Culture

My briefs may have their challenges, but at Cap Ferret I saw how necessity inspired humble oyster farmers to build in the face of one of nature’s most powerful forces. Cap Ferret is a sandy peninsula in South West France stretched out between the calm Bassin d’Arcachon and the breaking waves of the Atlantic, creating…

Jemima and I recently invited the DGA team and some clients to the Aspall Tennis Classic event, where we had to pleasure of watching the likes of Raphael Nadal warm up for Wimbledon. Luckily, warming up wasn’t an issue for us either, as the weather was glorious, putting everyone in high spirits. Here are some…

John and I recently visited the Chelsea Flower Show, our favourite summer event. Gardens are so intrinsic to all our work, both refurbishment and new build, and we were lucky to be there on the first day when the medals were awarded. This year, the Chelsea Flower Show’s themes were sustainability and the impacts of…

Photo © Jane Brown for The Observer I was sad to hear of the passing of Enzo Apicella, who died aged 96. He was described as the padrone – the godfather – of London’s Italian culture through his design work, including more than 80 Pizza Express restaurants. To me, he was an inspiration. I was…

Last year was our busiest yet. As part of our efforts to carry that momentum into 2019 and continue our growth, we are are delighted to announce our new staff appointments. John Rookyard and Philip Jones-Lloyd – Directors John Rookyard and Philip Jones-Lloyd will join co-founders John and Jemima Dyer-Grimes on the board of directors.…

Last Christmas we once again reached out to our readers and friends for our annual appeal, which we alternate between Save the Children and Shelter. In 2018 it was Shelter’s turn, and we were delighted to bring our total raised since we started the campaign to £6,410. A huge thank you to everyone who donated. If…

Peter Boizot, founder of Pizza Express, passed away last December at the grand age of 89. I was fortunate to work with Peter when I was still an up and coming architect. He was known as a risk taker who thrived on a challenge, qualities I would later learn he recognised in me as a…

I recently visited the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations – or MuCEM – in Marseille. While I was absorbed by their vast collection of Mediterranean artefacts and moved by Ai Weiwei’s exhibition, it was, of course, the architecture that most impressed me. Built on the site of a former port and designed by Rudy…

The DGA team donned vintage outfits for a day at the races. Goodwood Revival was bigger and better than ever before, and the DGA team showed up in style. A capacity crowd flocked to the circuit for the finest historic racing, with visitors completing the spectacle with dashing period outfits. The garden party atmosphere was…

What? Of course not; just because I turned 50 and bought a motorcycle doesn’t mean I’m having a mid-life crisis! It’s simply a very practical and efficient way of getting through London’s busy traffic so that I can be on time for meetings.