Box – builders who design, designers who build

Architects and designers as well as builders – all rolled into one.

This was the seed of Box – a belief that the best way to produce liveable and loveable homes was through builders, designers and customers working together, not against one another.

Project success comes through an understanding, appreciation and trust of each other’s expertise. 

Following Box's vision, this results in great architectural design – key to which is understanding how things get built.

An industry leading culture

Box has designed the way the design and build process works to focus on the three interconnected elements: great design, value analysis and quality construction. 

The fact that this all happens ‘under one roof’ is unique in the industry.

Box takes customers through what the team believes to be an industry-leading process – the successful dance of design flair, construction knowledge and budget guidance.

One of Box's idols is the architect and design theorist Christopher Alexander, who coined the term ‘Architect-Builder’ over 30 years ago, echoing the function of the traditional master builder.

“The backbone of the process of production we envisage is a new kind of professional who takes responsibility for the functions which we now attribute to the architect, and also, for the functions which we now attribute to the builder," says Alexander.

"The system of construction, which is the key to the possibility of his work, is under his control and is being continuously changed and improved by him – and he is responsible for the process of construction itself. 

"He is, in a nutshell, a modern equivalent of the traditional master builder”

Like Christopher Alexander, Box believes the divergence of architect and builder roles, and the adversarial environment this creates, is damaging to the quality and cost of buildings and not in the best long term interests of the homeowner.

According to Alexander, the need for an architect-builder is increasingly self-evident:

“The most fundamental reason for the architect-builder lies in the great complexity of buildings that must be produced in any human building process."

Given today’s regulatory, supply chain and material inflation challenges, this  has never been more accurate.

Building pragmatism meets the owner’s wishes

The team at Box understands this complexity and has worked over the years to create a process where design flair is balanced with building pragmatism and the owner’s wishes. 

Every member of the team is vested in the outcome of the house, working more intensely with owners at each step of the journey and working with other consultants and trades in a collaborative, not adversarial manner – so there is only ever one person to point the finger at! 

It is also the company's inclusive way of working that leads the architect-builder to limit the number of projects that Box works on in a year.

Driven by best interests – not external pressures

Unlike a lot of ‘design-build’ companies, neither the design nor the construction is sub-contracted outside the Box family. 

Nor is Box restricted by a religious adherence to a specific construction method. 

If the site and the brief warrant pile foundations on a slope, or split level construction then Box will do what is in the best interests of the project – rather than being dictated by deals  with suppliers or the constraints imposed by some ‘Head Office’.

In terms of achieving Christopher Alexander’s vision of a truly iterative and creative process during both design and build stages, this is still a work in progress. 

Finance companies and owners will always prefer a ‘fixed price’ contract and understandably, don’t like the uncertainty of changes during construction!

Best design and build journey possible

Nevertheless, Box's aspirations as a builder and architect firm are founded on the key principles of form, context and fitness, and providing the most valuable design and build journey possible for the company's customers.

To find out more about creating your dream home with an architect/design/build team, call Box today on 0800 717 717, or head to the website here

Designed by: Box

Story by: Trendsideas