Jamie Flynn and Tobias Jewson focus on finding lightweight low carbon solutions for sensitive sites and reducing the number of samples that end up in the skip.
Tobias Jewson (left) and Jamie Flynn (right) work surrounded by models and the material palettes built around each project.
31/44 Architects was founded by Will Burges and Stephen Davies in 2010 and is based primarily in Aldgate, east London. The practice name is derived from the calling codes of its London and Amsterdam offices, though the latter is now closed. Another – a one-man-band of Benoît Sanson – opened in Nantes as a way of “keeping one foot on the continent”.
In London, the team of 10 work from a single large room surrounded by shelves displaying models and the material palettes. Samples tend to remain interleaved with the models until they’re reappropriated for a new project, but there is also an archive for regularly used materials. Everyone chips in on researching and calling in samples, but lately, newly qualified architect Jamie Flynn has taken on the role of studio “materials man”, finding new materials and sharing them with the team. Flynn and associate Tobias Jewson tell us how it works.
Foresso is a recycled timber terrazzo.The practice is putting forward the material as a more eco-conscious choice in forthcoming projects. “Sometimes it’s about thinking: what are the qualities we like in a material and while it’s traditionally made one way, is there a way it could be made more sustainable?”
How are material samples managed in the studio?
Jamie Flynn It’s up to the person working on each project to order in materials. We end up keeping our favourites and going from there. Working from home, we haven’t had our old favourites to hand so we’ve become excited about researching a little bit more.
My new role as “materials man” is to organise our catalogue physically and electronically. It’s a way to start a conversation in the office about how we think about materials. I’ve been creating a super-spreadsheet of all the materials we want to use and ranking them out of five stars on their embodied carbon and all the different traits.
We’ve found working from home, everyone’s doing their own research. Great conversations are happening over Zoom but they’re not happening together. We thought that if it was my role was to research a material every month and then present that back to the whole office it would be a way of opening discussion for everyone to get involved. One of the benefits of being in a medium-sized office is that there’s so much knowledge around and it’s so easy to ask a question and keep learning from previous experiences.
Forticrete, a vetoed material for a forthcoming project in Forest Gate. “This is another material that got away. It’s a reconstituted stone that’s been pigmented but also has a lot of recycled aggregates. It gets a lot of sparkle and richness from dabs of previous, crushed up bits of aggregates. It’s something we previously thought of for a project in a conservation area, but there we had to revert to a more ‘in keeping’ material palette because of conversations with conservation officers.”
How have you dealt with ordering materials while working from home?
Jamie Flynn We’ve tried to be conscious about the materials that we’re ordering into our houses. We typically order lots of options that we won’t necessarily use. So we try to be more selective on the materials that we do choose. But yes, the kitchen table is full of worktops, wood …
Tobias Jewson There are only so many coasters you can make …
What happens to samples at the end of a project – do you archive everything or do they end up in the skip?
Tobias Jewson That’s why our materials library is always growing. Because we feel bad about putting things in the skip. We’d rather return them to wherever they came from so someone else can look at them – especially things like bricks, with great longevity. There’s no need to produce a new brick sample every time. There are some efforts around this kind of thing, like the brick van that drives around so you can have a look without necessarily having to have your own samples.
Cambridge Architectural Precast used in Red House and later redeveloped for Keelson Yard.“These are early samples for Red House. The nice thing about living with and learning from a project is adapting the same ambitions to new circumstances.”
That’s a great idea – like a school library van. It would be great to see more of this.
Tobias Jewson That’s the only one I know, but you could imagine more of these things being shared because in London there are so many small offices and we don’t all have to have 20 versions of the same brick.
What new material have you found recently that you’re excited to use?
Jamie Flynn One that I’m currently trying to get into a project is Foresso. It’s a timber terrazzo, which is really interesting. The timber comes from recycling planings and the resin is 40% better than a petroleum resin. I think it’s a really good substitute for terrazzo. We all love terrazzo as an office and it’s a way of rethinking an old favourite.
That feels closer to the origins of terrazzo – using scraps to make something new – than many versions on the market.
Jamie Flynn When terrazzo was first made it was probably broken up by man and not by machine. All the energy that goes into breaking up those stones is a bad idea. I came across the Forresso on Instagram and I think their algorithm sussed me out so I’m getting lots of new materials coming my way!
How do you go about introducing new materials when you’re working with a historic or sensitive context?
Tobias Jewson That’s a super interesting, relevant discussion that we’re really grappling with in the office as we work a lot in conservation areas. We think about a project as a bit of city-making, working with the materials and the visual language around us, but usually subverting it. There’s a thriving relationship between what we’re proposing and what’s there already.
Oftentimes, the way we approach it is to use materials that are very much of the place. It’s usually about the scale or the relationship, and maybe using some of these features in ways you wouldn’t typically expect. We do quite often push for using slightly different materials and – especially in relation to sustainability and specifically embodied carbon – I think there is a discussion to be had about a language of lighter materials that is still appropriate in those contexts.
Furness Brick (left) and Ketley Brick (right) proposed for Whitechapel Bell Foundry hotel. “The choice of brick and concrete has a lot to do with tone, and playing with texture and reflective qualities. There’s a different level of shine between Ketley Brick and Furness Brick, and we will use them on different parts of the building. On the ground floor we will have this engineering brick, which is really sharp with a slight sheen, to give a refined appearance. Above we move on to this crumbly brick which texturally has a lot to do with the building next door.”
Is it difficult to veer away from “traditional’ materials towards more sustainable choices in these situations?
Tobias Jewson When you work in a conservation area, the predominant material is always going to be brick and some form of stone. We love those materials; they have a certain kind of weight and presence and permanence about them, but that weight comes with a carbon weight. In instances where we propose part of the building be in timber, that has sometimes been pushed back to go for something that looks more like the building next door. But I think it’s our role to continue to propose these things. In terms of embodied carbon it’s a broader discussion. It requires architects to suggest these things, but it also does require planning departments to have an openness to reconsider certain things about building in conservation areas.
Even within a project there might be moments where it’s more appropriate to be more matchy in materials and others where you can be a bit more open. With the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, where we’re right next to a Grade II* listed building, we have a range of bricks, and precast concrete lintels that feel sympathetic to that building. But there’s also one part of the building that sits in the courtyard so we felt more free to develop a different language and make something much lighter. We’re very mindful about making buildings that are of their place, but that doesn’t always require a matchy-matchy approach.
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