About
Purpose
Our architecture is the inevitable conclusion of a listening process - to make physical the emotion and lived experience of our clients’ lives.
That involves a belief that aesthetic and functional beauty is born from a close relationship with nature. Our design approach has always been to create and make with heart but with minimum impact to our planet.
We’re here to make the best buildings we can, not the most.
Process
We create with passion an architecture that has great impact.
Our award winning architecture is the result of meaningful collaborations with our clients. We revel in thinking, making, constructing. We never compromise.
Listening and translating to circumstance allows us to craft a highly detailed, low energy architecture, authentic and real. Weaving teaching, research with the latest technology into a rich studio culture that creates space for the exceptional.
People
Our team
We have a deep understanding of architecture evidenced in our awards and experience. We employ this understanding in every new project we work on and every new sector we work in.
Since our founding in 2006, we have had the immense pleasure of working with discerning clients from around the world in many different sectors. They have allowed us the time to go deep into crafting a poetic and rigorous architecture full of authentic built meaning, bespoke to circumstance.
![Kristian HydeDirector / Architect BA [Hons] DIP [Arch] RIBAKristian graduated with a first class honours degree in Architecture from the University of Portsmouth in 2000. He then travelled to the USA and Canada where he studied Art, Philosophy and …](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af1702996e76f82a61c31e6/1573675157318-IP70L1MYFICQ53FHRYQF/kristian_alexander_hyde.jpg)
Kristian HydeDirector / Architect
BA [Hons] DIP [Arch] RIBA
Kristian graduated with a first class honours degree in Architecture from the University of Portsmouth in 2000. He then travelled to the USA and Canada where he studied Art, Philosophy and Architecture at the University of Cincinnati. This led him to work for Anshen + Allen, an international architecture practice based in San Francisco.
Kristian’s work has received high-profiled recognition across national and global platforms – from winning numerous awards, features in broadsheets and academic journals, to exhibiting in the RIBA, London.
Combining a deep appreciation for architecture and the phenomenology of the natural world, Kristian founded Hyde + Hyde Architects in 2006 with architect and wife, Kay Hyde. The practice references cosmology, philosophy and nature to create spaces that consciously respond to our internal and external worlds.
![Kay HydeDirector / Architect BA [Hons] DIP [Arch] RIBAKay graduated with a first class honours degree from the University and Portsmouth and University of Plymouth. Following graduation, Kay joined Hampshire County Council where she worked as a Pro…](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af1702996e76f82a61c31e6/1572614710323-YTVBQ6371EV9QF4XB6F3/kay_lesley_hyde.jpeg)
Kay HydeDirector / Architect
BA [Hons] DIP [Arch] RIBA
Kay graduated with a first class honours degree from the University and Portsmouth and University of Plymouth. Following graduation, Kay joined Hampshire County Council where she worked on numerous schools and educational buildings.
Kay later travelled to the USA to study Architecture and Dance in Cincinnati and gained experience working for an architecture practice in San Francisco. Upon her return to the UK, Kay practiced architecture in London and later worked for John Pardey Architects in Lymington.
In 2006, Kay established Hyde + Hyde Architects with her husband Kristian; a progressive award winning architecture practice based in South Wales, with work across the UK.
![Alister WebbArchitectBSc [Hons] MArch [Hons] PGCert ARB RIBA Alister graduated Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Welsh School of Architecture, his Masters thesis and dissertation investigated the use of plants in remediating contamination](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5af1702996e76f82a61c31e6/1572614624649-ZTZE8368UG4H1OW0WYEN/alister_webb.jpeg)
Alister WebbArchitect
BSc [Hons] MArch [Hons] PGCert ARB RIBA
Alister graduated Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Welsh School of Architecture, his Masters thesis and dissertation investigated the use of plants in remediating contamination in post-industrial landscapes.
Alister has an intrinsic passion for design and is usually honing his skills beyond the studio in graphic design, digital modelling and 3D printing. Alister also possesses a keen interest in technology and automation, focusing on creating efficient workflows and keeping our tools sharp.
Outside of architecture, Alister and his longboard go hand in hand. Through design, craft and movement - Alister glides along any path he sets.
Hugo BillingtonArchitect
BA [Hons] MArch [Hons] PGCert ARB RIBA
Hugo graduated with a Bachelor's degree from Plymouth University. Upon returning to Wales, he embarked on a journey with the Welsh School of Architecture, where he achieved a First Class Honours Master's degree. During his studies, he explored the craft of tectonic architecture as a mechanism to instil a sense of place.
Hugo harbours a strong passion for design and an innate quest for uncompromising quality. His fascination lies in delving into the realms of what, why, and how. Through meticulous analysis, he translates this inherent desire for understanding into a powerful design tool that empowers both his professional and personal life.
Beyond the realm of architecture, Hugo can be found honing his craft, whether it be refining recipes, artfully baking, embarking on strolls, or immersing himself in an obsession over a DIY project.
Recognition
Thank you
Awards
- 2023
- RIBA South Award
- RSAW Welsh Architecture Award Build It Awards: Best Self Build Architect for Design
- AJ Retrofit Awards Shortlisted
- British Homes Awards Shortlisted
- 2022
- RIBA Regional South Architecture Award Shortlisted
- 2018
- All Wales Building Excellence Award
- 2017
- Sunday Times British Homes Awards Shortlist
- RIBA Welsh Architecture Award
- RIBA Welsh Building of the Year Award
- Stephen Lawrence Prize Shortlisted
- 2016
- Nordic Built Cities Awards Shortlisted
- Faroe Islands Housing Awards Shortlisted
- 2015
- RIBA National Architecture Award
- RIBA Welsh Architecture Award RSAW Award
- 2013
- RIBA Welsh Architecture Award
- Sunday Times Best Homes In Britain
- 2010
- Best Contemporary House in Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating Awards
Exhibitions
- 2016
- Nordic Built Cities - Copenhagen
- Vertical Housing – Faroe Islands
- 2012
- Adain Avion – Cultural Olympiad
- 2008
- Marking Space @ Mission Gallery
- 2002
- RIBA Portland Place London
Commitment
Environmental + Social Responsibility
Designed with Innovation and Sustainability
Cosmologist Carl Sagan once said:
“Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.”
With these truths in mind, our buildings are designed with innovation and sustainability woven in, but it's not enough. We need to think hard and act fast, to put in motion real change and measurable action.
What we do as we make and construct buildings inevitably has an impact on the environment. As the construction industry is the primary source of CO2 emissions, we are working hard daily, through our research and studio culture to understand this impact.
We’re making a commitment
The following is our commitment - the things that we are currently working on in the studio to reduce our impact on planet earth:
— Our energy supply for our studio is 100% renewable, sourced from solar, wind and hydro energy.
— The ocean is the planet’s life support system. That's why we support the great work of Surfers Against Sewage in their plight to save our oceans. We are also members of the 250 Club, a powerful network of leaders, driving forward a movement for change.
— Giving back, our commitment to ‘Make Bank’ helps address the issues of creative poverty. By creating and donating kits for young people, The Make Bank strives for “equal access to the creative industries”.
Low impact construction
We are making a conscious effort to move away from traditional forms of construction and build from structural wood.
Wood is one of the few building materials that extracts carbon from the atmosphere rather than adding to it and, with the aid of new technology, it’s becoming even more efficient and adaptable. Our timber is sourced from sustainable forests, a renewable source that provides both a natural and scalable form of carbon sequestration.
We don’t have all the answers, but we are motivated to learn, pivot and change our approach to be the best we can be in our relationship with planet earth.
Like our work, there can be no compromise.