Blog

Securing Church Buildings Through Design

As a design practice, we are passionate about working with existing church buildings and using architecture as a catalyst for positive change. Through our experience with 20 + churches dotted across the UK, we have developed tailored design proposals for a wide range of denominations, settings and building types, each proposal responding to its own distinct challenges and opportunities. Our work focuses on bringing renewed life and long-term resilience to these extraordinary spaces. Many churches share common concerns: reducing maintenance costs, unlocking the potential of…
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Build It’s Best of Self Build & Renovation

We’re delighted to see Brockenhurst House featured in Build It’s Best of Self Build & Renovation supplement, which showcases the award-winning projects from the 2025 Build It Awards. Brockenhurst House was the winner of the Extensions & Renovation category. The judges praised the project for its beautifully detailed, fabric-first approach, highlighting how thoughtful design can be truly transformative, even within an average budget. The scheme reimagines a tired 1970s property as a contemporary, low-energy home. Carefully tailored to support the owners’ needs, the design incorporates…
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Courtyard House, January Project Update

We visited the Courtyard House site last week, located in the New Forest near the village of Burley, and were delighted to see that the building is now ‘watertight’; an important milestone in the construction process. With the glazing fully installed and the roof now tiled, the project is now completely enclosed and protected from the elements. This marks a key transition on site, allowing the construction team to move their focus to the internal works, including plumbing, electrics, and finishes. From this stage on,…
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January 2026 studio update

In this roundup, we’re pleased to start the year with news about our new Sheffield church project, update from the Brick Pavilion in Chichester, and details of Darren’s recent RIBA Hampshire lecture. To keep in touch with our news, you can sign up to the practice updates here.  Sheffield Church Development We are thrilled to have started to expand our reach, and are currently working on a comprehensive feasibility study for the existing buildings at St Thomas’s Church in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The study has…
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Progress at Courtyard House, New Forest

Update from our Courtyard House, the SIPs built new build home in the heart of the New Forest National Park. We are delighted with the positive progress on the build since we visited site a month ago. The scaffolding has now been removed, and we can now admire the architectural language and the lines of this contemporary home. Constructed using Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), the finished project will be an extremely high performing, low energy home. The design of the new home offers a greatly…
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RIBA Lecture ‘Lightning Talks’

Darren has been invited to take part in the RIBA Hampshire 2026 Lecture ‘Lightning Talks’ alongside five other Hampshire based practices. During the event, each speaker will be giving a short and concise talk explaining how small moves have generated big impact in their projects. Alongside Darren will be architects from; Anthony Munden Architects Hamilton Architects Keith Evans Architects Deniz Beck Architects Giles Architects You can book your ticket by visiting eventbrite site here.
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