Twenty-seven years after the first commission, the studio still begins with a conversation and a walk.
Before the first line
The first meeting is a chance to understand what a project needs to do. We ask about ordinary routines, frustrations and the things a client would like to preserve. These conversations give the design a purpose that is more specific than a preferred appearance.
Walking the site together adds another kind of knowledge. Light, noise, neighbours and the route of arrival are easier to discuss in place. A small observation can become the organising idea of a project.
“A good brief leaves room for something neither of us has thought of yet.”
A shared design table
Our studios work through regular reviews with drawings, material samples and physical models. The purpose is to make an idea understandable enough that it can be questioned. A project improves when people can disagree clearly and constructively.
The team stays connected through delivery. Changes on site are inevitable; a shared understanding of the design helps distinguish between a useful adjustment and a compromise that weakens the project.
What stays constant
The practice has grown, but its scale is still the conversation around a table. Each commission has a small core team with clear responsibility. Specialist knowledge joins that team when it can improve a decision.
We want buildings to remain useful beyond the moment of their completion. That ambition connects the first question in a brief to the last detail on site.
