Build September 2016

Build Magazine 14 A small practice by their own admission, with a central focus around design led projects across the UK and Ireland, Paul O’Neill Architects are no less a notable entity in their market. Offering a broad spectrum of services covering everything from small scale domestic extensions on any budget, to large complex medical facilities, they also work on education and commercial projects. As Paul O’Neill himself puts it, “it is safe to say that no two days are the same.” eing a young and relatively new practice, set up in 2010, Paul describes his company’s focus as being built around good design and implementation of truly effective schemes. “We find that fostering a good relationship with our clients is essential to this, and helps our projects to run smoothly. We also think it’s important to give our clients the feeling that they deserve good architecture and design, no matter how small the project or the budget. Paul has been practicing his trade, first as a Sole Practitioner, and currently as a Limited Company, for seven years now. During that time, the economic climate has been varied, and Ireland in particular has seen especially trying times, according to Paul. “We have seen projects come and go, and be put on hold only to be reignited years later when funding comes through. It has certainly not been without its challenges, but working across two countries and in different sectors has helped to keep us busy.” Assessing the state of his company at present, Paul has certainly come a long way since his early days, and he acknowledges the limitations that he is under whilst expressing undaunted enthusiasm. “We only have a small core team of permanent staff, but we also employ people on a project by project basis under short term contracts where necessary. This collaborative approach to working has been very rewarding, and has helped to develop some of our best design work. Generally, we try to keep the workloads varied and interesting, to ensure that everyone is stimulated and motivated by what they are doing.” “Because of our size, we are able to be quite flexible in our approach to projects. Design is at the heart of what we do and we strive to innovate rather than settle for the ordinary. We are conscious of the inherent trust clients put in us when allowing us to shape their home or workplace and manage their budgets. This is something we never take for granted. “The key for us at the outset of any project is to strike up a good dialogue with the client, and to make sure we listen to them carefully. Some clients have no real idea of what their brief is; let alone what kind of building or project might be developed, whilst others have formed very definite ideas. We find it is always helpful to explore other avenues, and stretch clients’ imaginations to see what can be achieved within budgets and briefs. Sometimes the outcome is similar to what the client had in mind, and other times the solution is completely different and unexpected, and the client is delighted.” Research is also very important to Paul’s work, and he strives to use the latest building methods and sustainable technologies in his projects wherever possible. To exemplify this, he refers to his most recent project, which is also incidentally his firm’s largest: the Kells Primary Care Centre, which received a BER A-Rating. “The project taught us a lot about our capabilities as a young practice. It was quite daunting taking on a project like this at first, but we took the plunge and we are really glad we did. We are very proud of how we managed the project, and as a consequence of this, the end result. It’s an exciting building, which has had such a positive impact on the small historic town in which it is sited.” Archetypes of Innovation Drawing inspiration from this project, Paul surmises his company’s ethos. “We believe that successful collaboration with other consultants and professionals involved in the building process is very important for creating innovative design solutions. We also think that fostering a good relationship with contractors from early in the project, helps to ensure that designs are implemented with care. We find that inventive construction methods suggested by experienced contractors can really help the designs come to life. “Ultimately, our simple, day to day aim is to produce high quality buildings. We try to achieve this through the considered design of every aspect of a project – from the overarching concept down to the minute details.” Already, Paul is looking to take on bigger projects, and does not shy away from the effort that these will require. Rather, his experience with the Kells Centre lends him tremendous optimism. In particular, he highlights a notable contract that his firm have taken on: a high-end, multi-million-pound apartment in central London. “We are expecting to see this finished in the summer of 2017, hopefully with some exciting results.” B Architecture