Our client is an arts centre, constrained by their existing capacity, with a strong desire to increase their accessibility and presence in the city centre. The media centre is part of the arts centre: a teaching hub that provides professional facilities for local digital artists, animators and filmmakers.

The latest phase of the project is focused on re-building the media centre. The effect of the building on its area is profound, and we consider that any changes that are made should be done so with full regard to context and potential in that part of Exeter City and beyond.

An orthogonal drawing of a stair - dimensioned for construction

3D visuals of a stair - note the risers are replaced by bicycle spokes - open risers would not be permissible, but this design allows light to penetrate and would create intricate shading effects

In the event, this particular stair will not be commissioned for this job, but the staircase is a complete entity, and the ideas that are developed in its design will live another day.

Meanwhile, internal spaces are taking shape beautifully, including the stair well itself:

The stairwell connecting first floor to top storey. The new rooflight throws natural light down in the centre of the house very effectively.

The top storey has plaster and paint on the walls, and the new office is turning out so well, it is at risk of being co-opted in to a bedroom.

This will be a wonderful office - or perhaps a bedroom??

The kitchen / dining / lounge area, divided by level changes, curved walls and other devices is tantalising: enclosure and construction is nearly complete, and we just want to see those finishes!

Structural columns, sunken lounge, curved walls, huge glazed areas, this house has it all!

External detailing is crisp and considered - check the sloping brick cill - hand cut on site. Velfac windows are beautifully simple, as are the thin overhanging eaves.

And so we soldier on. Sometimes it feels like it is taking forever, ( it’s not) but like all good things, it will be well worth waiting for..

Having renovated their traditional farmhouse to become a modern home, the client was looking to extend their living space but converting an adjacent outbuilding. Earlier works refurbished the farmhouse to a crisp finish. The barn conversion had to hit a similar contemporary note, and the two buildings were linked by a new hall, constructed from a palette of modern contrasting materials; timber, white render and glass, and the barn has been opened up with extensive windows looking out to the countryside.

The new hall was also presented a new front door, emphasised and celebrated by the a cranked bridge over a pool. High quality finishes are employed throughout, and contemporary, simple detailing constructed from hand made timber joinery, robust galvanized rainwater goods and the like.

This scheme won the Local Authority South West’s award for best home extension in 2010.

The design was developed from a sketch, from which a plan emerged with a great economy of scale, with no space wasted in circulation. It could be a holiday home by the sea or on a mountain top, or indeed a family home.

The site that it was designed for overlooks the Exe estuary, taking advantage of the sloping topography to frame views of this unique wildlife habitat. The house could be clad in natural materials that would mellow and blend in to the landscape, and the crispness and efficiency of the plan is timeless.

The bold form of house is conceived through a modular design, which would allow for the building fabric to be constructed off-site in a controlled environment, simplifying the on-site construction, reducing costs and carbon emissions in construction.