In practice

Timothy Soar captures the diversity and preoccupations of architects across the UK.

David Mikhail

David Mikhail and his partner are combining their passion for woodland and architecture by using chestnut and ash from overgrown woodland for their own new-build Passive House in Whitstable.

Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu

For Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu the Palm House at Kew Gardens is a reminder that solutions to contemporary problems depend on an understanding of the inter-connected systems of the natural world.

Hannah Wooller

Hannah Wooller sees herself as a doctor for buildings, using her expertise in conservation and regeneration to breathe new life into East Anglia's seaside towns.

Luke Lowings

The house Luke Lowings and his partner built sixteen years ago is a workspace for both of their practices and an urban family home that is joyful, equal and full.

Rachel Hoolahan

Rachel Hoolahan's work at Orms is focused on translating research into meaningful change on projects and reusing buildings and materials – even the ones that weren't designed with reuse in mind.

Dav Bansal

Since joining Glenn Howells Architects over twenty years ago, partner Dav Bansal has evolved from a self-centred architect to a studio leader who is focused on helping others to succeed.

Gordon Abbott

Despite working across Europe, Neat Architects founder Gordon Abbot feels rooted in Folkestone, a town that has taught him about the wider definition of sustainability.

Melanie Whild

Melanie Whild joined Birmingham-based Weedon Architects for her year out, and never left. She reflects on the way the 100-year-old practice and its projects have evolved.

Charles Holland

Relocating to Deal, a seaside town in east Kent, has exposed Charles Holland's practice to fresh influences, new ways of working and opportunities to engage with the community in profound ways.

Jennifer O’Donnell

Jennifer O'Donnell's long relationship with Glasgow's derelict Govan Graving Docks has evolved into an opportunity to work on a community-led vision for the site.

JJ Lorraine

For JJ Lorraine, the waves at Camber Sands are a source of positive energy and life-affirming joy that match his optimism about his practice and the future.

Sarah Griffiths and Martin Williams

Sarah Griffiths and Martin Williams have witnessed the increase in intensity and frequency of extreme weather events from the window of their woodland studio.

Timothy Soar on location (ph: Tom Rothery)

In practice

In 2004 the photographer Timothy Soar travelled the UK to a take a series of portraits of British architects at work in their studios. The photographs, which were exhibited at the RIBA, Portland Place, were reviewed by The Guardian’s Architecture Critic Jonathan Glancey as ‘gloriously revealing… touching, impressive, inspiring.’ Sixteen years later, Timothy Soar has revisited the project, touring the country to photograph architects as they grapple with the implications of COVID-19, Lockdown and the associated uncertainty and economic fallout.

Each of the photographs is accompanied by the subject’s thoughts on the current situation and the implications for the way they work. Some are working from home. Others are reorganising or remodelling their workplaces to comply with social distancing All are struggling to contend with new ways of working and an increased reliance on digital communication. Some are taking the opportunity to reinvent their practice or rethink their careers.

Each individual photograph tells a story about a personal response to a particular moment in time. Collectively, the portraits are both a celebration of the diversity of British architecture and a snapshot of a profession in transition.