Empathise and engage

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.

Weconstraints

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.

Passive future

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.

Social detail

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.

Mud on our boots

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.

Freshwater Biological Association, Windermere
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Curl la Tourelle Head
Work
  • Freshwater Biological Association

  • Lake Windemere, Cumbria

Client
  • Freshwater Biological Association

Located within the Lake District National Park, the Freshwater Biological Association protect and nurture vulnerable freshwater species before releasing them back into the wild, to ensure the ongoing health of declining species populations in rivers around the UK. The impact of human activity on Freshwater species is not only limited to industrial processes but to farming and agriculture; the FBA is committed to habitat restoration, improving water quality, and raising awareness of the importance of freshwater species in their eco-system capacity.

Working in collaboration with Professor Trevor Butler, we are in the early stages of designing a new premises for the FBA on the western side of Windermere. It will feature bio-secure facilities, teaching labs and equipment storage. The design will incorporate sustainable sanitation and water management solutions. We intend to install vertical flow wetlands to filter wastewater and achieve net zero in construction and operational energy.

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