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, the scheme will begins to feel more like a home and less like a building site.
Internally, the house feels spacious and filled with natural light, something we have worked incredibly hard to achieve on this narrow site. The internal courtyards, carefully cut into the building form, respond to the constraints of the elongated plot by drawing daylight deep into the plan and strengthening the connection between inside and out.
We look forward to sharing further updates as this New Forest residential project continues to take shape.
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.
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 reviewed the condition, layout, and long-term potential of the church’s built assets, with the aim of ensuring the property continues to support both the congregation and the wider community in a sustainable and meaningful way. We look forward to sharing more updates from the scheme as the design develops, to see more details about the project click here.
Brick Pavillion Planning Submitted
We have submitted our designs that reimagine the Brick Pavillion located in Priory Park, Chichester, West Sussex.
Working with Chichester Community Development Trust (CDT) we have explored the potential and redevelopment of this locally significant building which has been vacant, and neglected for years. Our designs look to transform the building into a vibrant community facility, integrating the pavilion with the existing park amenities. For more details of the scheme, click here.
RIBA Hampshire
Darren was invited to take part in the RIBA Hampshire Lecture series, as part of their ‘Lightning Talks’ session alongside five other Hampshire based practices.
During the event, each speaker was giving a short time to deliver a concise talk explaining how small moves have generated big impact in their projects. Darren discussed the work Studio BAD delivered at St Margaret’s Church in Portsmouth, reinterpreting the church building to drawing people to reengage with this incredible building – read more about the project here.
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.’
