JAMES SMITH

James is an eco-architect, upcycling enthusiast and one of the directors of Raven Studios. Here’s a few words about his work:

I have been self-employed for over 15 years now, having given up a very well-paid (but stressful!) job project-managing the outfitting of airports, in order to focus my energies into eco-architecture and the sustainability of the built environment.

I studied for an MSc and later Professional Diploma in Architecture: Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies at the Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth, Wales. It was an amazing place to learn, from and amongst people from a vast array of backgrounds and professions, that could not help but result in incredibly creative and rewarding outcomes.

I am particularly interested in urban sustainability and a better quality of life gained through advancing environmental, social, and personal awareness. My design thesis looked at refurbishing Alexandra Palace, North London, and how through more inventive and inclusive uses of the spaces it could become the ‘People’s Palace’ that it was originally built to be.

Although much of my work now is necessarily prosaic, it is generally concerned with retrofit and refurb, and of introducing the modern to the old in order to ensure and enhance, and in the imaginative re-purposing of existing buildings – and objects.

I make buildings happier, healthier, and more efficient. Most of my architecture work is concerned with refurbishment and retrofit; extensions, loft conversions, that sort of thing, but I also write sustainability reports and carry out energy audits on both proposed and existing buildings, which offers the chance to be involved with a more scientific form of creativity which can be very interesting - our houses use a significant amount of energy and for the sake of our climate it is imperative that we reduce that considerably, but in so doing we can also create homes that are much more comfortable to live in, and much cheaper to run. It's all about insulation - the real sexy side of architecture!

I also like to get get away from my desk and get my hands dirty as much as possible - I do bits and pieces of building work and carpentry, spend a fair bit of time on the allotment, and I'm planning on setting up a workshops branch of MakeSpace Studios as soon as I can, with rentable workbench space, where I intend to up-cycle, re-purpose and re-use furniture and other interesting stuff...

The news can make for grim reading right now, the world is in a mess, however I remain optimistic that this provides an incredible opportunity for vision, innovation, and invention, which will be our salvation and will be generated worldwide in places just like Raven Studios!