Architecture

Mass before ornament.

We draw the section first. Everything a building will ever be is decided in the thickness of a wall and the height of a room.

A home should be able to be repaired, not replaced. So we build in materials that age with dignity, and in details that a good craftsperson can reach.

Principles

Three convictions.

Mass before ornament

Proportion does the work that decoration usually pretends to do. A wall of the right thickness needs nothing added to it.

Material before finish

Stone is stone through its whole depth. Bronze is cast, not plated. What you touch is what the building is made of.

Light as the brief

Every plan begins with the path of the sun and the longest view. Rooms are shaped to receive light, then furnished.

The section

Drawn from the inside.

A schematic section through a Mason & Rowe tower: a stone base for arrival and wellness, tall residences with deep reveals, planted terraces at each setback, and a lantern of glass at the crown.

Materials