Concept design

Good design starts with a thorough understanding of what you want to achieve and what your site will allow. We begin every project with a detailed measured survey of your existing property, carried out in 3D CAD to a high level of accuracy. This forms the basis of all design work and means nothing is left to assumption.

From there we develop design options, exploring different approaches to make the most of your space, budget, and planning context. We have a strong track record of obtaining planning permissions on challenging sites and in sensitive locations — including conservation areas, areas of outstanding natural beauty, and sites with complex neighbour or heritage considerations. We keep the process straightforward and keep you informed at every stage, so you understand your options and can make confident decisions.

Building Regulations

A planning permission is only half the story. Once you have consent, your project needs to be designed and built to comply with Building Regulations — the technical standards that govern structure, fire safety, energy performance, ventilation, drainage, and much more.

We produce detailed technical drawing packages that resolve these requirements properly, rather than leaving them to be figured out on site. Our use of 3D CAD means we can identify and resolve potential conflicts between structure, services, and fabric before work starts — saving time and cost during construction. We work closely with structural engineers, building control and other professionals to ensure the project starts off on the right foot. We actively look for solutions that keep the construction process as buildable and cost-effective as possible.

Principal Designer

Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, most projects involving more than one contractor require a CDM Principal Designer to be appointed. Since the Building Safety Act 2022, a separate Building Regulations Principal Designer role has also been introduced — carrying its own distinct legal duties around design compliance and Building Regulations coordination.

These are two separate roles with two separate sets of duties, and it’s a common misconception that they’re one and the same. We understand both roles in detail and can help you navigate which appointments are required on your project, what those duties mean in practice, and how to structure the dutyholder framework correctly from the outset. Health and safety is considered throughout our design process as a matter of course — we design to reduce or eliminate risk rather than treating compliance as an afterthought.

Contract  Administration

As a Chartered Architectural Technologist, Jake White is qualified to administer the building contract on your behalf. This means issuing formal instructions, reviewing contractor progress, certifying payments, and managing any changes to the scope of works in a structured and documented way. Having the designer administer the contract also means that any technical queries on site are resolved by someone who knows the drawings inside out, rather than being interpreted by the contractor alone.

We recommend this service on projects with a construction budget above £200,000, where the value and complexity of the works justifies the additional fee. On smaller projects, clients sometimes choose to manage the contractor relationship directly, we are able to provide stage 5 / 6 services to assist with the BRPD role as alternative to Contract Admin for these situations.

Visualisation

Our 3D CAD workflow means that realistic visualisations are a natural output of our design process, rather than an expensive add-on. We routinely provide CGI views to help clients understand and sign off on design decisions — particularly at planning stage, where a clear visual can be the difference between an approval and a refusal.

For more complex or prominent projects, we can produce high-quality photorealistic renders. We also offer visualisation services to other architects and designers who need 3D support on their own projects — from early massing studies through to detailed high quality renders for planning submissions.

BIM Consultant

Complex buildings — particularly those involving complex structural steel, intricate roof geometries, or tight service coordination requirements — benefit significantly from being designed and coordinated in 3D before they reach site. We have extensive experience working on technically demanding projects, coordinating geometry across architectural, structural, and steelwork packages to resolve clashes and buildability issues at design stage.

We offer BIM and 3D CAD coordination services directly to architects, engineers, and contractors who need specialist technical input. If you’re dealing with a coordination challenge on a complex project, get in touch — we’re used to working across disciplines and to tight programmes.