Darren has been invited to join in a conversation with the acclaimed writer and journalist Owen Hatherley, discussing Urban Design in Southampton; the city’s past, present and future – secure your tickets here.
Date: Wednesday 27th August Time: 5-9pm Location: God’s House Tower, Town Quay Road, SO14 2NY
The special evening of inspiring conversation between the two will discuss their thoughts on urban design in Southampton, looking at how design can inspire the spirit of a place and create a liveable city for the future. Following the conversation, an open Q&A will take place, additionally the summer exhibition ‘Our Coffers Were Emptied to Pay for Your Pleasures’ by Josie Turnbull will be open to all.
We look forward to seeing you at the event to join the discussion. Do check out Owen Hatherley’s extraordinary story of the Solent City plan.
There was a lot to celebrate this past month, getting an industry award win and our Courtyard House breaking ground onsite in the New Forest. We have also shared a recent article, where we discuss what ‘future proofing’ really means in design. To make sure you don’t miss out on future practice news, sign up to our mailing list here.
Award Celebration
We are absolutely thrilled to have won Architectural Practice of the Year at The Business Magazine South Coast Property Awards.
In the words of the judges, we were chosen“for (our) excellence in community engagement, regional contribution, andenvironmental integration. The ‘listen first’ approach, adaptive designs, andcommitment to reusing existing structures set a benchmark for sustainable,community-focused architecture rooted in local identity and long-term impact”. Read more here.
Groundbreaking in the New Forest
We celebrate the groundbreaking at the Courtyard House, a new build contemporary home located in Burley in the heart of the New Forest.
Due to issues around retrofitting the previous property, as it was so poorly constructed and not at all energy efficient, it was decided to replace the building with a modern home designed around a series of courtyards – full project details here.
Future Proofing in Design
The term ‘future proofing’ is often used when describing the design of a house, or adaptations that have been made to a property, but do you know what it really means and who it intends to benefit?
In a recent article we answer some FAQ’s and explain why future proofing your home is important and apprropriate for everyone, read them here.
This month we are celebrating the groundbreaking at the Courtyard House; a new build contemporary home located in Burley, at the heart of the New Forest National Park.
The design of the replacement dwelling offers a greatly improved spatial plan for the tight, elongated site. The scheme enhances the site constraints, by organising the internal spaces around two cut-outs made in the form of courtyards, breaking up the linear nature of the single storey home.
Due to issues around retrofitting the previous property, as it was so poorly constructed and not at all energy efficient, it was decided that it was better way forward to replace the building rather than renovating.
We are absolutely thrilled to have won Architectural Practice of the Year at The Business Magazine South Coast Property Awards. It was such an honour to be recognised in this way, especially considering the very tough competition in the category, without the incredible passion and commitment of our truly talented team, this would just not possible.
In the words of the judges, we were chosen “for (our) excellence in community engagement, regional contribution, and environmental integration. The ‘listen first’ approach, adaptive designs, and commitment to reusing existing structures set a benchmark for sustainable, community-focused architecture rooted in local identity and long-term impact”.
This is such an achievement as we are still a small practice, just at the start of our journey after six amazing years in business. A huge thank you, goes out to our amazing clients, consultants, contractors and collaborators, that trust us to deliver projects.
Over this last month, we have been enjoying the full lifecycle of our work, from received professional photography of our completed Brockenhurst House, starting construction work in earnest onsite at the Regency Villa, and we have secured planning permission at St Margaret’s Church for the next stage of the scheme.
Professional photography of Brockenhurst House was completed this month, capturing the transformation of a distinctive 1970s chalet-style property on the edge of Brockenhurst, in the heart of the New Forest National Park.
When the owners originally purchased the house, they had a clear vision: to reimagine the aging structure as their ideal lifelong home, one that would gracefully support the evolving needs of later life without compromising on beauty, sustainability, or design integrity.
Regency Villa Progress
Strip-out works have begun in earnest this month at the Regency Villa—the messy but essential phase where unsympathetic modern additions are carefully removed, revealing the building’s original structure.
As the process unfolds, glimpses of the property’s original character are beginning to emerge, offering a first look at the historic fabric beneath.
Following the success of Phase 1, which transformed the near-derelict building into a vibrant community hub, this next phase focuses on the addition of a contemporary entrance porch, designed to further strengthen its connection with the local community.
This month has seen the construction start in earnest on our Regency Villa project, located in central Southampton, Hampshire. At this early stage, the focus is on carefully stripping back the modern alterations; carefully removing incongruous additions, taking internal stud partitions out, and clearing out the poorly built extension, to reveal the bones of the original period property.
This four-storey listed townhouse, originally built circa 1835, has lost much of its former grandeur over the years, something we are aiming to restore through this deep renovation and reimagining. Most recently, the property had been converted into a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), which obscured much of the original character and has compromised the proportions of its rooms.
We’re thoroughly enjoying site visits at this point in the project. It’s exciting to see what the talented team at Tuakana is uncovering, such as original floorboards that had been covered over, and concealed, fireplaces. With the modern partitions removed, we can now fully appreciate the true dimensions of each room. Standing in these newly opened spaces and witnessing the natural light interact with the architecture is genuinely inspiring.
Our design vision is to return the house to a single-family dwelling, one that celebrates its period features while introducing a contemporary glass extension to the rear. The result will be a comfortable, elegant home that brings together the history of the home with the comforts of modern living.
Get in touch if you have a project you would like to discuss with the design team.
