66 Build 2017 Architecture Awards TA16 is celebrating 40 years in business in 2017, having opened in 1977, under the name of Atelier 16. It works in the residential, commercial, special needs, leisure and voluntary sectors. Since 2014 the company has mainly been involved with residential projects for owner occupiers and private developers; and advising its Chinese partner – DSL - in consultancy and design procurement in the UK. The firm has an affiliated office in Romania, and partners in India and China. Iolanda gives us an insight into how the firm aims to reach its goals and achieve its overall mission. “At NTA16, we believe that architecture is central to a shared public experience, and is a binding medium for society; architecture is both an expression of human activity and its enabler. Each project has its particular and unique cultural, creative and pragmatic points of reference which are the source for our design concepts. In so doing, we fulfil our clients’ expectations too, since: ‘Good Design is Good Business’.” At the start of a project, it is imperative for the practice to have a complete understanding of the clients’ requirements so as to fully meet them. Iolanda outlines the process the firm undertakes when approaching a new project, emphasising that this leaves the client satisfied upon completion. “Putting the client first, our aim is to contribute to the process of project development with a keen awareness of our clients’ requirements and needs. The main objective is to help them draw up the right brief in order to reach their goals. We can see, through training and inclination, the bigger picture, and this helps us guide the client in the right direction. Our collaborative approach in the first stages of design has been greatly appreciated by our clients.” Being a small practice can be advantageous in some respects, as Iolanda tells us, highlighting the fact that clients will feel a personal touch from the company, as they will always be interacting with the principal. Staff also Best Full-Service Architectural Design Practice - North London NTA16 architects are a RIBA chartered practice, providing full architectural services and property development consultancy to domestic, commercial and public clients. We invited Iolanda Costide, Principal of NTA16, to tell us a bit more about the successful firm. Contact: Iolanda Costide, principal of NTA16 Architects Ltd. Contact Email:
[email protected] ; Telephone: +44 20 7609 9888 Address: 32 Conistone Way, London N7 9DD UK Website: www.nta16architects.co.uk AR170083 N possess a wealth of experience at NTA16, having a genuine understanding of technical knowledge as well as design, leading to the firm becoming a full- service architecture practice. “We are a small practice, and are an advocate for its advantages: this guarantees that our clients will always talk to the principal - the individual with the most design and building experience in the practice. We have forty years of experience, and we were told we offer the guarantee of the ‘grey factor’. Our thinking is ‘inter-connected’, combining a talent for design with technical knowledge and managerial abilities – this is why we prefer to be commissioned for full architectural services. We also understand the importance of the economic implications of a cost-effective solution, delivered on time, having undertaken property development ourselves. An architect will save a client more money than the cost of their fees – much like an accountant does.” The architecture industry is constantly changing and moving forward. The accelerated growth of the urban population is a particular challenge for our times and architectural practices, with the need to provide the population with decent housing. Iolanda explains how the firm will deal with these developments, something she is confident the practice is well prepared for. “The biggest challenge today and in the future – for the architecture industry and, generally, the construction sector, as well as the housing departments of every city local authority – is the accelerated growth of the urban population and the need to provide it with high quality, well designed, high density housing.” Looking ahead, the future is positive for the firm, with a strong and stable foundation with which it can build on its current success. Testimony to this are the ongoing projects that the firm is undertaking, all of which, when completed, will have proven the firm’s true skill and ability to deal with the challenges it has had to overcome, which Iolanda outlines below.