How did you come to start your own firm?
James Soane: [We met] when we were first year architecture students at Cambridge in 1985. We became an item the following year. In the ’90s, I was working for Sir Terence Conran, and Christopher for Michael Squire. Christopher was the first to leave and set up in 1997. It felt like a good time as there was work around while I was having fun designing projects in New York and Tokyo. By 2002, I realized it was time for me to join him and work together—not an easy decision, but definitely the right one.
Big break?
Christopher Ash: When we were first starting out and were called just Orange, a group of us entered a competition for the Copenhagen Library. We didn’t win, but they awarded us a special fourth prize and sent us $7,000 in prize money. It was in the press and a real cheer up.
Tell us about your design process.
JS: Because we share so many interests and experiences, we are able to work very intuitively, which is great. However, it is more difficult when it comes to resolving [problems], as we work very differently. The story goes that I am the collagist and Christopher is the composer. One of the great lessons though is you don’t have to be of the same mind so long as you respect the other’s process and thinking.
What are each other’s strengths and weaknesses?
CA: I like to figure a design out through sketching and iteration, whereas James likes to create narratives using text and theories. When in harmony, these two approaches are great.
A favorite project in your portfolio?
CA: The house we built 10 years ago. It is an expression of how we live. We were lucky enough to acquire a site in the center of a Tudor village in Suffolk, so we always knew the planning was going to be a big issue, and it was. Now, it has bedded into the street and the garden has matured, while we have not changed the interior at all. It just seems to work.
How do you overcome challenging projects?
CA: At the end of last year, we completed a delightful refurbishment of a coastal heritage hotel, the Swan Southwold. It was a much-loved seaside destination, but was in need of some serious TLC. We took everything back to the bare walls, discovering asbestos in the process, as well as building a new timber addition that was designed to extend to the bar. It has been a massive change, and I sympathize with some of the local residents who think it is a bit trendy and overpriced. But four months in, it seems to have become part of the town again.
What’s on the boards?
JS: A flagship new hotel in central London where the brief called for disruption and vibrancy. It has been a hard project to define, as everyone seems to have their own image of what it should be, but [as of] right now, it will open in the next year.
Biggest obstacle of owning your own firm?
CA: Trying to keep a work-life balance. We don’t buy into working super late or on the weekend. This shows a lack of leadership and management. We want our people to have a positive, creative experience in their work life. The challenge is that it doesn’t always feel like that.
Lessons learned from working together?
JS: Most people who work together and live together would agree that having harmony while being able to express your own identity and ideas is key. We have also learned that it is good to have some ambition, but too much consumes you and you end up always putting work first.
How has your firm changed over the years?
CA: We have kept [the office] at more or less 15 people. We like staying small and being involved in all stages of our projects.
JS: Teaching architecture has been a big factor in our development, and I am one of the founding directors of the new London School of Architecture, where I teach critical practice. Being involved in education exposes you to new ideas and shifts in the paradigms of design thinking.
What’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew in the beginning?
CA: That it was all going to be okay.
JS: And that you get better with age.
Why is two better than one?
JS: Not every issue has to be debated and negotiated. Sometimes it is good to trust someone, and when that is your partner, it is easier.
