In practice

Architectural photographer Timothy Soar captures the diversity, preoccupations and ambitions of architects across the UK. A new portrait will be published every week.

Cousins & Cousins

Ben and Jelena Cousins miss the buzz of the office but are grateful to be working in a light-filled dining room with an ever-changing view.

Amin Taha

The first in a new series of portraits of UK architects by Timothy Soar captures Amin Taha in a reflective mood at the end of lockdown.

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.