We design architecture for all: inclusive, barrier free and participatory.

We listen to people’s stories of how they live, and how they want to live, and work to enable this through spatial design. We design spaces which are barrier-free and accessible to everyone, through engaging people in the design process. We think that this should be prioritised because it improves everyone’s experience of the built environment; when people feel included both in the process and in the built result, their involvement ensures meaningful and joyful use.

Our first thought on starting to design is: how will people use this space. We spend time talking to our clients about how they use their current spaces, and how they would like to use them. We then spatialise these, and develop them through a series of design meetings, working towards a shared solution.

Thea’s experience working with children participating in design has led to real consideration of how understanding of space can be developed and this informs our design practice. Working with children designing architecturally requires both an openness to their ideas, and careful analysis to support and structure their design process. This is a way of working which works well with our older clients too!

The idea that we could design spaces which are not only accessible to all, but also richer because of it, is a beginning for chambersmcmillan, and a very exciting thought.

We spend our holidays visiting cities and buildings which interest us. Most recently we travelled to Denmark / Copenhagen, where we were able to explore many accessible public spaces, made richer by the various ways of moving around them. Watching our children experiencing many different places and spaces develops our understanding of how spaces are used, and this then influences our designing.