Our studio is located in the market town of Malton, nestled between the North York Moors National Park, Howardian Hills AONB, Yorkshire Wolds and the Yorkshire coast. We are surrounded by protected landscapes and our practice has cultivated a deep and broad understanding of what it means to be an architect working in this environment. We are continually learning and adapting, we are working closely with the NYMNP Conservation and Planning Team on a number of barn conversions and listed building projects to advance new (old) techniques in the repair of historic buildings and we hope to share some further thoughts on this in future posts.
Despite working in such protected environments we find it an incredibly creative place to practice architecture. There is an incredible richness to our daily commute from the romantic rolling pastures and honey stone villages of the Howardian Hills, to the frugal expanse of the high moors and the wild and rugged North Sea coast. The vernacular response to the varying landscapes is clearly evident in the layout and materiality of the buildings we encounter. It is an inspiring place to be an architect and our Malton office is the perfect location for this.
The work of our studio is unique to the many environments we encounter, our architecture evolves from a deep understanding of the local context and a creative expression of the aspirations and requirements of our clients. We create elegant and finely crafted buildings with a focus on robust detailing and the use of materials that form a dialogue with the local environment, if sometimes this dialogue is in the form of a contrast.
We like to think our approach adds richness to the existing built heritage and our buildings form a dialogue with the landscape and the built form. Even a building as contemporary as our recently approved Paragraph 79 house on the edge of Ampleforth in North Yorkshire. The design is clearly contemporary, forming a relationship with its elevated position and the views afforded to the wider landscape. As a house for a pilot and a weaver, its form and materiality express something unique about who commissioned this piece of architecture. In the true spirit of Paragraph 79 they push the boundaries of the architectural design in the English Country House tradition.
We create unique and inspiring places for people to live and our skill as architects is weaving the threads of the wider environment and landscape with our clients’ needs. We are passionate about good design and enjoy working with bold and creative clients who see the value of our design.