architecture, design and urban design

Trade Bodies / Associations

Architects registration board
Royal Institute of British Architects
Advisor to the Conservation Advisory Action Group LBTH

Specialist Services

we are exceptional at design we give every project great thought
THE PRACTICE:
Chris Dyson Architects provide a range of architectural services with design and construction projects both in the UK and abroad. The practice is lead by Chris Dyson, is staffed by a team of talented and experienced architects, committed to imaginative and elegant architecture irrespective of the scale of the project. The practice has a wide range of expertise including one off houses, commercial developments and a wide range of public and arts related buildings. We often work alongside specialist consultants; we can be involved in a wide range of project scales whilst maintaining a very personal integrated approach. The practice is interested in creating buildings of the highest architectural quality, maximizing the potential brief and location. We take pride in delivering a very high standard of design that is presented in a form which is easily accessible to professionals and lay people alike.

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:
The Practice pursues an integrated approach to sustainable urban planning and design of low energy buildings. We focus on projects that will make a difference to communities and the environment. This ethos informs all our work from master plans through to medium and small architectural projects. On urban projects, an integrated approach leads distinctive form, and on architectural projects, close consideration of the nature of each specific brief and its environment leads to responsive design solutions.

Open minds:
We approach each project with out preconception, we are led by the site and the clients needs. Each project tends to be unique in form and function. We are interested in elegant and original design concepts with particular care given to context, culture and environmental issues. We have deliberately not over specialised by building type and continue to expand the range and depth of our expertise. To each new type we have bought high ambition and fresh ideas focused on the people who use, operate and experience the buildings.
Sense of place:
As architects we pride ourselves in having a sense of place. When we approach somewhere we are planning to build we are looking about the place all the time searching for clues, at the sky, the changing light, at the materials around us and how they relate to the subsoil beneath us.
Buildings change a place, they become part of its history and new buildings carry forward this continuum. So our intentions become emblematic of purpose and place, by the time we come to them they are already a part of the landscape. Since most of our work is within the city context we frequently meet the demands and difficulties that accompany this work particularly within historic sites.
Art:
We aim to create simple poetic spaces and sculptural qualities that are enhanced by the use of material and the play of light. We achieve a humanizing quality within our buildings by the use of interlocking spatial sequences particularly between the interior and exterior of our buildings. Periodically we collaborate with artists as key members of our design team.
Detail:
The detailing and construction of projects is a function not only of the need to keep out the elements also a conscious attempt to exploit the tangible and spiritual qualities of each material. The use of stone, brick, render, timber or metal, the material quality will make a significant contribution to the final quality and character of the building.

PRACTICE:
We aspire to an imaginative combination of technology and tradition. We are eminent as 'Design' architects, fully involved in all phases and aspects of the work. Excellence requires integrity and control of the design process from concept through detailing and construction. The practice has considerable experience working in large, complex design projects and has designed and managed projects at a variety of scales.

Trading Since

2003