The Studio / Est. 2009
A small practice, deliberately kept that way.
Void Architect was founded in 2009 by Edda Marlowe and runs as a studio of five. We take on a handful of commissions a year so that each one keeps the principal’s hand on the drawing. We are not interested in volume. We are interested in getting the room right.
Who we are
Five people, one drawing board at a time.
Our work spans private houses, modest civic buildings and the careful reworking of existing fabric. We draw by hand before we draw on screen, and we visit every site at least once in each season before a line is committed.
We are a remote-first studio. We meet by video, we travel to site when it matters, and we keep our overheads low so the budget goes into the building rather than the office.
The studio itself is a single north-lit room in a converted grain store, which is also the section you see drawn here. It is the first project we ever held to the three principles, and it taught us most of what we now know.
- Founded2009
- TeamFive
- SectorsResidential, civic, retrofit
- Working methodRemote, with site visits
What we hold to
A studio is the sum of the things it refuses.
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A
Few projects, fully held
A handful of commissions a year so the principal stays on every drawing, from the first plan to the final snag.
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B
Hand before screen
We test ideas in pencil first. The computer is for resolving a decision, not for making one.
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C
Low office, high building
Remote-first and lean by design, so the client’s budget goes into the fabric rather than the overhead.
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D
Quiet, not silent
Restraint is a means, not a pose. A room should be calm enough to live in and warm enough to want to.
The five
Small enough to know every project.
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Edda Marlowe
Principal, founder
Leads every commission and holds the drawing through to completion.
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Joren Roels
Architect, detailing
Resolves the difficult corner and looks after concrete and steel.
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Sigrid Næss
Architect, light
Studies daylight on site and tunes every clerestory and slot.
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Paulo Cardoso
Conservation lead
Looks after retrofit and the careful reworking of old fabric.
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Mara Holt
Studio & clients
Keeps the studio running and is the first reply to every enquiry.
Working with us
Questions we are often asked.
If your question is not here, a short note will reach Mara directly.
How many projects do you take on at once?
Rarely more than three or four live at any time. It is the only way the principal can stay on every drawing, which is the whole point of a studio this size.
Do you work outside the countries you have built in?
Yes. We are remote-first and have built across five European countries. We travel to site when it matters and meet by video the rest of the time.
Will you take on a retrofit rather than a new building?
Gladly. Some of our most considered work is the careful re-lining of existing fabric. We treat what is already there as a material in its own right.
What does a first conversation cost?
Nothing. A first conversation about the site, the budget and the timescale carries no obligation. We will say plainly if we are not the right studio for the job.
Enquiries
Like the way we think?
We reply to every genuine enquiry, usually within two working days.