Summer 2025 Newsletter
— 26 August 2025
Summer feels like it started early this year, given the hot weather and lack of rain! This has enabled good progress on sites and renewed design inspiration for external living, solar shading, and cooling stack ventilation.
Our focus continues to be on design quality as it always rewards our clients long after we have left the building. To keep up with the best in design, we’re spending more time in our London Studio to network and meet like-minded construction professionals—connections that continue to challenge and inspire our daily work.
If you’re interested in collaborating on upcoming city projects, contact us, or read more about our recent thoughts on city living.
On the drawing board
Indoor Pool Addition Moves Ahead for Oxford Farmhouse
Given the summer theme we are delighted to be developing a technical drawing package for an indoor swimming pool complex addition to a home farmhouse development close to Oxford. This package will soon be out to tender to a select list of invited Contractors. Planning Permission for this addition was successfully achieved earlier this year with the aid of our Planning Consultant Partner, who helped us get this stand-out new build addition approved.
Design-Led Healthcare Spaces: Challenging the Status Quo
We continue to develop design solutions for commercial projects requiring statutory permissions to deliver bespoke, high-end tailored healthcare surgeries.
With many years of in-depth experience and a strong record of planning success, we remain committed to challenging ‘no’ where there’s clear design purpose. Working closely with trusted professional partners, we offer imaginative, project-specific solutions to Statutory Planning Authorities, who can often find ‘no’ too easy. We look forward to showcasing examples of this in the coming months.
Transforming a Cotswold Barn for Modern Comfort
Within the Cotswolds following in depth strategic consultation, we have submitted a planning application for a significant contemporary addition to a desirable traditional Cotswold barn conversion. Our clients wishing to upgrade the typically basic accommodation provision conceived in the 1980’s, came to William Green Architects to capture the opportunity that developing a barn presents. Click the link to read more about understanding the challenges in achieving planning permission in the Cotswolds, and how we overcome them. Read More: Navigating Cotswolds Planning Permission.
On-Site
Connecting with Context in Historic Homes
A number of our clients have beautiful historic properties located in some of the best locations. Often due to limiting aspects inherent in traditional building materials, these buildings do not converse with these wonderful locations they are fortunate to be sited upon. We really enjoy bringing the outside in and making nature and its evolving cycle part of our clients’ everyday lives, connecting with context. The image here highlights both the benefit of good weather being enjoyed on-site as the opportunity to open the house to the beautiful country views is being taken.
We also have a Grade 2 listed full refurbishment and extend site in Hertfordshire, which continues at pace with a full house scaffold and temporary roof protecting the existing building. First phase internal works are beginning on the top floor, working down, requiring well attended site and design team meetings including close collaboration with the interior design team.
Thoughts
Sunlight in Architecture is a dynamic asset that needs careful consideration in any construction project. Most, if not all project proposals start with understanding the suns' path in relation to the site and building. Sunlight is a primary element in building design and when utilised, it enhances the building day in and day out.
Good design considers and then manipulates sunlight to create joyful results. Sunlight animates a building, the rooms and corridors, lighting up and conveying the solid and void. Natural light is complex and deciding how to utilise it enlightens the Architecture. For example, does one want the warming glow of spring light with accompanying long shadows or a more balanced light? The plan layouts, apertures and roof overhangs all influence the answer, and good Architecture is carefully curated to create habitable spaces that take advantage of this precious natural asset.