The world has changed so we thought we should too!
We are passionate about changing with the times - and this was the driving force in our decision to rebrand and rethink our visual identity and our website
Why rebrand? Why change? Why now? What does the rebrand signify?
Change
We have all lived through tremendous change over the past 18 months. Life is not how we knew it. The graver side of recent events notwithstanding, there is a symmetry and a bright side that has accompanied the pandemic. For one, it has made us think more soulfully about others, we are all much more sensitive to our planet and our effect on it, family almost universally has become more important, and more generally, we’ve been sharply reminded that our relationships with each other and how we interact is of the utmost importance.
People
People are at the heart of what we do. People have always been central to our firm and representing our culutre and our ethos has been very much what the rebrand has been about. The dedication of our staff and the support of our clients, friends and collaborators has meant we have thrived and prospered through the pandemic. Despite a few bumps we have not only survived, but have grown to a firm of over 60 extremely talented and dedicated people in London – and some at home in Europe who sadly can’t get back on account of Brexit.
Projects
We feel absolutely priveledged working on a huge array of exciting the projects in the studio. They include: sensitive west London urban infill’s that are essays in crafted materiality, residential projects that help intensify the suburbs, hotel projects across Germany and also in Austria and Italy, inspiring timber framed office projects in Milan that are about to kick-off, a tall commercial office tower that saves 900 tonnes of steel, and finally, a whole new precinct in Rome for Bloomberg’s C-40 Cities programme which is carbon negative and contributes positively to that city - not just in spatial and accommodation terms but also in the energy it creates.
Environment
The planet, our environment and 'care for the earth' are the central drivers for all of our projects, an attitude that has been accelerated by our shared recent experiences and is only set to continue.
These drivers are some of the reasons why chose to refresh our brand identity and website. It is a change that reflects the changes in the world, the maturing of our business, our passion, our people and the breath of our work we are priveledged to work on. We believe we are in a phase of tremendous change for good, ad there is no better time to be an architecture firm - with all of the excitement and optimism that lies ahead.
Architects are like opera singers - they need to sing (design), act (build) and look good (run a business) Peter Murray OBE
Peter Murray OBE, Founder & Curator in Chief of the NLA, kindly agreed to say a few words to open the party for our relaunch, making a moving speech about our firm, the wider growth and changes in architecture, and the challenges that await. Peter also heralded the need for the triumvirate of design skill, teamwork and business acumen - and how an architecture requires possession of all of these essential skills - much like opera singers who combine the whole package of vocal talent, acting and stage presence. We were honoured to welcome Peter as our guest for the evening, he is a tireless champion for London and its built environment – and was awarded an OBE in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours for leadership in the arts, architecture, city planning, design, publication and charity.
AFK- the 'next chapter' film
The final part of our rebranding launch was the commissioning of a short film by artist John Gould to express our passion and experience, as well as to capture the values and culture of our firm which can be seen below: