Inside Open House Architecture: An interview with founder John
What inspired you to take the leap and start your own practice?
I think I’d reached a stage in my professional life where I wasn’t happy with the type of work I was doing. I realised that I was on a career trajectory which would gradually take me away from designing things and move me towards more of a management role. Being a designer wasn’t something I was willing to give up in order to become an Associate or Director in a larger practice – ironic given my intention upon leaving school was to become an army officer! Setting up on my own avoids that management trajectory and it allows me to really niche down and focus on the elements of design I think are most important.
How would you describe the core philosophy or design ethos that your practice is built around?
Design has to start with people, not style. Looking at how people demarcate and use space was the thing that got me into Architecture in the first place and I have tried to always focus on the detail of clients’ daily lives. My own personal preference will always lean towards designs which are simple, elegant and allow craftsmanship to shine through; I suppose this is one of the reasons I’ve naturally gravitated towards working with historic buildings. I’m really interested in how our environments can affect us and a lot of my research has influenced how I design. Light levels, both natural and artificial, are really important for me and I tend to design rooms where light levels can be altered to match in with day/night cycles and circadian rhythms. There’s a huge body of scientific evidence about bright light in the evening affecting your sleep patterns to I tend not to put big overhead lights in my house designs!
What kind of projects are you most excited to work on, and why?
I love working on residential projects, particularly where there’s a historic context. I suppose my dream commission would be something like a new build house in a sensitive rural setting or a modern extension of a historic building. That being said, sometimes just remodelling a room to make it a place designed around the needs of the owners is immensely satisfying.
Can you tell me about a moment or project that solidified your confidence to go independent?
I was made redundant during the Covid-19 pandemic but managed to get a job working with a small practice down near Matlock, James Boon Associates. One of the big projects I worked on throughout my time there was the restoration of a Grade II* listed former station, Wingfield Station. The buildings were derelict and on the Heritage-At-Risk register and I was initially in charge of producing all of the technical drawings for the reconstruction of the roof structures. Following the completion of my professional exams to become an Architect, I was made the Project Architect for the second phase of the works which saw the internal refurbishment of the buildings. Working as the Project Architect on this job solidified my belief that I had the job running skills to allow me to set up on my own but I was worried that I didn’t have the business skills to successfully run a practice. I left James Boon Architects just under two years ago and have spent the time since then developing my understanding the business side of Architecture. In my last job, I was primarily working with volume housebuilders so was able to glean a lot of knowledge of the differing commercial approaches to construction and through networking events I was able to meet a lot of industry professionals like financiers and project managers who I wouldn’t have necessarily met had I continued to work in a smaller setting.
Who or what influences your approach to architecture, both within the discipline and beyond it?
I’m always impressed by Architects and designers who can imbue their designs with a particular atmosphere. I think people like Peter Zumthor and John Pawson are really good at doing this, but I also think that creating a sense of place is really import. My favourite building is the house that charcoal burner Ben Law built for himself in the woodland he owned; it’s not a fancy building but it’s so considered – there’s not an ounce of ‘fat’ on the design – and it’s built from a limited palette of materials which are locally sourced. A similar house that I came to during my Diploma studies was the house Australian Architect Rick Leplastrier designed for himself and his family. Again, it was minimal, adapted to its location and build around his and his family’s needs. Beyond Architecture, I’m really interested in human health and performance and how these can affect and be affected by the built environment. I’m also a huge science fiction fan, especially things like cyberpunk where you get this love/hate symbiosis between human and technology. I think this is a really interesting thing to explore as we’re increasingly integrating technology into our lives and it’s important to understand the potential ramifications of this – both good and bad.
How do you hope your practice will stand out in today’s architectural landscape?
I want Open House Architecture to be able to provide an enhanced design service which looks beyond the building elements or building style and really focuses on giving people a tangibly better living environment. I know there are some practices out there that have already focussed on wellbeing but I really want it to be the core of what I can offer to people. If you take something like, say, Passivhaus, it’s a great approach to building but it’s kind of focussed on producing a low energy building that has the additional benefits of providing thermal comfort and good indoor air quality. I want to flip that around so we start at a place of providing good indoor air quality, thermal comfort, natural daylight etc. and then look at how we can reduce energy consumption – it sounds like semantics but I think starting with the people and working outwards is best way to get good results.
What have been some of the unexpected challenges (or joys) of launching your own studio so far?
Gosh, that’s a tough question. I think there have been a lot of expected challenges but unexpected ones, hmm. I think one of the most unexpected challenges has actually been in trying to convey to people how I design and what I want to do. I’m very passionate about all the things I’ve described to you, and I get really excited and animated when I talk about them so I didn’t really anticipate struggling with designing different ways of showing and describing this to people. A lot of the things I’m really interested are quite intangible so they’re difficult to convey in an Instagram or Facebook post. Yeah, I suppose I also didn’t fully appreciate how much effort needs to go into producing really good social media content and the volume required!
How do you approach building relationships—with clients, collaborators, and the community?
I’ve been quite lucky in the respect that because I have been working for so long and in a variety of different practices, I’ve gotten to know quite a broad range of different construction professionals. I tend to find that if I’m doing business-to-business networking then it’s never the person I meet who need work doing but rather they will mention us to one of their clients, so I look to build strong professional contacts and generally try to be an amiable and interesting person! Referrals for the type of architecture Open House Architecture does almost always come by word-of-mouth, either from previous clients or friends. As such, we’re only as good as our last project so it’s really important for us to make sure we consistently deliver a high quality service. As I mentioned to you in the last question, we’re trying very hard to create an online community which is interested in and shares our approach to design. I personally take great pride in being a ‘thinking’ Architect and I try to bring people on board by providing them with ideas which provoke thoughts and discussion.
What kind of legacy or long-term impact do you hope your practice will have?
[Laughs] I think it’s way too early to begin to think about legacy. I remember when I was in the first year of my bachelor’s degree, I got speaking with a final year student who was setting up his degree show. As we were discussing his work and what kinds of architecture I was interested in he said to me, “You know, when we start Architecture, we all want to be the next Le Corbusier, and by the finish we just want to get a job”. He was speaking in 2011 at the height of the credit crunch, but his words have always stayed with me. I think I’d be happy at the end of my career to know that I’ve designed a series of places which have made peoples’ lives better. In the same way as sometimes I look at historic building and think “they’ve built this really well”, I think it would be nice if someone in 300 years said the same about my designs.
When you’re not thinking about architecture, what brings you joy or helps you recharge?
I suppose it’s expected for someone who’s architecture practice is focussed on health and wellbeing, but I love exercise. I’m a keen distance runner and completed my first ultramarathon last September; it’s a great way of getting me out and into nature. Strength training also forms a big part of my exercise time -there’s loads of really good scientific literature about it helping to maintain muscle mass and bone density as we age but that’s a rabbit hole that’s probably best left for another time. As I said earlier I’m a massive science fiction fan so I spend quite a lot of time reading and watching films in the evenings. I’m the main cook in my household and I enjoy making interesting dishes to feed the family on the weekends. My wife and I really enjoy eating out when we can although that’s often baby/dog sitter dependant!