We cannot have infinite growth on a finite planet.
Our greatest ambition is to design and construct buildings that enhance the lives of their users, are made cleanly and sustainably and provide energy, food, and water security. In return the users maintain, develop and care for their building, as the two age together.
We believe that the relationship between people and buildings should be symbiotic. Whether domestic, commercial or educational, the building should exist to sustain the user and vice versa. We live in a time where consumption is constant, energy is expensive, food is imported and construction materials are finite.
Buildings need to change and adapt; this is how they endure. We have a responsibility to refurbish where we can and where we build new, we build well. As architects, we look to find the narrative at the heart of each building and understand the needs of each client. We then try and merge these to form the threads of a new collaborative story, that is bespoke, considered and sustainable.
Custodians change, buildings adapt and memories remain.
We have a responsibility to refurbish where we can and where we build new, we build well.
John Foat was raised on a farm on the rural coast of Suffolk, UK. After a childhood spent in farm workshops and completing various tree-house projects, he left to study the first sustainable architecture degree course in the UK at Sheffield Hallam University.
John studied his post graduate Diploma in Architecture in Brighton. He then relocated to London and worked at Sheppard Robson (SR) architects in Camden, (the RIBA Sustainable Practice of the Year). At SR he gained experience in science, university, commercial and office sectors, working with both new build projects and the refurbishment of listed buildings.
Having worked on larger scale projects at SR he then joined renowned practice Michaelis Boyd Associates (MB) in Notting Hill, London as an Associate. At MB he ran a small team of architects working primarily on domestic projects, gaining extensive experience in high-end residential, both in the UK and overseas.
In 2013, John formed John Foat Architects Ltd. in Brighton.
