About Chris
I get excited about the design of things, how they go together, how they work, what they look like and why. Obviously, buildings but also anything else that has been designed to serve a purpose. Some things just end up looking great when the only consideration is what it has to do but most of the time some thought has to go into how to make it look nice as well as work well. I love the fact that especially in the field of architecture, you start with nothing (or worse!) and end up with something that (should) bring joy to whomever is using it.
My background is a bit potted but am sure has all played a part in why I do what I do now. Very briefly; I grew up in Germany (I’m sure some of that features in the processes of what I do – as well as my dad being a computer programmer), moved to the UK, went to a few schools, went to uni, where my architectural interest really started. Following uni, I spent a few years working in an architect’s office but was lured to volume housebuilders, both to learn about development at a larger scale and because the pay was better.
After about a decade, I realised that although I had learned a lot and it was very interesting, I yearned for something more intimate, which is how I ended up working for a bespoke house builder. The recession hit, I was made redundant, there were no jobs, so I started Artichoke, on a laptop with a printer in the corner of my son’s bedroom. Nearly ten years later, I’m now lucky enough to have an office at the end of the garden and to be working with some great people, including, most importantly the clients that choose to put their faith in us to help them realise their needs.
I’m lucky, although work is hugely challenging and not always easy, it is great fun and I love what I do but this also has to be balanced with family and leisure time. I spend most of my spare time out with my family walking around interesting places or having turned 40 a few years ago, wearing lycra and pedalling around Berkshire with my fellow M.A.M.I.L.S. Squeezing all the things I like doing into the left-over time isn’t easy but I also like singing and sailing.
About Adrian
I am the newest member of the Artichoke team.
With an old head on older shoulders I embrace the Artichoke ethos of testing ideas till they break and enjoying working with the team and the practice’s clients.
Having worked on a whole range of projects over the last 20 year, in various sectors I bring a huge amount of site and contractual experience to the studio along with a passion for making things work or work better!
With a somewhat excessive collection of classic sneakers I enjoy all things creative with a fondness of architecture from the 40s to the 70s.
Outside of work I can be found trying to keep up with a very young family and finding time to complete all my Lego Architecture models (whilst making sure little hands don’t remove the crucial pieces).
About Emma
Chris (my husband) wouldn’t be able to do any of anything he does without me. This is why I help with the accounts and administration at Artichoke. Really I like collecting old things and breathing life and style back into them by upcycling them, which is what I do when I’m not in the office. It’s really an excuse to be a hoarder and because I work at a charity furniture store we do end up with more furniture in the house than most people. This is also my hobby, along with crocheting, creative journals and tending to my veggie patch.
About Artichoke (and the Bin…)
We love design! We like being given the opportunity to consider the problems and to come up with ideas, which will be both functional and beautiful.
At artichoke, we believe that trust is probably the most essential parts of any relationship. Aside from the obvious mission to create beautiful things that fix a problem our basic business mission is to do a good job at a fair price and that the rest will (with some help from the team) take care of its self.
As you may see if you’ve read about the team, we’re all good at different things here. This works incredibly well as we will always be looking over each other’s shoulders and chipping in with comments, which consider different viewpoints and results in a much better design than with just one persons’ creativity and experience.
Our approach to design is neither to do as we think is best nor to do what our clients think is best but to explore a range of alternatives (sometimes radical), so that our clients can (with our advice) guide the project and design towards what will ultimately suit them the best. The key ingredients here are to look at the site and its surroundings and to listen and understand what the client needs and how they are likely to get the most value out of the building in the future.
The term value is of course very broad but it is critical to understand whether the client sees the project as a financial development or as a personal development or as in most cases, somewhere in between.
Although each of the team have their own design & stylistic preferences, as a practice we understand that our role is not to try and push any of our ideals; proportion, rhythm, scale, colour and texture apply whatever style you want to achieve. It is always a huge balancing act trying to avoid ‘trends’ in architecture, so our aim is always to try and design with how the building may be viewed in years to come.
and the bin…
You’re probably wondering what the bin is all about. Because we all live in such a ‘perfect world’ in most cases we think everything we do and are should be perfect all of the time. Because of this it’s ingrained into us that we shouldn’t make mistakes. Well, we think mistakes are okay. In fact, we think that if you’re trying different ways to solve a problem, it’s inevitable that once you have the best solution all the others will end up in the bin. The fuller your bin, the better the best solution is likely to be. The less afraid you are of making mistakes, the greater your creativity can be and we love creativity, So We love the bin!
If you want architectural advice,
call
01753 830 422 - Windsor
call
01753 830 422 - Windsor
01189 075 874 - Reading
07793 318 035 - Mobile