Our 7 Points of Bold, Dynamic, Joyful Architecture
"Unagru architect’s beautiful, elegantly detailed and very skillful adaptation of a simple terrace house into a place of comfort and tranquility. Thoughtful clients and developers, hire them without a second thought!" - Tony Fretton, renowned British architect during his visit to The Sponge in 2021
We are a young architecture and urbanism practice, eager to grow by meeting and learning from clients and consultants. We like to think of architecture as a complex team research process, where the most important goal is to think creatively to identify the right problem. Although we are very proud of our technical process, we’re also proud of how we communicate our ideas. Let’s face it: architects can be socially awkward, but we try to establish a relationship of trust and friendship with our clients.
We like to propose bold ideas to create stimulating and inspiring spaces to live, work, grow, and learn. Our mixed culture, British and Italian, makes us particularly appreciate brightness and natural light, open plans; we try to avoid corridors, doors and anything that fragments spaces. Finally, we work hard to understand the effects of our work on the city and the environment in general.
We believe in space’s ability to influence people’s lives, affecting layers of perception that are often neglected. We like quality and make sure things work correctly, energy stays inside, money and time are not wasted, and people are at the centre of the process. After several years, we have learnt how a well-managed design process can be an exciting, experimental and life-changing experience for both the clients and the designers.
Unagru new office at Hackney Downs.
Studio field trip to Lisson Gallery.
1. We design beautiful and healthy spaces - both private or public - with a critical relationship to their widest context, with an aim to explore and expand the context to include energy and material resources, social, urban fabric).
2. We give importance to each project with the client's aspirations and emotions in mind. We strive to achieve happiness through architecture.
3. We approach every project from the client's perspective. We invest an inordinate amount of time getting to know our clients and their aspirations.
4. We embrace good communication with our team, consultants and clients. We are committed to providing outstanding service with a collaborative and personalised approach that will always delight our clients.
5. We are a research hub. We foster learning from and teaching to as many people as possible. We look for opportunities to understand the world better with every project.
6. We expand and deepen the knowledge of ecological, cultural and psychological relations in the built environment.
7. We focus on the collective impact of our choices: where do materials come from? What does our building say? How are money (=energy), water, and energy saved? How does the design fit in the city, and how does the client fit in the social context? Can the design create a social bond, a wider form of happiness?
Artist impression of House for A Cellist
Sustainability
Ecological sustainability is at the core of our mission: environmental, social and mental ecology.
Our commitment to the environment is so central to our principles and works, that even our name inspired by the hybrid of an animal and man-made machine. In short, we want to make ecological design beautiful, pragmatic, affordable and accessible. Over the years of our practice as a member of Green Register of Building Professionals, we stand and declare our goals in line with the established UN Sustainable Development Goals framework.
As professionals and researchers of the built environment, we pledge to focus on every aspect of our works toward Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities by intertwining the four deliverables:
1. Affordable and clean energy goal, through energy efficiency and alternative energy sources for buildings.
2. Responsible consumption and production with the employment of recycled and upcycled materials to embrace the ethos of a circular economy.
3. Clean water and sanitation goal, by promoting and implementing methods for sustainable use and reuse of water in our projects, via our intensive research efforts.
4. Our work embeds in local communities, for whom we care about the surrounding ecosystem and provide pro-bono services and/or assist in building projects from the ground up: from inception to completion, and from funding to maintenance.
We also decided to commit to Climate Action promoting best practices and climate action beyond our profession and through campaigns. Read more here.
Skylight at House for A Cellist
We are happy to be part of #1Company1Goal campaign, organised by Sustainability Institute to share our thoughts on advocating UN Global Goals.
We have chosen Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities as our focus, which aligned with our practice's ethos and interest in architecture and urbanism.
Watch the full video here.
Read more about our mission here.
Cork facade panel at Brighton Road
People
Studio field trip to Lea Bridge Library
With the diverse ethnic backgrounds of our practice members, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to delivering exceptional design solutions and creating a positive work environment. We are committed to promoting diversity in all aspects of our business, including our workforce, clients, and projects.
Our diversity policy is built on the following principles:
1. Respect for all individuals: We believe that everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, or any other characteristic.
2. Equal opportunities: We are committed to providing equal opportunities for all employees and applicants, ensuring that no one is discriminated against or excluded from employment or advancement based on their personal characteristics.
3. Inclusive culture: We strive to create an inclusive culture where everyone feels valued, supported, and empowered to contribute their best work.
4. Training and development: We provide training and development opportunities to all employees to help them understand and appreciate diversity, and to develop the skills and knowledge needed to work effectively with people from different backgrounds.
5. Collaboration and partnership: We actively seek out partnerships and collaborations with organizations and individuals who share our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
6. Monitoring and reporting: We regularly monitor and report on our diversity and inclusion efforts, and use this information to continuously improve our policies and practices.
By embracing diversity and inclusion, we believe that we can create a more vibrant, innovative, and successful architectural practice. We strive to build a team that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, and to delivering exceptional design solutions that meet the needs of all people.
This policy applies to all aspects of our business, including recruitment, selection, training, promotion, and working conditions. We are continually reviewing our policies and procedures to ensure that they are aligned with our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
We strive to create an inclusive environment for people from different cultures, with zero tolerance for any form of BAME or LGBT discrimination.
Davide di Martino
Director
RIBA ARB
M.Arch. IUAV University, Venice, Italy & ETSAB, Barcelona, Spain.
Ph.D. In Urbanism and Ecology
Davide graduated from architecture at University in Venice, Italy, after a year of study at ETSAB - The School of Architecture in Barcelona, Spain, and SUN - Second University of Naples.
He has a postgraduate Master's Degree in Design Within Historical Contexts and a PhD in Ecological Urban Design from the University Federico II in Naples, Italy. He has followed his projects and collaborated with larger architectural practices in Italy and Spain. He joined Ian Ritchie Architects in London in 2013, working on several residential schemes and competitions.
He founded Unagru Architecture Urbanism in 2018. He is passionate about unconventional spaces and ecology, sustainable design and natural light. Davide is also an Unit Leader at the Cardiff University on Architecture MA AD Master in Architecture Design Research.
Jamie studied at Manchester School of Architecture, gaining a First at BA and Distinction at MArch. He gained invaluable lessons in robust, timeless design from his time studying in Eramus exchange at IUAV, Venice. He got his coursework in early, preferring to visit and sketch 40 Italian and French cities instead. Social sustainability is critical to Jamie's work and he won the Hawkins\Brown award for the most socially sustainable project at his masters.
Before joining Unagru, he worked at Stanton Williams obtaining experience of regeneration in complex urban sites. He enjoys taking a contextual approach to architecture with emphasis on natural materials, sensitive detailing, and a careful modelling of light.
Gary Yeow is a Masters in Architecture graduate from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. He is also co-founder of projectxyz - a design collective engaged in wide-ranging projects from competitions to furniture and installation design, always rooted in user experience and architecture. He hosts xyzpodcast, and is exploring writing, event and curation with a keen interest on connecting architectural education and practice.
He is currently a lecturer at Malaysia Institute of Arts and leads Unagru Design Office in Malaysia.
Recognition and Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
AJ Small Projects Award | Finalist | 2023 | House for A Cellist |
The Designer Awards | Winner | 2022 | House for A Cellist |
Open House | Featured | 2022 | House for A Cellist, Peckham Courtyard, Oswyth Road |
Build It Awards | Winner | 2022 | House for A Cellist |
Open House Festival London | Featured | 2021 | The Sponge, House for A Cellist |
Built It Awards | Shortlisted | 2021 | The Sponge |
Don't Move, Improve Awards | Shortlisted | 2021 | The Sponge |
Open House Festival London | Featured | 2019 | InsideOut Courtyard, The Boat and Pavilion |
Open House Festival London | Featured | 2018 | The Boat and Pavilion |
Sorso Waterfront Competition | Third Prize | 2012 | |
Grosio Sports Centre Competition | Shortlisted | 2011 | |
AAA Architetti Cercasi Milan Competition | Shortlisted | 2010 | |
Concorso Eugenio Campania Region | Special Jury Prize | 2008 |
Publication | |||
|---|---|---|---|
The Architect's Journal | House for A Cellist | ||
Design Milk | House for A Cellist | ||
Archdaily | House for A Cellist | ||
Interiors Korea | House for A Cellist | ||
Grand Designs Magazine | House for A Cellist | ||
DomusWeb IT | House for A Cellist | ||
The Design Story | House for A Cellist, Peckham Courtyard, The Sponge | ||
Nest Magazine | Loop House | ||
The Architect's Journal | Loop House | ||
Build It Magazine | Peckham Courtyard | ||
Homebuilding & Renovating | Peckham Glass Box | ||
Rethinking The Future | The Boat & Pavilion | ||
DesignRaid | The Boat & Pavilion | ||
Rethinking The Future | The Colander | ||
Not A Paper House | The Sponge | ||
Don't Move, Improve Magazine | The Sponge | ||
Grand Design Magazine | The Sponge |
Research | |||
|---|---|---|---|
AAA Architetti Cercasi competition submission | Future Magazine, published in English, Spanish, and Chinese | ||
Academic Publications | Please visit Academia.edu profile (Davide di Martino) | ||
Bonifica e riciclo della Piana Campana | In Press. PPC Piano Progetto Città: Zero Waste 27-28, 2013. | ||
Pollution ecologies: from reclamation to restructuring | In Press. The Next Urban Question. Roma: Officina Edizioni. | ||
Urban wetlands as performative, multifunctional design devices: the wetland scenario | Planning Stormwater Resilient Urban Open Spaces, Clean: Napoli. 193 - 204 |