About Scenario Architecture’s Work in Hertfordshire
Scenario Architecture’s work in Hertfordshire began with a transformative commission for a young family in St Albans. They had purchased a detached house in poor condition and wanted to replace it with a sustainable new-build. Our challenge was to design a contemporary home that respected and complemented the traditional streetscape typical of Hertfordshire. Securing planning permission for such an ambitious project was not straightforward. Using our innovative design process, we reimagined the traditional home in a fresh and contemporary way the blended seamlessly with its surroundings. To support our proposal, we prepared a detailed planning application with advanced 3D visualisations and a comprehensive planning statement. By working collaboratively with St Albans City and District Council from the outset, we gained early support and ensured a smooth, successful approval. For us, this project was more than a commission. It was an opportunity to refine our collaborative approach to residential architecture. At Scenario Architecture, every home begins with our client’s aspirations. Since founding Scenario Architecture in 2007, our vision has remained the same: to create bespoke, highly functional homes shaped by a deep understanding of every client’s lifestyle. Our tailor-made designs tell the story of the people who live in them, not the architects who created them.
Expert Hertfordshire Architects for Residential and Commercial Projects
Our Hertfordshire architects bring extensive experience to every project, specialising in for home extensions, loft conversions, new-builds and full refurbishments throughout Hertfordshire. Whether you are looking for architects in Hertfordshire or specialist architects in St Albans Hertfordshire, our RIBA chartered practice delivers creative design and practical solutions tailored to local authorities, planning permission requirements and building regulations. From the initial consultation to the planning and building stages, our team of architects based in St Albans works closely with clients across Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City, Hertford and beyond. This ensures that architectural designs combine contemporary design with practicality, every step of the way.
Projects
Starting your Hertfordshire project
Most building projects in Hertfordshire require approval from the local authority. Hertfordshire architects can help you through the process, collaborating with council officials to see through your application. Scenario Architects has successfully steered clients through the permissions stage.
We’ve drawn up an illustrated synopsis to help guide you through the planning process for a Hertfordshire-based renovation, restoration, addition or new-build.
If you’re considering a residential architectural project in Hertfordshire, we’re here to help, whether it’s a renovation, extension or a new-build.
TIP: To find out the actual track record which any architects you may be considering has with your local council, go to the planning application search page on your local council’s website and use the search by agent option.
Working with Scenario Architecture on your Hertfordshire project
Hertfordshire Architects Your Hertfordshire project
Our boutique studio specialises in residential architecture, offering bespoke services for home additions, renovations and new-builds. Based in Wandsworth, we practice across London and beyond.
A RIBA Chartered Practice, Scenario complies with the UK’s strict health and safety criteria. We collaborate closely with our clients throughout every stage of the process, from the design phase, through planning and construction. We aim to deliver every project on time and on budget.
Our skilled team works with the latest 3D design technology: real-time digital visualisations and virtual reality. We feel they are the most effective and efficient tools for seeing through our work, choosing fittings and simulating natural light.
This Chartered Institute of Building case study features a recent Scenario project, demonstrating the benefits of advanced technologies in designing for the domestic sphere.
Established in 2007, Scenario Architecture is a boutique architecture studio focused on the high-end residential sector, working extensively throughout and around London. We specialise in every scale and type of domestic project, from interior alterations, through full renovations and refurbishments to new build homes. We offer a full bespoke architecture service tailored to fit your requirements and aspirations.
Our friendly and highly skilled team has the knowledge, experience and expertise necessary to take you step-by-step through the challenging and exciting journey of creating your new home. We will work together with you in close collaboration from initial design, through detail design and planning all the way to tender, construction and successful completion of your project on time and within budget.
Scenario Architecture is an RIBA Chartered Practice, which essentially means that we are compliant with the RIBA (Royal Institute of Chartered Architects) strict criteria, covering insurance, health and safety and quality management systems.
As early adopters of latest technology, we use as a standard for all projects a verity of innovative 3D design and visualisation tools to create and communicate design with our clients. Our experience shows that Real-Time visualisations and Virtual Reality tours are extremely powerful tools to streamline the process of choosing material finishes fixtures and fittings as well as simulating realistic natural light conditions.
When we produce accurate and reliable construction information we use the latest 3D BIM technology, (BIM stands for Building Information Modelling) which means that all project information is derived from a single accurate and coordinated 3D model. Using this cutting-edge technology collaboratively with other consultants as well as contractors has proven to save time and cost for our clients.
A case study featuring one of our projects was published by the Chartered Institute of Building, demonstrating the great benefits of this advanced technology specifically with domestic projects.
Scenario Architecture in London deliver design and architectural expertise for residential projects. We were established in 2007 by Ran Ankory and Maya Carni who both trained with the AA School of Architecture. Scenario have grown to an award-winning team of nine. We have been featured in Dezeen and Elle Decoration UK.
Our highly experienced team of architects Stoke Newington work with clients using innovative 3D and Virtual Reality technology that simulates your new home before the first brick is even laid. This simulation technique allows you to see beautiful scenarios, designed to fit your life. An organic process, it often influences the choice of materials and design methods.
If you are looking for a top architects Hertfordshire, we can help with your project. We are a RIBA Chartered Practice and we operate across the following areas and postal districts: Camden, Dalston, Hackney, Hampstead, Highgate, Haringey, Islington, East London, Knightsbridge, Kensington and Chelsea, Mayfair, Notting Hill, North London, West London, West Hampstead, Shoreditch, Southwark, Stoke Newington, N1, N6, NW3, N16 and E5.
Start your Hertfordshire project
Hertfordshire Architects
Scenario is an established architecture practice focusing on contemporary residential design. We take on projects of every scale, from home refurbishment, renovation and expansions to new-builds.
Victorian renovations are more compassionate today than they’ve ever been, with homeowners striving to preserve architectural elements like decorative cornicing, ceiling roses, skirting boards and dada rails. Sash windows are being replaced by specially made wood reproductions and wood-burning fireplaces recouped after being sealed off for decades. Paint companies like Farrow & Ball have built multinationals out of replicating the de rigueur colours of Victorian times. And new tile ceramicists are bringing back traditional motifs with contemporary silhouettes, for front gardens and foyers. Hardwood floors have made a comeback, with timber salvage and reproduction going strong.
Most renovations focus on transforming the core of the home, and revolutionise the kitchen and bathrooms in the process. To recoup the extra floor area today’s families have become accustomed to, Hertfordshire architects are extending into voids in the lofts and side returns common in Victorians. Small period kitchens can open up into the side return without eradicating period features; in the recovered space, a corner can be reserved for a powder room or utility room. Ditto the loft: pushing up the ceiling and pushing out dormer windows can make new space available for an en suite bathroom.
With extending out into dead space comes the welcoming in of natural light. Upward-facing Velux windows become possible once the upper floor is properly extended and the main floor pushed out beyond the confines of the original footprint. If a second-storey extension is permitted in your plans, an internal void can bring natural light from the top floor downwards, and vice versa.
In our client's words
We wanted to renovate our house in a conservation area in central London. Given this involved a complete demolition and new build with an extra floor on top, getting planning approval was always going to be tricky. Scenario did an amazing job on the new house 'envelope' and throughout the planning phase. We couldn't have wished for better from them and having succeeded in gaining planning approval owe them a very big 'thank you'.
Scenario designed a kitchen extension for us, and we are delighted with the results. The process was well organised, planned and delivered, and the whole team were a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend them for their design, planning and project management skills.
Worked with these guys on the internal development of our office. From start to finish they were great. They got what we wanted first time and really made working with them very easy. Their aftercare has been great too helping us deal with something that they were not involved with in the first place. Will highly recommend them to anyone.
Further Reading
Scenario Architecture is a boutique architecture studio focused on high-end residential projects in and around the greater London area. We handle domestic projects of all scales and complexities, from interior alterations and refurbishments to full renovations and new-builds, with our bespoke architecture service. Our experienced and skilled team will guide you through every step of designing your space. From the initial sketches and planning right through to tendering and construction, we work closely with you to bring your project to completion. We are always on time and on budget. Scenario Architecture is a RIBA chartered practice. We comply with the criteria of the Royal Institute of Chartered Architects, covering insurance, health and safety and quality-management systems. We are early adopters of the latest technology, using innovative 3D design and visualisation tools as a standard for all projects. Our experience shows that real-time visualisations and virtual reality are efficient tools for choosing finishes, fixtures and fittings, and simulating natural light. We use 3D Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology to produce reliable construction information, so that all our project data comes from an accurate 3D model. Working with consultants and contractors through this technology helps streamline the process, saving our clients both time and money. Chartered Institute of Building case study featuring a project by Scenario demonstrates the great benefits of this advanced technology for domestic architecture.
Hertfordshire’s Architectural Heritage
Hertfordshire’s architecture tells the story of England itself. The Romans established Verulamium, near present-day St Albans, as Britain’s third-largest city. Traces of this era still survive in the remains of Roman walls, mosaics and bathhouses. The city later became a target of Queen Boudicca’s army in the year 60 AD, a reminder of its importance in Roman Britain.Over the centuries, Hertfordshire benefited from its proximity to London, attracting wealthy patrons and skilled architects. Norman architects left their mark with the construction of St Albans Cathedral, still one of the county’s most recognisable landmarks. Later periods saw fine Georgian houses, imposing civic buildings and country estates emerge, many of which now serve as hotels, golf clubs or offices. Some of Hertfordshire’s most celebrated treasures are residential. The half-timbered houses in Hemel Hempstead’s old town and the timber-framed buildings along Stevenage’s high street are among the best preserved. Hatfield House, a Jacobean masterpiece built in 1612 on the site of Elizabeth I’s childhood home, continues to dominate the town’s historic centre. In the south-west, Moor Park, Rickmansworth and Chorleywood offer a mix of Georgian and Edwardian homes, while the pioneering garden cities of Welwyn and Letchworth feature Edwardian terraces and Arts & Crafts houses set around landscaped parks.Today, Hertfordshire presents homeowners with a wide range of opportunities for sensitive renovation and creative transformation. From listed Georgian properties and Arts & Crafts houses to post-war homes with generous layouts and glazing, each comes with its own planning considerations. Experienced Hertfordshire architects understand how to navigate these restrictions, delivering thoughtful renovations, extensions and new-builds that respect the past while providing contemporary comfort and style.
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Find A Building Plot
When you are looking for a new home to live in, going down the self-build option can often be particularly exciting. After all, it means that you have the freedom and opportunity to create more or less whatever kind of property you like, and to design it exactly how you wish. This is tremendously exciting, but it is the kind of thing that is also going to be a lot more challenging than simply buying a home.
Unlike buying a property, with a self-build you are going to need to first find a plot of land to build upon, which is generally a much more difficult process than people first assume. Nonetheless, with the right process, you should be able to find the right building plot for your project, and get the ball rolling on creating your very own home from scratch.
The Value of Patience
The first thing to point out is that it is likely going to take you a while to find the right plot. For many people, it can take years to find the perfect building plot, so you should be prepared for that to be the case for you, even if you end up being able to find it faster in the end. The main thing to bear in mind is that you should not rush into buying a plot of land. You need to take time comparing them until you really know what you are going to need, and what a good price is. Patience is going to help you the whole way here.
That being said, if it is taking an inordinate amount of time and you are getting frustrated, you might want to consider revising your goals and ideas about what you need, just to try and speed up the process a little and make it more likely that you will actually find the right spot in the near future. Patience combined with flexibility is a wonderful approach to take.
Pick Your Area
Before you start to hone in specifically on the plots of land you might want to look into, you need to choose an overall area. It is very common for people to search over too wide an area at first. Not only does this mean you may burn out, it also takes a lot longer to get around and view all the plots. You should try to focus on a very specific area, one that you consider to be manageable and which is going to be simple enough to travel around. It is always better to thoroughly search a small area than sparsely search a wide one.
Go Exploring
In order to find the right building plots, you really do have to go exploring. When you are choosing building plots, just looking online really isn’t going to cut it. The best way is to put aside entire weekends where you can simply walk around the area that you are interested in, spotting any potential places where you might be able to buy some land. That might include a wide range of types of places, from infill sites to side gardens. Keep your mind open as you explore. You never know where the perfect building plot may be.
Gain and Use Local Knowledge
If you are not a local yourself, you are going to want to start talking to people who do live in the area. They will have a lot more local knowledge than you might assume, and you will be able to use this knowledge to ensure that you are going to the right places and uncovering all of those hidden areas that only locals know about. Even if you are a local yourself, you should still ask around, as you will be surprised at how much people can help you once you ask them for advice and tips. Using local knowledge in this way makes it so much easier to find the right plot faster.
Look Out for Planning Applications
One of the easier ways to find a building plot is to look out for planning applications in the local area. The local authorities usually publish these on their websites, so it is well worth keeping an eye out on those as best as you can. Often, applicants on those sites are looking to sell the plot on rather than build, so you can write to them to explore this possibility further with them. Many people find this to be a very simple and straightforward way to find the right building plot.
Explore Other Routes
There are so many ways to find a building plot, and a lot of it comes down to using your creativity and thinking outside of the box a little. One of the first places to look is always online - even though you will need to walk around and explore the area, looking online is nonetheless going to help you out and give you clues too.
You should also consider asking estate agents and land agents, who will be more than happy to add you to their contacts lists and let you know if anything comes in. There might also be some auctions that they can tell you about - it might be a property auction which you can buy and then raze in order to use the ground and materials, or auction for land.
Finally, make a point of integrating yourself into the community right away. Make it clear to people that you want to be a part of the community, not just live there. This will help to get people on your side, and that is something that could really pay off later on for you.
Once you have your building plot, you will need to start designing your home. That process in itself can be a real challenge. But it is a lot easier and simpler if you have the right help on board. That’s why you should always make sure to hire an architect before you start designing your new home.
