Ali Shaw

A demanding brief may lead to a complex system, but there’s no need to make it complicated.

As a designer, I’m looking to minimise mechanical and electrical engineering in a project. It’s an editing process. An ideal services strategy is one where there’s nothing left to take away. The systems that remain are necessary, simple to use and straightforward to maintain.

The way to achieve this is early involvement in the design process – having influence on the building’s form, orientation, façade and spatial organisation. From the outset, I aim to develop an elegant design; one that responds to the client’s requirements and the architect’s aspirations.

Buildings are part of our shared cultural heritage, experienced by everyone who sees them, whether they use them or not. I believe they should be designed to last. And I believe that the services should be appropriate and so well-integrated that they work well now and into an unknown future.