PRACTICE PROFILE

THE PRACTICE

Gus Alexander Architects was established over 20 years ago and since 1995 has been based in Clerkenwell, London.

Our practice specialises in bespoke, residential refurbishment work. Although we continue to work for commercial clients, such as special needs housing associations, on refurbishments to licensed premises, and for a private hotel group, most of our commissions are from private clients who wish to refurbish, remodel or extend their house or flat. The majority of these are located in central London and probably half of the projects we are engaged with at any one time involve Listed Buildings, or buildings in conservation areas. We offer solutions that reflect the aspirations, taste and budget of our clients, each of whom have their own particular priorities and expectations. Sometimes these solutions are quite traditional in appearance, other times less so.

Gus Alexander is a regular contributor to the architectural press and for nine years has written a regular column in Building, the construction magazine of record. Since 2003 he has been a councilor at the RIBA. Both of these activities inform the standards of professional service his firm offers its varied clients.

BUILDING ON EXPERIENCE

Some of our clients are familiar with the process of commissioning architectural work, but many have no previous experience at all. They are wary of the level of bureaucracy and officialdom that construction work can involve, and of the financial commitment they may be undertaking.

Gus Alexander Architects are lucky enough to receive a large number of repeat commissions, but we also have considerable experience of dealing with novice clients who are, not unreasonably, anxious about the whole business. After an initial consultation, we can arrange for them to visit clients for whom we have already completed building work, so that they can see for themselves how successful this work has been, and find out firsthand about any difficulties – or opportunities – they might encounter.

The biggest worry that most of our clients have concerns cost. Over the two decades we have been operating, we have established relationships with a number of building companies and specialist tradesmen and, wherever possible, we try to introduce the appropriate construction firm to a client at a very early stage. We find that this process provides for a collaborative approach to implementing and satisfactorily completing the work.

Our experience is that by negotiating contracts with sensible builders on our client's behalf, we can avoid the distress and disappointment that is a notorious feature of the building process: If there is one thing more expensive than having building work done, it's having it done twice.