We create buildings that tell stories and connect their site, activity and inhabitants through beautiful architecture. We believe that behind every beginning, no matter how unpromising, there is the potential for quality. Our approach is inspired by intensive research leading to responsible innovation. Our buildings are distinguished by high quality design and technical resolution, not formulas or style. Cengreen’s Residential design incorporates a broad understanding of security and shelter with the added touch of serenity. We create homes not houses. From single-family homes to multiple dwellings, residential design encompasses a broad understanding of what it means to be “at home.” Security, shelter, sociability and community are fundamental to them all. It’s a hugely important sector that’s about wellbeing and living for all ages. Designing a new home is perhaps one of the most intimate relationship an architect can have with a client. Each home is a collaboration between Cengreen and the client to the way our clients want to live, relax, socialise, eat and sleep. No two families are the same, and therefore no two homes are designed the same. In terms of a brief, we don’t ask for a list of rooms, we have a series of relaxed conversations about lifestyle, aspirations and plans for the future. Often our clients have been thinking about their ideal home for a long time and have collected scrapbooks of inspirational images. We use these as a basis for discussion to work out priorities and important aspects. For our clients, the whole process of making their dreams come true can be very engaging and emotional. Our privileged role as architects is to use our creative and technical expertise to exceed already high expectations.
A first principles approach to design creates imaginative, well thought out and robust solutions for the spaces our clients use. At Cengreen we always seek to understand the fundamental needs of our clients and users and develop proposals that not only meet their needs but also anticipate future changes in the workplace environment. To this end, we conduct our own research to gain first-hand knowledge that informs our design strategies. In the context of cost and environmental pressures, repurposing existing buildings has always been important but is likely to become even more relevant in the coming years. We try to understand the workplace of the future not by guessing, but by asking users what experiences they are looking for. Furniture, technology companies and design consultants are trying to determine what the workplace of the future will look like. The importance of wellbeing, the idea of blurring boundaries and the disruptive influence of technology are all cited as factors defining the workplace now and in the future.
Quality outdoor spaces, flexible accommodations, intuitive wayfinding, and environmental controls all contribute to a positive teaching, learning, and social development experience. As a practice, at Cengreen we are fascinated by exploring new teaching and learning environments. Our broad range of experienced engineers has enabled us to develop a specialist team in the design and delivery of exceptional academic facilities. Flexibility of spaces is a key requirement of modern education learning environments. Our projects can be a mixture of new build and refurbishment and illustrate the range and flexibility of spaces required in a modern higher education learning environment, all enlivened by the use of colour and materiality. Ultimately, all of our work, which we develop in close collaboration with our education clients, focuses on enhancing the student experience. This means creating exciting, vibrant and stimulating buildings that take the academic teaching and learning process seriously, whilst needing to be sustainable, affordable, robust and easy to maintain.
One of the most rewarding aspects of designing a building, place, or space is to see how it is interpreted and used by members of the public. In addition to commissions for individual clients with highly specific briefs, at Cengreen we enjoy projects that everyone can enjoy. These projects are open and democratic and are often publicly funded or supported by local authorities. Our role is to challenge and interpret a business case to ensure that all the ingredients of the bid are outstanding, yet balanced with discreet and effective service At Cengreen the theme of hospitality relates to many areas of our portfolio: from hotels, cafes and restaurants to university function rooms and social spaces. The common denominator is a comfortable but hard-working and profitable facility where special moments are created. Sometimes the design itself is the star, and other times we simply complement a fabulous environment. Often our most rewarding projects are those where our scope extends from architecture and interior design to the finer details of furnishings. Overall, it’s all about wellbeing, and at Cengreen our job is to design spaces and places that feel convivial and comfortable, and are always memorable.