More Than a Clubhouse: A Place to Belong, Built for the Next 50 Years
by Imran Jahn on May 31, 2025
At RISE, we don’t just design buildings. We design catalysts. Spaces that unlock potential. Places that bring people together—across generations, backgrounds, and abilities. Our work with Sutton Churches Tennis Club is about more than bricks and timber. It’s about creating a legacy. A …
How a Small Shed at Chelsea Is Inspiring Big Ideas at RISE
by Sean Hill on May 29, 2025
Nature’s Quiet Genius This year at the Chelsea Flower Show, we were captivated by the Intelligent Garden pavilion designed by Studio Weave, with landscape designer Tom Massey and furniture maker Sebastian Cox. Their careful craft and material curiosity sparked ideas that continue to s …
A Thousand-Year Responsibility: Lessons from Japanese Carpentry
by Sean Hill on May 26, 2025
During the bank holiday weekend, I visited Japan House in London and stepped into a world shaped by hand, heart, and humility.
A New Age of Timber: Why the Future is (Lab-Grown) Wood
by Sean Hill on May 22, 2025
In a quiet lab in Kyoto, a group of scientists are shaping the future – and they're doing it with wood.
Breathing New Life into Old Walls: Sustainable Refurbishment of Listed Buildings
by Sean Hill on May 21, 2025
There’s something deeply grounding about working on a listed building. You’re not just altering a structure - you’re continuing a story. A story etched in hand-forged nails, lime-washed walls, and timber beams that have withstood centuries. But let’s be honest - these buildings were n …
Small Sites, Big Thinking: How Small-Scale Developments Can Transform Our Cities
by Sean Hill on May 21, 2025
☉ The Untapped Power of the Forgotten Plot
Small Homes, Big Futures: Designing with Purpose in the Countryside
by Sean Hill on May 21, 2025
A quieter kind of ambition At RISE, we’re no strangers to bold visions. But sometimes, the most powerful architectural stories are the smallest ones. Stories where the scale shrinks, but the impact deepens. Stories where living becomes lighter, simpler, and more connected to the land. …
How to Find the Right Architect in London → Without Losing Your Mind, Your Time, or the Soul of Your Project
by Sean Hill on May 21, 2025
Let’s begin with a simple truth: Every remarkable building starts long before a single brick is laid. It begins with a conversation—a sketch, a question, a feeling. And behind every great space is an architect who knows how to listen.
London Heat: Why We Need to Think Twice Before Cranking Up the AC
by Sean Hill on May 21, 2025
London’s heatwaves are becoming more punishing — and yet, our homes still cling to warmth as if it’s always mid-January. With temperatures rising, it’s tempting to look for a quick fix: air conditioning. But before we all rush to install AC units on every street, it’s worth asking wha …
The 1.5 Million Homes Challenge
by Sean Hill on May 21, 2025
Why small studios, local builders and agile thinkers hold the key to sustainable housing ☉ Let’s be honest. Building 1.5 million homes in the UK over the next few years sounds great on paper. But with today’s structures, policies and workforce? → It’s like trying to run a marathon in …
Why “Cheap” Architectural Services Might Be the Most Expensive Decision You’ll Ever Make
by Sean Hill on May 17, 2025
We’ve all been tempted.
The Art of the Hidden Plot: 9 Unconventional Ways to Find Land for Development in the UK
by Sean Hill on May 17, 2025
At RISE Design Studio, we believe great architecture starts long before the first sketch. It begins with land - not just any land, but the kind of plot that speaks quietly of potential. A back corner of a garden. A forgotten brownfield site. A space between buildings waiting to tell a …
Building Back Biodiversity: What the 10% Net Gain Planning Rule Means for You
by Sean Hill on May 16, 2025
In every architectural project, we ask: can we leave a place better than we found it?
How to Choose a Builder (Without Losing Sleep or Money)
by Sean Hill on May 15, 2025
Hiring a builder is like choosing a climbing partner for a difficult ascent. It’s not just about who’s strongest or cheapest. It’s about who you trust to rope up with you and guide the project safely to the summit - your home, your business, your legacy.
Why We’re Designing with Swift Bricks: Architecture That Welcomes Nature Home
by Sean Hill on May 15, 2025
Every summer, for just twelve fleeting weeks, the skies above our streets are sliced by a flash of black, a cry like laughter, and the unmistakable curve of a swift in flight. They’ve crossed continents to be here. And all they ask in return is a place to stay.
RIBA Stage 5: From Dream to Built Reality - The Construction Chapter
by Sean Hill on May 12, 2025
At RISE Design Studio, Stage 5 is where we roll up our sleeves.
How to Reimagine a Victorian Home: A Modern Architect's Tale
by Sean Hill on May 9, 2025
In London, history is never far from home. You see it in the patterned brickwork, the generous bay windows, and the steep slate roofs that line the city's streets. Victorian homes, built during a century of enormous social and technological change, are now the canvas for another kind …
Reimagining the Everyday: Converting Offices to Homes Under Class MA
by Sean Hill on May 7, 2025
In a world reshaped by hybrid working and shifting urban priorities, the question isn't just can we convert offices into homes - it's how can we do it well?
Designing for Less Waste, Not More Tax: What the Landfill Reform Means for Architecture That Matters
by Sean Hill on May 7, 2025
At RISE Design Studio, we don’t just design buildings - we shape legacies. Every structure we create carries a question: What kind of future are we building toward? That question sits at the heart of our practice, and it’s why the UK government’s consultation on reforming Landfill Tax …
Rethinking Materials. Redefining Construction.
by Sean Hill on May 7, 2025
The construction industry is being squeezed from all sides—housing shortages, skills gaps, rising material costs. We’re expected to build more, build faster, and do it sustainably. The old ways can’t keep up. What’s needed now isn’t an upgrade. It’s a rethink.
Virtuous Architecture: Why Low-Energy Homes are the Future We Deserve
by Sean Hill on May 6, 2025
The world feels like it’s spinning faster. Weather is wilder. Energy prices climb. And for many, the future feels uncertain.
Designing for the Sun: Why Shading is the Unsung Hero of Sustainable Homes
by Sean Hill on May 2, 2025
In the evolution of architecture, there are quiet revolutions. Movements that don’t shout, but shift everything. One of those is happening right now - a new era where solar shading is not an afterthought, but a design instinct.
