Acerca de

About us

​

We Are:

​

We are a CIAT (Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists) registered practice, providing design and technical services for residential and commercial projects in just the same way that architects do. The Architects Act 1997 prescribes that even Chartered Architectural Technologists cannot describe themselves as architects, even though we have been through a stringent professional process to ensure that we are competent to offer the services that we do. There are no legal restrictions on the service we offer that do not also apply to architects, and we are equally bound by a strict set of professional conduct codes, just like architects. We design, prepare planning applications and obtain building regulation approval in the same way as architects. We can project manage, including signing certificates, in the same way as chartered architects, and furthermore building societies, banks and lenders will generally accept CIAT certificates to release stage payments etc. The outdated Architects Act of 1997 unfairly hides architectural technologists from those wishing to engage architectural services, who will quite naturally use the word architect in their online search. It is effectively an attempt at protectionism for Chartered Architects. Consequently, we are delighted that you have found us and are reading this.

 

Building Tectonics Ltd offers a design and planning service just as Chartered Architectural practices do. We can project manage and oversee the building construction process in the same way that architects do. It is said that an architect’s role is a blend of artistry and engineering, ensuring that spaces are safe, functional, and aesthetically pleasing while adhering to strict legal and environmental standards. Architectural Technologist’s training may have its emphasis on the engineering, in the meaning and sense used above, but it is a blind designer who has no sense of what is aesthetically pleasing to the eye; we have been doing this for a long time and we have an excellent record of obtaining planning approval for the design of our projects.

 

Design could also be defined as optimising the resources available within a set of constraints to achieve and maximise a set of objectives and, one of those objectives is to create sympathetic & exciting designs that also work for the client in terms of functionality. That’s what we provide as architectural technologists. However, we bring no architectural baggage or hubris with us. What we will bring is over 40 years of vision and design expertise to meet our client’s objectives, which must include the client’s lifestyle needs, the budget and a client’s aesthetic penchant, just as any architect should do. We strongly believe that the design team should include the client, and that together we can arrive at what may just be a design concept to start with. Sometimes a client will engage us before they know exactly what they want and then together we can develop options, filter out certain features and narrow down the proposal to find the most suitable way forward. We are also often able to unlock a problem with a technical solution. Conversely, sometimes we can save a significant amount of time by identifying an issue early on in the design process. From the abstract to the tangible, by harnessing our over 40 years of experience, we can help clients with the architectural design process so that this now viable design can be built to a fixed price and to a predictable time frame.

 

Our total fees are generally similar to registered architects but the way we break down the design process and our fee stages may differ. We try to keep the initial fees to a minimum until the client has some confidence that the investment in the design process will bear fruit. We do this wherever possible by identifying and concentrating on the main obstacles first- this is where 40 years of experience can really be invaluable. We always will try to indicate what the fees for the next stages will be as soon as possible and our client will never incur any fees before an agreement has been reached.

 

Our other major forte is in the preparation of technical documentation and detailed working drawings (blueprints) that show how the elements of the building fit together. Traditionally this is also part of what architects normally do, although a client should always check to see if the architect will take a project that far, because a growing number are electing not to get involved in that degree of technical detail. This is something that architectural technologists are very adept at, because to us this aspect of a project is as much a part of architecture and is as intrinsic to the design as its façade. This is why we call ourselves Building Tectonics. An AI summary of “Tectonics in Architecture” reflects this balance in our design work:

 

Tectonics in architecture refers to the art and science of construction, where a building’s structural system, materials, and assembly methods are poetically expressed rather than concealed. It merges structural logic with artistic form, emphasizing the honest, visible, and tactile connection of components—like steel joints or, wood framing—to create meaningful, "poetic" spaces. 

 

That’s architecture folks.

 

We are based in Fenny Stratford, Milton Keynes. However, we regularly work as far as Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and sometimes further afield.

Telephone 01908 366000 and ask if we can help you.

​

Building Tectonics has been established since 1985.