House of the Future 2024/25 competition Innovation Award winners - Griffin James Collier and David Alston Langdon

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Innovation Award winners of our House of the Future 24/25 competition – Griffin James Collier and David Alston Langdon from United Kingdom!

 Griffin James Collier and David Alston Langdon

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

We met as undergraduate architecture students some fifteen years ago, and our formal partnership began in 2023. The name “Archipelago” feels like a fitting description of how we operate: we work from offices on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean and have (so far) completed projects on three continents.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been Involved?

Working both together and individually, we have designed projects at residential, institutional, and urban scales. Our most recent projects have taken us to Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Northwest Canada, where we have been fortunate to work with wonderful clients in often challenging and ecologically sensitive locations.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

Architecture is many things - personal and cultural expression, historic record, social need. Perhaps the most important role of an architect today may simply be to act as a check against unbounded development and ensure that our buildings are planned, built, and reused according to well-defined, long-term societal objectives.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We are drawn to projects that raise challenging questions about how we live in relation to our environments. Competitions can allow ambitious and non-traditional ideas to emerge without the constraints of everyday practice.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

Because competitions require real time investment, it is helpful to define precise and realistic objectives for yourself before entering. This will help you find the most appropriate competition briefs, focus your time and effort, and improve your odds of engaging in a worthwhile project.