Models | CLTH

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 quality and sustainability throughout construction.

Curl la Tourelle Head

Work Studio Activity News Contact

Model making is an important step in the design development of our projects. We use models not just as a way of testing 3D space and approaches, but also as a tool for discussion with our clients and collaborators. In the process of making we can understand, test and make real what is less tangible on paper, as well as communicate how a space may work, feel and relate to its context.

This page shows a selection of the models made in our studio, from simple massing studies covering large sites, to detailed building element studies.