ARCHITECT & ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGIST
Different starting points. Same result. For most residential projects, the service, process and quality of outcome can broadly be the same.
DIFFERENT TRAINING. A SHARED PURPOSE.
At Alchemy House of Design, our team holds BA (Hons) degrees in Architectural Technology and Landscape Design, bringing creative design thinking and technical know-how together in one place. For our clients, that means beautifully resolved, buildable homes and a thoughtful process from concept to completion.
ARCHITECT OR ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGIST
Which one does your project actually need?
Most people begin a home project by searching for an architect. It is the word everyone knows. But the question behind the search is usually more practical, "who can design this house properly, get it through planning, and see it built?"
For most extensions, remodels, conversions and new homes, the answer has less to do with the title on the door than with three things: the training behind the drawings, knowledge of the local council, and the ability to carry a design all the way to site.
TWO ROUTES INTO ARCHITECTURE
An architect and an architectural technologist train differently. The architect's route is design led: form, space and creative vision, followed by years of professional practice and registration with the Architects Registration Board. The architectural technologist's route is technically led: how a building goes together, how it performs, and how it is detailed so that it can actually be built.
On a well-run residential project the two meet in the middle. The client sees one process, one standard of work and one outcome: a home that is beautifully resolved and built to work.
Good design and good buildings belong together.
WHERE DOES ALCHEMY SIT?
Alchemy House of Design is an Architectural practice built on both sides of the Venn diagram. Our design director trained in Architectural Technology, and our project co-ordinator trained in construction detail. Alongside this our Landscape Designer completed a degree in Landscape Architecture.
Around them is a team that has been designing and constructing homes and gardens across Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire for over 20 years.
We survey, design, secure planning permission, draw for building regulations and manage construction.
That combination is the point. Creative design that has already been tested against the way it will be built, and technical detail that never loses sight of how you will live in your home.
One process. One standard of work.
One outcome.
ONE ROUTE FROM BRIEF TO FINISHED HOME
Whatever the training behind it, the client's journey should be clear, and ours runs in eight stages. We start by understanding the brief and how your family actually lives. We explore the options, survey the house and draw what is there. The design is developed with you, then prepared for planning and taken through the council.
Once approved, we coordinate the structural engineer and other consultants, produce the technical information for building regulations and tender, and support you through the build. If you would like us to run the build as well, we can.
IF YOU WANT THE DETAIL
For anyone who wants to check the facts before choosing who to work with.
What is an architect practice?
In the UK "architect" is a protected title under the Architects Act 1997, and only people on the Architects Registration Board (ARB) register may use it.
Do I need an architect for planning permission or building regulations?
No. There is no legal requirement to use a registered architect for a planning application or for building regulations approval. What matters is accurate drawings, a design that clients fall in love with and meets the council's policies and technical detail that meets the regulations.
What is an Architectural Technologist?
Someone trained in how buildings go together, how they perform and how they are built: structure, materials, detailing and the regulations. On a house project, knowledge is what turns a good design into drawings a builder can price and build.
What will Alchemy do on my project?
Everything. Measured survey, design options, planning drawings and the application, building regulations drawings, co-ordination of the structural engineer and other consultants, tender information, and construction management if you want the build run as well.
How can I check anyone's credentials?
The ARB register of architects is public and can be searched online. For any design practice, ask to see recent projects in your area and the planning decisions behind them. We are happy to show you ours.
Where we work
Haslemere · Hindhead · Midhurst · Liphook · Godalming · Petersfield · Farnham · Petworth · Guildford · Chichester
