James Grayley Architects

James Grayley Architects is an award winning architects practice based in London and Bath. The practice has a rich track record of working across a broad spectrum of sectors and scales to create well crafted, intellectually rigorous architecture. Our projects evolve from observation and discussion, exploring ideas of context that embed our proposals in the culture of their place. We undertake meticulous research, unraveling the built and social history of a site, allowing us to make work that is informed by it’s history but is both original and contemporary. The practice seeks to embrace the distinctiveness of each project and latent potential of complex sites without the imposition of preconceived solutions, instead celebrating the potential of found conditions. The imaginative reuse of existing structures is central to our work. We focus on low-tech, high performance construction, adopting a fabric first approach to creating robust and adaptable projects without the need for bolt on mechanical systems. We enjoy collaborating with skilled craftspeople, exploring the visual and technical possibilities of natural and local materials to create low impact, durable and delightful projects. We work at a wide range of scales, designing both furniture and masterplans, and enjoying the richness which this variety brings. The practice is actively involved in critical debate with staff teaching studio units and engaged on Design Review Panels. James has taught at a number of universities in the UK and Ireland and is currently a visiting critic at schools of architecture in London, the South West and Wales.