for patient privacy

Efficient patient pathways and clear orientation

Big House for the Arts

Pockets of interaction in circulation spaces
Efficient form to absorb messy activities

Sutton Life Centre

Well-detailed architecture built on small budget
Immersive learning environment and community library

Models

A tool for designing and testing space
A tool for understanding and communicating space

New Towns, Milton Keynes

Details from the 'city of firsts'
Individual character within the kilometer grid