Unashamedly ambitious. Creating better places. Having fun along the way.
IF_DO was founded in 2014 by three good friends, bored by inaction and excited by the possibility of doing things differently.
We believe architecture has the power to improve lives and make communities happier and stronger. We have a knack for building relationships, exceeding expectations and delivering projects with people at their heart.
We won the first competition we entered, The Dulwich Pavilion, and its success led to work across Education, Arts, Community, Workspace and Housing.
We are a close team who hold each other to the highest standards. Our growing reputation is for well loved and thoughtful work.
Al combines the perfect balance of imagination and pragmatism, and he’s fascinated by the path from one to the other, or – in more architectural terms – from initial sketch to finished building. For him, the craft and ‘buildability’ of architecture is crucial, and he led the delivery of the Dulwich Pavilion, the project that has perhaps done the most to show what we are capable of when we bring conceptual thought and technical ability together. But for Al the real success of the project lies in the impact it’s had on everyone who’s visited, and the positive contribution it’s made to the community.
Al is committed to increasing the socio-economic diversity of our profession. He is an RIBA mentor to architecture students and is involved with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust and the Social Mobility Foundation, helping create more opportunities for young people from all backgrounds.
Sarah is a firm believer in collaboration – amongst colleagues, with clients, with stakeholders, and with the people who will be enjoying our buildings for years to come. She’s brilliant at finding a way through competing interests to come up with a design that works for everyone, and this kind of determined diplomacy was one of the key ingredients in the transformation of a dilapidated structure near Waterloo Station into a vibrant community hub.
Sarah feels strongly about sharing our knowledge and experience beyond the practice, and she has taught at both the University of Brighton and the London School of Architecture. She is a chapter leader for Urbanistas, a women-led network devoted to supporting and encouraging women working in the built environment, and is passionate about the need to make architecture a more diverse and equal profession.
Thomas is a big-picture thinker and masterplanner by nature. He has a wide-angle view on every element of our work and sees connections that might not be immediately obvious. He’s also a great communicator – both in person and on the page – and his TEDx Talk on ‘Architecture’s Ripple Effect’ is the perfect introduction to how we think and work.
This interest in the wider repercussions of architecture goes hand in hand with an interest in sustainability and creating healthy environments. He’s drawn to working on projects where IF_DO can make a positive and far-reaching impact. He was the driving force in making our work at St Teresa’s School so rewarding, both for us and for the school, by involving the students in reshaping their school for the better, and inspiring them with what architecture can do.
Jodie is interested in the social city, and how built environment informs the feeling of a place. She joined IF_DO in 2019 after graduating from the Mackintosh School of Architecture. Her thesis project was the recipient of the RIAS Silver Medal and the Royal Scottish Academies New Contemporaries Architecture Medal.
Gregory is passionate about design and the relationship between program, form and context. He is a Swiss-registered Architect, graduating from the EPFL in 2019. For the last 3 years he gained professional experience in Switzerland and London. He joined IF_DO in 2023 and is working on community-focused projects in Hastings.
Anita joined IF_DO in 2022 after completing her architectural studies in Canada. She has worked across architecture and interdisciplinary design, spanning a range of scales from housing, experiential installations, exhibitions, and furniture design. She is interested in the connection between architecture and ephemeral urbanism, and the role of civic participation in public spaces.
Jack joined IF_DO in 2017 and stayed with the practice through his Diploma at the London School of Architecture, where his thesis was nominated for the RIBA Silver Medal. He is passionate about sustainable design and creating spaces that enhance wellbeing. His experience ranges from new-build homes and social infrastructure, to masterplanning.
Abi joined IF_DO in 2022 after graduating from University of Bath. She is passionate about celebrating the sustainability, adaptability and whole-life cycle of local materials and the potential to reframe the craftsmanship of the built environment as an evolutional extension of life in symbiosis with nature.
Laura is interested in placemaking, adaptive re-use and the sociology of architecture. She joined IF_DO in 2023 after graduating from the Mackintosh School of Architecture, having also studied in ENSAPB and University of Porto. Her final year thesis project was highly commended university-wide for its approach to sustainable heritage.
Solen is a passionate advocate for fairer economies in the creative industries. Prior to joining IF_DO in 2023, she led site-specific sound art projects and delivered workshops and free advice on arts fundraising. She studied architecture and music in France, Australia and was a Five Colleges Visiting Scholar in Amherst, USA.
Jamie joined IF_DO in 2020, bringing a decade of experience with architectural studios in Belfast and London. He is a certified Passivhaus Designer, and is leading the delivery of a number of IF_DO's social infrastructure projects, including The Space, a new community centre in Enfield, North London, and The Yard, a new community enterprise hub in Tottenham.
Simon joined IF_DO in 2019 after graduating with a BArch from the Dublin School of Architecture. He is interested in the potential for unique and characterful architecture to enrich and empower communities, and is motivated by the creation of spaces that can make lasting and sustainable contributions to society.
Marwa is an Architect passionate about the re-use of old buildings. Graduating from UCD in 2015, she has extensive experience working in London for the last 5 years on small to large scale projects. Since joining IF_DO, she has been leading the sensitive restoration and refurbishment of a Grade II listed house in Suffolk.
Shannon is interested in the importance of belonging within the built environment, and the creation of spaces which provide meaningful and sensitive connections to communities. She joined IF_DO in 2022 after graduating from the Bartlett School of Architecture.
Candice is excited by interesting use of materials and buildings that make people smile. She has wide experience in delivering quality cultural and residential projects, meaningfully engagement with local communities and stakeholders. Candice is a mentor for Build by Us, which helps support greater diversity and inclusion within the built environment profession.
Barker Langham, Built Environment Trust, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Effingham Schools Trust, Far East Consortium, Greater London Authority, Hastings Commons Neighbourhood Ventures, Impact Hub, Innovate UK, Joseph Walsh Studio, Lendlease, Liverpool City Council, London Borough of Enfield, London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Newham, London Borough of Southwark, London County Hall, London Festival of Architecture, Manchester City Council, Meanwhile Space CIC, National Trust, Natural Building Systems, Ralph Trustees, Related Argent, Royal Academy of Arts, Royal Borough of Greenwich, The Methodist Church, Waddington Custot Gallery, Westfield Europe, Wimbledon and Putney Commons, WSP
Civic Trust Awards 2024 (Brent Cross Town Substation), Winner
AJ Architecture Awards 2023, Transport and Infrastructure (Brent Cross Town Substation), Shortlist
Dezeen Awards 2023, Infrastructure and transport (Brent Cross Town Substation), Longlist
RIBA East Regional Awards 2023 (Thorpeness Beach House), Shortlist
Quality of Place Awards 2022 (Thorpeness Beach House), Winner
The Manser Medal – AJ House of the Year 2022 (Thorpeness Beach House), Finalist
Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards 2022, Best Design in Europe, Middle East and Africa (The Hithe), Winner
Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards 2022, Circular Design (The Hithe), Finalist
BD Young Architect of the Year 2021, Finalist
NLA New London Awards 2021, Unbuilt (The Space), Highly Commended
NLA New London Awards 2021, Unbuilt (The Yard), Finalist
British Homes Awards 2021, Large Home Transformation of the Year (Canonbury House), Finalist
Architects' Journal 40 under 40, 2020
100 Architects of the year 2019, Korean Institute of Architects
Education Estates, School Project of the Year 2019 (St Teresa's Sixth Form Centre), Shortlist
Sunday Times British Homes Award 2019, Home Transformation of the Year (Little Horsecroft Cottage), Shortlist
AJ Small Projects Award 2019 (Dulwich Pavilion), Shortlist
Don't Move, Improve! 2019 (Montague Court), Shortlist
American Institute of Architects UK, Young Architect Award 2018, Winner
The Architecture MasterPrize 2018, Educational Buildings (St Teresa's Sixth Form Centre), Winner
Civic Trust Pro-Tem Award 2018 (Dulwich Pavilion), Winner
FX International Design Awards 2018, Breakthrough Talent of the Year, Winner
AJ Architecture Awards 2018, School Project of the Year (St Teresa's Sixth Form Centre), Shortlist
Architizer A+ Awards 2018, Pavilions (Dulwich Pavilion), Shortlist
Haringey Design Awards 2018, Best House, Shortlist
D&AD Awards 2018, Spatial Design/Installation Design (Dulwich Pavilion), Wood Pencil
American Architecture Prize 2017, Small Architecture (Dulwich Pavilion), Winner
American Architecture Prize 2017, Installations and Structures (Landscape Architecture) (Dulwich Pavilion), Winner
Blueprint Awards 2017, Best Small Project (Dulwich Pavilion), Winner
Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2017: the world's top 20 emerging practices
AJ Architecture Awards 2017, Budget Project of the Year (Dulwich Pavilion), Highly Commended
Architectural Review Emerging Architecture Award 2017, Shortlist
Evening Standard, The Progress 1000: London’s most influential people 2017