Build Architecture Awards

Build Architecture Awards 2015 22 berRaum Architects are a Lon- don-based international, interdiscipli- nary practice. Our work encompasses everything in the building process from design to project management and we often advice clients our foreign clients on the UK building market. The office is currently 12 people strong and is made up of architects, art historians and film mak- ers. Our clients are varied and our build projects range from the UK to Switzerland, Germany, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Our philosophy is to constantly strive to create spaces where human beings feel comfortable, inspired and at home. Our belief is that the better people feel, the more they can be themselves. So we measure success, not just in numbers, but in terms of did we make people happy. This ethos can be seen in our approach to design, which is always bold and colourful with playful twists. We pay attention to smart details and love exploring surprising combinations of material, form and colour. In order to keep pace in our fast moving industry, we firmly believe that collaboration is everything. We like to inspire and be inspired by people from other disciplines. For example, we invite people over from the film industry for discussions and design sessions. In turn we then work with them on their projects and the results are always great. It’s amazing what you can do when you get out of the ivory tower of architecture, it’s also a lot of fun too. This extends beyond industry collaborations to our clients as well. We like to help our clients under- stand everything from the first concept sketches to project hand-over which in our opinion makes us their ideal partners in the process. Some clients can be nervous of making the wrong decision in increasingly difficult industry where they can be left exposed. For everybody at ÜberRaum, open and transparent communication is essential. Only with a fully informed team, you can keep a clear view of the project ambitions. There would be no project without a client and a user and it usually takes very many people to realise a building: designers, consultants, specialists, builders. Therefore, we work together with all of these individuals to ensure the project is realised perfectly. We see our roles as conductors motivating everybody involved in the process to work towards the best possible outcome. It’s a great experience and very satisfactory when you look back at what you have achieved together. Location is everything in our industry, and we worked hard to choose the ideal location. We are based in Islington, a densely populated area in central London. Our team and the clients love the area around Upper Street including the cafes and our wonderful warehouse office. Obviously, being based in central London comes at a cost. We keep things in control by being smart with our space and resources including being almost paper free, which is a chal- lenge for architects. We feel absolutely thrilled and also quite proud to have won this award. In our opinion the most successful projects are based on great teamwork between the client, the planners and the architect. In this case we were lucky enough to have a client who wanted to push the boundaries together with us. The planners supported the design from the beginning, which was extremely helpful and made the project really enjoyable to work on. One of our key focuses in the future is on expansion into new areas, and we have started to diversify our portfolio and to work in other markets. For example we have three projects in Baku, Azerbaijan. One of them is a large Masterplan, which allows us the opportunity to work at a larger scale and have more variety in our projects. We will also be looking to expand upon our business consultancy business, which has developed from our success in our field. We have named this division ÜberBusiness, and we advise international busi- nesses, corporate clients, public sector customers and trades/crafts enterprises on all questions relating to the British building industry. Most Eco-Friendly Single Dwelling (Cherry Blossom House, Black Forest) – UK ÜberRaum Architects ÜberRaum architects are a practice focussing on the creation of innovative and exciting design projects. Director Markus Seifermann explains the firm’s ethos and what the future holds for the company. Ü