About the practice

James Grayley Architects was founded in 2012 and is based in London and Bath. The practice has a rich track record of working across a broad spectrum of sectors and scales to create well crafted, intellectually rigorous architecture. Most recently the practice was awarded the RIBA South West Small Project of Year Award for Duncan Cottage. Our projects evolve from observation and discussion, exploring ideas of context that embed our proposals in the culture of their place. We undertake meticulous research, unravelling the built and social history of a site, allowing us to make work that is informed by it’s history but is both original and contemporary. The practice seeks to embrace the distinctiveness of each project and latent potential of complex sites without the imposition of preconceived solutions. The imaginative reuse of existing structures is central to our work. We focus on low-tech, high performance construction, adopting a fabric first approach to creating robust and adaptable projects without the need for bolt on mechanical systems. We have developed on going relationships with many clients leading to repeat commissions, and as an RIBA Chartered Practice we are committed to delivering the highest quality of service in all aspects of our work. The practice is actively involved in critical debate with staff teaching university studio units and engaged on design review panels. James has taught at a number of universities in the UK and is currently a visiting critic at schools of architecture in London, the South West and Wales.