At Allford Hall Monaghan Morris we make buildings that are satisfying to use and beautiful to look at; an architecture that is defined by the experience of users who should be able to understand and use each building with ease and enjoyment.
We design very different buildings, for very different people to use in very different ways and, since our early days in the late 1980s, we have grown from four to over one hundred people and our budgets from a few thousand to tens of millions of pounds. The year 2008 was a particularly important year for the practice; Westminster Academy won over 15 design awards including the RIBA London Building of the Year and was short-listed for the Stirling Prize; Adelaide Wharf housing scheme won CABE’s Building for Life Award and a Housing Design Award; Barking Learning Centre was awarded the BCIA Local Authority Award; and AHMM was named Building Design’s Architect of the Year – The Richard Feilden Award.
Through our wide range of projects we search for the opportunities in every site, budget and programme and pursue a pragmatic, analytical and collaborative working method to produce a responsive, intelligent and delightful architecture. This clarity facilitates discussion of our approach between all parties: clients, architects, collaborators, constructors and users. Our aesthetic approach is shaped by our working method.
If a design concept is clear and logical, the resulting building will express its function in a clear and logical way; it will be easy to recognise and enjoyable to use. We innovate because we know that innovation is as much about finding simpler ways of doing things better as it is about finding new things to do.
Over nineteen years this way of seeing the world has allowed us to make architecture which resonates with our clients, some critics and changing constructional techniques. Our success is reflected in the winning of many competitions and numerous design awards for houses, apartments, schools, sports and exhibition buildings, healthcare facilities, offices and the odd bus station, art gallery and now, interestingly, hybrids of many of the above.
We are part of a team where each member has a vital role, but most importantly we enjoy working with anybody who shares our belief that architecture can make a positive, inspirational but never overbearing contribution to the world around us.
