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Our aim as a practice is to:
Justin has been fortunate enough to work in London and throughout the south of England on both private residential schemes and large commercial projects throughout his career. His self-coined ‘optimistic – realism’ approach has put him in good stead with clients, providing a reassuring approach whilst encouraging the best out of the site and for the client. The experienced he gained whilst working on some of London’s most prestigious projects, such as 22 luxury apartments in Westminster whilst at EPR Architects has enabled him to bring the benefit of larger commercial practices to OCR Architecture's quality assurance and technical design processes.
Relocating to Devon ten years ago has not only allowed Justin to be closer to family, but has enabled him to focus on smaller projects and enjoy working directly with homeowners, reinforcing his belief in the importance of being in regular communication with clients. Being easily contactable to go through any queries, concerns and ideas that might arise is a key element of any successful project and is a value Justin holds in high regard with all work completed at OCR Architecture.
Taking a sustainable approach to both design work and business operations has always been a core component for Justin. He is a Certified Passivhaus Designer and whilst he appreciates that not every project is suited to such an approach, will always strive to design responsibly and employ the benefits of Passivhaus where the site will allow.
Looking to collaborate more closely with end-users and escape the city, Kerran joined OCR Architecture in 2021. He believes that simple, creative and well-crafted architecture can enhance both people’s experience of a space and the built environment in which it sits. Showcasing high quality natural materials in designs to create contemporary, practical and beautiful buildings is where he naturally gravitates.
Kerran is the project lead on numerous residential projects and is well versed at maximising the potential of a site through innovative thinking at concept stage through to problem solving on site.
Prior to working at OCR Architecture, Kerran worked for a series of international award-winning practices in London and the South West. Here he worked on landmark leisure and mixed-use projects, this is where he developed a passion for understanding the influence architecture has within society and how this can inform better design at all scales.
When he is not in the office, Kerran will be found exploring and adventuring be it by land or sea.
Abe joined OCR Architecture in 2022, having spent close to 5 years managing the design and planning process of new build residential developments. He has worked on large-scale, mixed-use housing schemes and urban extensions across the south coast along with smaller scale contracting projects for registered housing providers. He has also worked on one off house planning permissions and barn conversions in the heart of Cornwall.
Having spent most of his time since graduating in the housebuilding sector it was time to return to architecture, where he could utilise his experience whilst expanding and enhancing his skillset. Alongside his daily role Abe is looking to progress his architectural studies with the end goal of achieving Chartered status. Whilst this will no doubt occupy much of his spare time, his two spaniels will keep him active and outdoors, usually on the moors in Devon and Cornwall.
Email Abe Sadek
Joining the company in spring 2021, Charlie brought forward nearly 5 years of previous experience as an architectural designer and planning consultant, working on an exciting mix of residential, domestic and heritage schemes, plus rural tourism and agricultural diversification projects throughout the South West.
Alongside working with the team at OCR Architecture, Charlie is studying towards a BSc in building Surveying at the University of the West of England and is committed to achieving RICS chartership via a level 6 degree apprenticeship. As a North Devon native, he enjoys watersports in his spare time, plus exploring the local landscape and further afield.
Molly joined the team in spring 2021 bringing a focus on the interior development of the company’s designs.
Since graduating with a BA Hons in Interior Design from the University of the West of England, Molly has worked for practices assisting in the design of retail developments throughout the UK and Europe.
Molly has also been fortunate to gain freelance work for renowned interior designers who have worked as interior designers for luxury homes and stylists for brands such as Liberty London, Zara Home and Primark Home. During this time Molly would assist on the renovation of high-end homes, helping clients to achieve their aesthetic dreams and make them a reality.
Born in Cornwall and now residing in North Devon, Molly spends her free time taking advantage of the beauty and adventure the coast has to offer, this transpires in her inspiration toward interior aesthetics and ethics.
Working alongside the team, Molly is dedicated to elevating your ideas to their full potential, making your project a bespoke home.
Email Molly Andrew
Jo's background in marketing, events and business management helps her, as Practice Manager, to help the team run OCR Architecture as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
Jo's 20+ years of professional experience have been spent working across a variety of industry sectors. They have given her an insight into what makes a business tick, and an understanding of the importance of striving for excellence, both in the work undertaken and the service provided, if an organisation is to grow and flourish.
To this end, Jo's role in supporting both the team and our valued clients through regular communication, attention to detail and the provision of excellent customer service, lies at the heart of what we do at OCR Architecture.
Email Jo Carr
Devon born and bred, Scrumpy takes great pride in his senior managerial role as Office Dog. Whilst his tea brewing lacks commitment and his drawing skills are perhaps a little ruff, Scrumpy excels at ensuring staff work-life balance remains intact with regular adventures across the beautiful beaches and moors on our doorstep.
Communication and trust lies at the heart of all of our projects. We understand that each client has their own dreams and expectations and when starting a project, it is our role is to understand them. Without this clear understanding and trust the project cannot be progressed. We ask our clients to tell us how they want to live in their building and help them trust us to create the spaces that let them live as they wish.
Having a strong clear design is central to all our of projects. We aim to distil our designs through the initial stages to a handful of core elements that we ensure run through the building design as it is progressed on site. By focusing on a clean uncluttered design we feel we can create an elegant one off design that meets your needs and creates a beautiful space. We ensure that whilst we look for an elegant simplicity to the design that we don’t loose focus on creating a home to live in.
As a team we have been lucky to work on projects of all sizes and types. We have found that working on one-off bespoke homes can be the most rewarding of projects to be involved with. The relationship that is built with the client and the ability to create or transform the space and the way that people enjoy it is a fabulous process to be involved in. Working with like-minded people who trust in our approach helps us create designs that are responsive to the environment and create unique homes.
We pride ourselves on our technical ability and feel that this focus on detailing and our extensive experience of the construction process produces robust technical information that can be accurately priced and built from. We realise that cost is always a key issue with one-off homes and as such work with a group of experienced cost consultants who keep the client in control throughout the process. By engaging early with a independent cost consultant we can ensure that the design aspiration and deliverability of the project are kept in line.
The first question we always ask is “what do you want to do with your new space?” Is at a place to entertain, a place to read a book or just a space for you to catch your breath? Our job is to design a home for you that connects the house with its environment, and create the spaces to enable you to do what you want in.
We unashamedly push the boundaries of what is possible at the early stages of the design and we feel this adds value to both the client and the overall design. Whilst we look to test the options at the early stages we have an excellent planning record and have good relationships with the local planning authorities.
As a practice we focus on individually crafted and carefully considered homes. From complete builds to conversions, extensions and re-modelling what’s already there, our bespoke designs focus on details, materials, and thoughtful spaces that work for you.
This is probably the question that we are asked the most, and the answer is it depends on what you want to do. For many years people had a figure of £1000/ m2 in their mind for building and this is still achievable but provides a basic level of finish and few bespoke items. A more practical figure is £2500 / m2 for a bespoke home although this can quickly rise to reflect site anomalies or more individually crafted items.
The key thing is to be honest about your budget from the outset and we will be honest with you about what can be achieved.
We start initially just by having an informal chat! We have found that sitting around the table and getting to know you is the best way to start all of our schemes. Exploring your ambitions and interests helps us to understand how to approach the project. From there we focus on an initial phase of work called the Opportunities & Constraints Document. This scoping phase enables us to test different styles and approaches to the site and your brief, whilst also assessing local planning policy and relevant precedents to help you understand the process. This initial phase we believe adds value to the scheme by taking time to develop ideas and making sure that we do not develop a single idea without considering the alternatives.
This O&C document also provides the basis for the planning and pre application submission ensuring that all projects are put forward in the best light to the local authorities.
As a RIBA Chartered Practice we offer a full service from initial conversation to the celebratory drink as you move in to you bespoke home. The team are well versed in all the stages of a project to ensure that the process is carefully considered at every stage.
Equally we are happy to restrict our role to just sections of the process be that concept design, technical delivery or on site management to suit your needs. We obviously hope to be involved throughout to ensure that we keep the quality of the design but we tailor our role to suit your needs.
Due to the size of the practice and the approach we take, we generally work with clients who have a minimum budget of £100,000, however we are curious by nature and if you are looking to create a small well crafted and detailed project we would be keen to talk.
As a practice we are lucky enough to be based in Appledore on the North Devon coast. We work throughout the south west and often beyond with projects in Devon, Cornwall Somerset and further afield. Projects in recent times have taken us to the River Thames in Marlow, Maidenhead and the Derbyshire dales to name a few.
How long is a piece of string?!
Every project is different and there are many variables that impact on the design and deliverability of a home, not least the planning process. An important point to remember is the more time that can be spent refining the design and developing the details at the early stages is time well spent as it saves time on the overall programme as well as creating a better home.
As with most RIBA Chartered Architects we base our fee on a percentage of the anticipated construction cost. This enables the fee to be a fair reflection of the size and complexity of the project.
This range is not an arbitrary fee but is based on our extensive experience of how much time is needed to develop the design and produce a pack of information that enables planners, building control and builders to support the scheme and accurately price the project.
We do however fix our fee at each stage so you have a fixed budget to work with at each stage of the project. This fee is only revised if the scope of works is significantly changed. The later stages of the project initially do not have a fixed fee defined as at the outset we do not know how the final project will look, however, we do provide a fixed fee for these stages of work once we have agreed the scheme for planning.
We don’t believe in green washing and adding on fancy technology to projects instead we focus on designing a building from the outset to respond to the site conditions. By orientating the building correctly and thinking about overheating and ventilation we know that we are starting out on the right path. That is not to say that sustainable technologies are not incorporated into our projects with MVHVR installed in a house in Lyme Regis and a PassivHaus design being developed for a paragraph 79 scheme in Saunton just some examples.
