Craig and Siobhan’s place in Balham is in full flow.

A grid of exposed timber rafters, internal brickwork, and external copper detailing is making for an interesting mix of materials.

Main people Richard (Alexander) Bridges and James (Owen) Webster
Based South-east London
Founded 2014

Where have you come from? 
Having studied for our degrees and worked at Norman Foster together, we went to smaller design studios across London in order to work more closely with clients and end-users. Since then we have both been working independently, but last year we decided to merge.

What work do you have?
Primarily we work in the domestic market, designing extensions and refurbishments for homeowners, which is really rewarding.

When the right projects arise, we work in the commercial sector. We really enjoy working closely with businesses to create branded environments and brand experiences, and we would like to do more of this in the future.

What are your ambitions?
For the foreseeable future we want to sustain an organic growth, focusing on the quality of our projects. Ultimately we hope the quality of our work will attract clients who want bespoke, creative solutions.

What are the biggest challenges as a start-up?
Primarily working with domestic clients can be a challenge. Constantly generating new leads is critical as there is rarely repeat business with homeowners.

Another challenge is that not all clients are creatively minded so there is often a great void between those who see the value in design and those that don’t. We wholeheartedly believe that great design enhances daily life and so no matter the size or budget, we see it as our job to illuminate and reveal the benefits of creative design for our clients. 

How did you win your first significant job?
It was simply a mixture of networking hard for new leads while providing the best possible service on the jobs we had, no matter how modest.  Word of mouth has been a powerful tool for us, which is why focusing on quality is so critical.  You never know who somebody knows.

What is your approach to winning new clients?
Being down-to-earth and candid, because beyond approachability and knowledge, ultimately all clients want is trust and value. We simply try to understand what value means to each client, be it cost, speed, or creativity, and then ensure we put that and the client at the heart of the design process.”

Our project in an East Dulwich Conservation Area gets shot.

Featuring a 3m cantilever and 2 lengths of folding doors, this project is all about bringing the outside in….perfect for summer BBQ’s!

AO and Parity Projects have teamed up once again to extend and retrofit a house in Wimbledon for Ruth.

The project will feature internal and external wall insulation, solar thermal and PV arrays, upgraded windows and doors, and rainwater harvesting.

Watch this space!

Ollie and Annie with their 2 boys and a third baby on the way needed more space space for the kids to run around and a much bigger garden. When they saw this place they instantly fell in love.

They bought this beautiful family home from a woman who had been born in the house and who had live there for almost 70 years. Needing modernisation they could see the potential in the property, so they commissioned us to help them turn into their dream home…

A new ground floor rear extension was to accommodate a new kitchen, dining and seating area, whilst a side extension would provide secondary access as well as a utility room. At first floor an extension would accommodate a new walk in wardrobe with ensuite facilities accessed via a hidden door from the master bedroom. The property is located in a Conservation Area and Archeological Priority area, so the design needed to be sensitive to the period of the dwelling, whilst delivering on the brief for ‘a modern family home’.

The result we hope is a contemporary classic.

Hannah and Ben’s terraced house in West Norwood got photographed yesterday. All built under Permitted Development policy, we’ve created a huge open plan living/dining/kitchen space with a dynamic folding roof complete with triangular roof windows. Professional shots coming soon!

The copper roof at Ollie and Annie’s place is well under way. Such an amazing colour now, and it will oxidise into an equally beautiful pale green over the next 25-30 years.

Rudy and Mary’s amazing detached house in Teddington finally gets shot. Final images of the new 8m extension will arrive in the New Year, but their beautiful new home is certainly ready for festivities!

This bright pink bespoke lighting structure was designed by Alexander Owen to hang beneath 3 existing roof windows in a warehouse apartment. The light is dimmable so it provides both ‘task’ and ‘mood’ lighting, and is quite the statement piece!

Planning, Listed Building, and Change of Use consents achieved for young chain Planet of The Grapes.

Fox Fine Wines Opening in 2015!

Chris, Nette, Ralph and Ned with the winners trophy for their award winning home.

Winner, Domestic Retrofit category at the GreenBuild Awards 2014.

Our award winning Peckham project opened its doors for Open House 2014. Chris the owner booked in 10 people per every hour (without a lunch beak for us I might add!) between 10am and 5pm for a short presentation followed by a tour of the house.

It was great to meet so many people interested in retrofitting their homes, as well as Chris’ neighbours who just wanted to have a sneaky nose around the place!

Alexander Owen were proudly asked to speak at RIBA’s HQ on Portland Place to present 3 case studies as part of a seminar on retrofitting historic buildings to a room of architects:

RIBA Seminar: Retrofitting Historic Buildings

Tuesday 16 Sep, 6-8.30pm

The RIBA, 66 Portland Place

Retrofitting traditional and historic is one of the key challenges for the UK built environment. A holistic approach is required to make these buildings environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

This seminar explores the issues and solutions surrounding historic building retrofits, adopting a practical approach illustrated by case studies and the latest research.

In addition to quantifiable considerations such as technical options, planning legislation, capital costs and efficiency standards, less tangible issues will also be considered. Occupant behaviour, performance predictions, conservation principles, aesthetics and occupied building retrofit must all be understood. Architects need to know when to engage planning and conservation bodies, how to marry modern materials with old buildings, and what could go wrong.

This seminar will focus on London, drawing on other UK projects and policy as applicable. It will cover:

–       Key elements of a successful refurbishment strategy

–       Constraints (e.g. planning, technical, financial) of upgrading historic buildings, and how to overcome them

–       Risks of inappropriate interventions

–       Introduction of modern materials into traditional buildings

–       What is meant by ‘success’ for sustainable historic building retrofits

Ireland’s Passive House Plus Magazine has featured our Enerphit Certified retrofit in Wandsworth this month. The scheme was designed alongside Green Tomato Energy who acted as energy consultants and modelled the house in Passive House Planning Package (PHPP).

In terms of predictions, Green Tomato’s modelling estimated the existing house around 225 kWh/m2.year for the space heating demand, and our target was less than 25 kWh/m2.year which is the EnerPHit standard – that’s an 89% reduction in space heating consumption reduction.

The building is being monitored so these estimations can be checked as the building matures, so let’s see!

Check out the article by The Passivhaus Trust :

http://www.passivhaustrust.org.uk/news/detail/?nId=358#.U4TPoV6mCDU

Marte from MLR Photo shot Chris, Nette, Ralph and Ned’s award winning home for us recently, situated in the ever-popular ‘Bellenden Village’, Peckham.

We were proud to announce back in May that this project won the Domestic Retrofit category at the GreenBuild Awards 2014. It’s been a very successful year having had the house shortlisted for the AJRetrofit Awards 2013, theRetroExpo Awards 2013, and the CIBSE Awards 2014.

Chris can be spotted gleefully holding the award if you look closely enough!

Final shots on their way very soon!

Our project at Barmouth Road, Wandsworth for the Caccavale’s has officially been accredited with achieving the EnerPHit standard of energy efficiency AND it’s the first of its type in London!!

Here are the guys being shot for Passive House Plus Magazine holding their EnerPHit plaque.

The light feature we have designed for a double-height space is nearing completion. With it’s first coat of Flamingo Fun now on and the LED diffuser strips being installed, this ‘industrial chandelier’ will very soon be making a very bold statement, in a very spacious living room.

Make My Home Green, whose mission is to make UK homes warm, comfortable and energy efficient, has assessed our warehouse retrofit in West London.

Their energy Assessors are fully qualified, insured and accredited by National Energy Services (NES/NHER), and BRE, two of the UK’s leading professional accreditation bodies.

Upgrading the efficiency of an existing dwelling can be a complex process, and the results are influenced by a homeowner’s aspiration and budget, as well as the building’s suitability to various improvements.

Below is a basic summary of measures we installed in this warehouse retrofit, and above is an infographic depicting outline stats:

 Existing un-insulated roof deck: 100mm PIR between new joists and 52.5mm PIR below joists

Existing un-insulated solid external brick walls: 62.5mm insulated plasterboard

Existing poorly-insulated external timber-frame walls: 100mm PIR between studs and 52.5mm PIR behind studs

Existing single glazed crittal windows: Single glazing replaced with double glazing

Existing un-insulated window reveals: Spacetherm PP Panels dot and dab bonded (9.5mm Plasterboard/6mm Plywood/10mm Aerogel)

Internal Heating and Power Upgrades:

Removal of 2No. air conditioning units

Timer + thermostats – separate for hot water and heating

All separate heating zones (5 for UFH on first floor; 1 zone for second floor; 1 zone for hot water)

Thermostat with ‘night set back’ for heating

Timer for radiators and towers rails, all with TRVs

Boiler has an internal load compensator

The Passivhaus Trust – the leading international low energy, design standard – have just written about our 120 year old terraced house which has been successfully retrofitted to the EnerPHit standard.

Check it out here:

http://www.passivhaustrust.org.uk/news/detail/?nId=358#.U4TPoV6mCDU

Nicola and Paddy’s place in Hounslow – passed at Appeal by the National Planning Inspectorate – has just been snapped by Orde Eliason from Link Photographers. 

Pop back soon to see his (far more) professional shots soon!

“I’ve actually been working with an architectural firm, Alexander Owen, which has made me an incredible custom-built shoe wardrobe. It uses mechanical car parts, it’s amazing.”

In an interview with Drapers Magazine – the fashion industry’s business bible – our client and footwear designer Cleo Barbour talks about ‘cracking into the industry, colour-shy customers and moving into her teen idol’s flat’.

Alexander Owen gets a mention, as does the shoe wardrobe we designed for her as part of her complete warehouse retrofit project!

We are proud to announce that the project we designed for Parity Projects in Peckham has won the Domestic Retrofit category at the GreenBuild Awards 2014.

This comes at the end of a very successful year having had the  house shortlisted for the AJRetrofit Awards 2013, theRetroExpo Awards 2013, and the CIBSE Awards 2014.

One of the great things about the GreenBuild Awards is that the judges really concentrate on actual performance, and the house’s outstanding results, as well as Parity’s transparency in terms of prices and ongoing bills must have impressed them!

HAPPY DAYS!

These beautiful creations by Lee Broom are about to feature in a scheme nearing completion.

Incredible objects in their own right, they throw wonderful light forms onto their surroundings adding depth and visual texture to any space.

Thanks Mr Broom!

We understand that design is complex – both a pragmatic process as well as a conceptual exercise – but we aim to make our design process as easy and stress-free for our clients as possible.

Recognised industry work stages organise the process of briefing, designing, constructing, maintaining, operating and using buildings into a number of key stages. The content of these stages may vary or overlap to suit specific project requirements, however our process is underpinned by 4 principle actions – ANALYSE / DESIGN / DETAIL / BUILD.

Why not take a look at our SERVICES page to find out more about how we work.