DETAILS, Vol 4, City of London & Clerkenwell

If there’s one thing we’ve learned makes better buildings, it’s empathy. Architecture never happens in isolation—and simply by being interested and engaged, we’ve found it’s possible to open up the conversations that connect a scheme to its clients and community.

We believe that the more constraints there are, the better the architecture. If there aren’t any constraints, we create them. Challenging sites, existing buildings and complex briefs almost always present incredible opportunities for great design.

To limit our environmental impact, we start with what is already there. By manipulating the form and fabric of a building—whether new or existing—we can work with the existing conditions of topography, light and orientation, and harness the natural energy sources offered by air, ground and water.

If a site’s constraints guide the bigger design decisions, then it’s empathy that informs the smaller, social details. These details frame the human narratives that aren’t included in the brief, anticipating specific moments in the users’ lives.

Good architecture is as much about what happens on the building site as it is about what’s on the drawing board. By working alongside contractors as well as clients we can ring-fence the ideas and details that matter, championing quality and sustainability throughout construction.

Curl la Tourelle Head

Work Studio Activity News Contact

Publication

Details vol. 4
City of London & Clerkenwell

Specification

130 × 170mm
272pp, ×17 16pp folded booklets
Individually printed 1 colour offset

Available at

The series continues with a larger selection of illustrated architectural details from the City of London and Clerkenwell areas. The fourth volume in the series explores the changing face of the City in light of more modern architectural and engineering techniques, from Sir John Soane's Bank of England to the post-modernist gem that is No. 1 Poultry.

This Details series lead to a series of talks at the Sir John Soane's Museum, featured in Architecture Today with guest speakers including Professor Charles Holland, Architect Elly Ward, and Foster and Partners' Armstong Yakubu.