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 improved spatial plan for the tight, elongated site, with two cut-outs made in the form of courtyards to break up the linear nature of the single storey home. Each of the internal courtyard offers private moments to pause, enhancing the sense of space without increasing the footprint of the dwelling.
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
In this months roundup, we’re pleased to share highlights from Darren’s recent talk at the RIBA conference, the opening of our Winchester art installation, and the exciting news of our award win for Brockenhurst House.
Darren was invited to present at this years RIBA Guerrilla Tactics conference themed “The DNA of Practice: Shaping Identity Beyond the Portfolio,” explored what defines a practice’s true identity beyond its built work.
His talk was titled, “Making Meaning: Communicating Practice Values with Clarity and Confidence”, reflecting on his own experiences as founder of Studio BAD nearly seven years ago, and the importance of establishing and staying true to a set of guiding principles that underpin every aspect of our work. You can read more about the event here.
Architecture Award Win
We are absolutely thrilled to have won the ‘Best Architect for an Extension Project’ at this year’s Build It Awards for our Brockenhurst House project. The design has taken a tired 1970’s chalet home set within the New Forest National Park, and transformed it into a stunning, contemporary home to perfectly suit the clients’ needs.
The brief had been to extend and reimagine the property, to deliver a low energy home that could support the owners evolving needs, while remaining true to principles of beauty, sustainability, and architectural integrity, elevating everyday living while responding to change. You can read more details about the project here.
Art Installation Opens
We were delighted to attend the official opening of Allegra Ambition Installation this month, a project that delivers a free-to-use outdoor fitness space and sculptural seating area beside the Winchester Sports Centre at Garrison Ground, Hampshire. Our design was selected as the winner of the public art competition for the charity, Allegra’s Ambition.
Lucy Whittome, Trustee of Allegra’s Ambition, stated about the design:
“We have tried to create something truly special here. It is a place that welcomes people and children of all ages to gather, sit, play, and exercise, with a focus on calisthenics.”
We are absolutely thrilled to have won the ‘Best Architect for an Extension Project’ at this year’s Build It Awards for our Brockenhurst House project.
The design has taken the tired 1970’s chalet home, and transformed it into a stunning, contemporary home to perfectly suit our clients’ needs. Their ambition was to extend and reimagine the property to deliver a home that could support their evolving needs, while remaining true to principles of beauty, sustainability, and architectural integrity.
The result is a refined, low energy home that champions passive solar design, natural materials, and renewable technologies, demonstrating how thoughtful architecture can elevate everyday living while responding to environmental challenges.
Our client stated;
‘From our very first meeting with Darren and Studio BAD team, it was clear that we had found someone who was listening and importantly hearing our ideas, priorities, and intentions. As we are of a mature age and this is to be our forever home. A warm and comfortable, accessible, and environmentally responsible property was our goal and with Studio BAD’s design and assistance we have been able to score it. ‘We are delighted with our completed home and are able to enjoy life without worrying about changing situations regarding aging, mobility and access etc.’
We were delighted to attend the official opening of Allegra Ambition Installation this week, a project that delivers a free-to-use outdoor fitness space and sculptural seating area beside the Winchester Sports Centre at Garrison Ground, Hampshire.
Our design was selected as the winner of the public art competition run by SPUD, seamlessly integrating the charity’s ‘finish line’ logo into a series of organic sculptural forms. These pieces combine art, sculpture, gym equipment, and seating into one cohesive and beautiful installation. Constructed from timber of varying heights, the design creates a tactile and inviting space that encourages visitors to sit, climb, or work out.
Lucy Whittome, Trustee of Allegra’s Ambition, said:
“We have tried to create something truly special here. It is a place that welcomes people and children of all ages to gather, sit, play, and exercise, with a focus on calisthenics.”
Cllr Sudhakar Achwal, Mayor of Winchester, added:
“The gym is a wonderful tribute to Allegra, who spent much of her childhood playing and training on the fields at Bar End… Allegra’s Gym stands as a living legacy, a joyful place for the community to meet, gather, exercise, and play together, just as she once enjoyed doing.
“I would like to warmly congratulate you and your team for bringing this project from conception to reality, the result is exceptional.”
Allegra’s Ambition, a charity established in memory of Allegra Whittome, works to enable, engage, and empower young people to reach their potential through participation in sport.
This week, I had the pleasure of spending an inspiring day at the RIBA in London, taking part in this year’s Guerrilla Tactics event, their annual conference dedicated to supporting small and medium-sized architectural practices. The theme for this year, “The DNA of Practice: Shaping Identity Beyond the Portfolio,” explored what defines a practice’s true identity beyond its built work.
I was delighted to be invited to present my talk, “Making Meaning: Communicating Practice Values with Clarity and Confidence.” In this talk, I reflected on my own experiences of founding Studio BAD nearly seven years ago, and the importance of establishing and staying true to a set of guiding principles that underpin every aspect of our work.
When Studio BAD was first founded, I identified a handful of key principles that continue to shape our approach today, including:
Social and community engagement, Reimagining buildings, Creating change-makers, 21st-century practice, and Being ‘light’ responsive and fleet of foot.
Last year, as we celebrated six years in practice, we took the opportunity to pause and reflect on how we’ve evolved. This period of introspection helped us analyse our ethos and distil it into six essential strands that remain true to our original DNA: To Listen; To Reflect; To Understand; To Imagine; To Act; To Realise.(You can read more about our design commitment here.)
My talk centred on the power of establishing an authentic identity, that is built on belief, the importance of narrative, encouraging diversity, and above all, not following the crowd.
Professional photo credit: Karla Gowlett Photography
