Culture
We know that our clients place huge value in the working relationships we build with them. Taking time to understand their business needs and aspirations has resulted in a high proportion of repeat business. We have been able to provide consistency to our clients through the longstanding directors who have grown an understanding of our client’s specific needs.
Our three directors prefer a ‘hands on’ approach to project involvement which provides assurance to clients that their project will benefit from experience in addition to our recognised innovative and sensitive approach to their design briefs and site contexts.
At Williams Lester we place great importance on how our ideas and projects are conveyed. We are able to utilise a wide range of presentation skills, from a hand drawn and water coloured rendered approach (where a softer, more contextual feel is required) to the most advanced 3D modelling and rendering capability, where a more contemporary style is appropriate. Through our regular work load meetings and design reviews we maintain excellent communication and innovation within the office.
Approach
Good Architecture adds value. Our objective is to create value for our clients through good design, through increasing site viability, improving land values, creating a better living and built environment. We enjoy what we do and delight in seeing a finished project that works for the client, site and community.
We approach each project with an open mind. Every design is unique, a bespoke solution drawn from analysis of the site and brief. A thorough understanding of the client’s requirements and the constraints of the site is the first step to a finished project that everyone can be proud of.
We collaborate with clients, consultants and local stakeholders throughout the life of a project. Using BIM software we work in three dimensions from the earliest stages to communicate our ideas/concepts, test our designs, improve co-ordination and minimise errors.
Every project is overseen by senior qualified architects to ensure quality of design and execution. Our design team have a diverse range of experience and skills that we can call upon to achieve the best outcome.
Design
We strive to produce bespoke designs that respond to the individual demands of each site and client. No two projects are the same and our design approach seeks to find the optimum solution for each site and brief. We aim high with every project, pushing for a design solution that will exceed our client’s expectations. At the heart of every project is a strong design concept, arrived at through a thorough analysis of the site and brief.
Our value lies in the ability to understand and exploit a sites constraints and opportunities, and in our response to visualise. Using BIM software we are better able to understand the site three dimensionally and to test our design concepts early on. It is this process of analysis and modelling that ensures a robust design solution. We collaborate with other design consultants throughout a project and integrate their input into the design as it progresses.
We are proud of our record of achieving more for our clients than they had anticipated and our ability to generate both enhanced value and design quality.
Collaboration
Collaboration – ‘the act of working with someone to produce something’.
Williams Lester are firm believers that from conception to completion collaboration is key to the making of a successful project. We have developed long standing relationships with a number of consultants we consider important members of the design team.
These include Planning Consultants, Arboriculturalists, Highways Consultants, Engineers, Landscape and Conservation Consultants who are all fully involved in the design process.
In consideration of the client and end user requirements, we draw on our team’s knowledge and experience to realise our client’s project ambitions.
Clear communication is key to collaboration and this is achieved by using the most up to date digital technology and communication tools available. Using a variety of mediums including 3D BIM modelling we communicate our design knowledge clearly to our clients and the design team.
Our 3D models that can be viewed on laptops, tablets and smart phones allow our work to be understood in real time at meetings with our clients and professional colleagues.
Our People
Our practice is led by long-standing directors and senior management teams, providing consistency continuity and experience to our clients.
We are seen as an attractive employer to work for; offering for career progression and the opportunity to develop wider skills within our dedicated staff training regime.
The friendly and informal approach within the practice results in low staff turnover and a thriving studio environment.
Stephen Johnson
DirectorJames Green
DirectorNoel Ham
DirectorLisa Sumner
DirectorAndrew Kenyon
Consultant ArchitectLaura Freer
Associate ArchitectCarl Mason
Associate Technologist
Awards
Williams Lester have received numerous awards over their 30 year history.
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