We work with a short list of materials: concrete cast against timber, lime plaster, oak, brick and stone. Each one changes over time, and we design for that change rather than against it.

Ageing as a feature

Lime plaster softens and patinates. Oak darkens where hands touch it. A good material records how a house is lived in — and can be repaired with the same skills that made it.

Fewer layers

Fewer materials mean fewer junctions, fewer sealants and fewer things to fail. It is the quietest way we know to build for a hundred years.