Valentines – The foundation of George and James Architects

Friends and family are often amazed at how we can live and work together, and whilst this can and does indeed have its challenges from time to time (more on this later!), we are unanimous that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, especially when it comes to our clients and their projects.

First and foremost it almost goes without saying that the need for financial stability drives a vested interest in the success of our business. Beyond the balance sheet, we have a shared mission to design buildings to be proud of – places that are happy and healthy and kind to people and planet. We support each other in the day-to-day running of the practice and its projects, on both a technical and an emotional level as only very close colleagues can. In return this can bring a different dimension to our home life, often resorting to dealing with our personal differences in a professional manner! This was particularly useful in our decision to up sticks last year, simultaneously relocating our lives and business to the South Downs National Park.

As a small family business albeit currently a single generation, we bring a reliable work ethic to everything we do; we aim to lead by example, encourage our team to adopt a shared sense of responsibility, taking pride in all our work. As such there is a strong focus on relationships at George and James Architects, both with each other in the studio and with clients and collaborators further afield. As our relationship is already solidified at home, this cohesion and camaraderie rubs off at work. By accepting each other’s personality quirks, workplace conflicts and obstacles are more easily overcome, nurtured by a workplace culture of open and honest communication.

Last but by no means least we believe, we are confident that our complimenting personalities and skills present our clients with the full package, with our process specifically tailored to their projects. Simon directs the sales and marketing side of the business, whilst Darren is responsible for operations and oversees our team. We both perform the role of a CEO, having a common strategic oversight for the business, sharing our vision and goals with the team. You are probably not surprised to hear we divide household chores in a similar fashion! This means that we can focus on what we’re good at and what we enjoy, which is somewhat of a no-brainer.

It is often said that partners know each other better than they know themselves, so we tasked each other with illustrating the other person’s strengths in the business. Here’s what we said:

Darren said Simon’s biggest strength is his good communication skills:

“He is very personable and outgoing with people – he finds it easy to establish good relationships with clients and collaborators relatively quickly – whereas I can be a bit more reserved.” When it comes to our projects, “Simon bounces off people, having done so particularly well with Jane at Palatine Avenue, and also Jacinta and Stephen at Thirsk Road, where he got to know them very quickly, and they became comfortable with him in return. He is also a great multi-tasker!”

Simon describes Darren as being a reflective individual:

“He takes his time to think over all possible outcomes to arrive at the best possible solution for our clients.” With our ongoing Kidbrooke Grove project, “when we took this over from another architect when the project started on site, it very soon became apparent that they had left a lot of stones unturned. Darren somehow managed to unravel this, discussing every single decision with Nan and Stuart, resulting in a very successful outcome, primarily down to his attention to detail and thorough questioning.”