We called ourselves Intelligent Design because we believe that this is what design should be, ‘intelligent’, delivering solutions in architecture that are efficient, economic and also elegant.

By ‘efficient’, we mean that the organisation and layout of the accommodation for your project is fully resolved — too often, like a failed jigsaw, plans are offered where the last pieces are forced into place but don’t really fit. The plan must be fully resolved and we will not rest until it is, looking for plans that are versatile, and wherever possible, ones where the accomodation can combine in multiple ways so that maximum utility is achieved. Practically, for example, this can mean the difference between needing to move house or undertake an extension that was otherwise unnecessary.

And when we say ‘economic’, we mean not just that the project is delivered on budget but that careful consideration is given to the choice of materials and construction that will result in low maintenance and low running costs in the years ahead, especially in the use of energy.

And ’elegant’, since beauty is fundamental — it’s all about the impact that the design will have on our wellbeing. And yet, as we all know, ‘beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder’. That’s partly why we have put this site together, so that you can study the projects that we have either worked on or are in the process of taking into production. That way, you can decide whether our design practice is likely to best fulfil the aspirations that you have for your project. At Intelligent Design, we cannot just ‘churn’ out plans — if you go to the next section after you have finished here, you will see just how far that we go to investigate and prove our designs for our client-partners. The difference between success and failure is all in the detail.

And yet, there is one further principle that is important to us — and which we are quite sure is important to you — and that is ‘partnership’. We hope you picked this up already when we referred to you as our ‘client-parter’. This is, after all, your project, one that must express not only your aspirations for it but your values too. What this means is that we will very much take our cue from you as we go into design, consulting and obtaining feedback until you are satisfied that the aims you had at the outset have been fully met.

If we are ticking boxes for you here, we would very much like to invite you to come into the studio and sit around a table to discuss your project and test out how we would take it forward. But, first, go to the next section, ‘How we do it’.