James Mors; Associate Director, Clear Architects
There are many definitions of the term ‘Landscape’ but one of the simplest is ‘anything that is not a building’ and as such ‘landscape’ is a term that extends from the wilds of mountains and moorlands to the confines of private gardens, public parks and the spaces between buildings. It is, in a sense, an all-encompassing term and as such this blog aims to begin to help people think about the diversity of the landscape profession and those professionals within it.
This month’s interview is with James Mors, Associate Director of the innovative and inspired Clear Architects which may lead you to thinking ‘what has an architect got to do with a blog about landscape professionals?’ If the definition of landscape is ‘anything that is not a building’, then the answer to that question is…a very great deal indeed.
A huge amount of the work professionals across the landscape industries do is to look at the connection between architecture and landscape. And as such architects and landscape professionals are, and will continue to be, inextricably linked.
James came to work at Clear Architects after having started his professional career in commercial focused architecture. Here he gained a core understanding of commercial projects under design and build contracts but over time, also a desire to connect more closely with the end user. The move to Clear, offered him just that and it’s apparent immediately that James sees the value and indeed privilege in being trusted to “design [clients] dream homes and spaces they never realised could be a reality”. His passion, in his own words, is “in designing and creating unprecedented spaces”
When you learn a little more about James, you come to understand that his affinity with architecture extends well beyond design alone. Perhaps stemming from a childhood love of building and creating things “a table, chair or scaled model”, James has as much interest in building as he does with design and describes his role in the construction of projects with equal levels of fervour as the design work itself.
No surprise then, that Clear architects was a perfect fit for James;
“Clear Architects have never aspired to create designs that are never intended to be built and push relentlessly to ensure projects are constructed to the highest quality. The practice is all about the detail and ensuring our client’s aspirations are exceeded.”
Too often architects are criticised for inspired conceptual design work with no consideration of how that architecture may practically be built. Both Clear Architects and James himself, break the mould in this respect. It is obvious that for James, the design and functional aspects of architecture go hand in hand.
“My taste is minimalist. I believe the key to good design is to not over-complicate details and design in general. There are simple factors that should ‘always’ be considered; orientation, topography of the land, site location; A project must always consider the core values of the site. Simple lines and well-arranged spaces that are practical and function for the end use.”
It follows then that James considers the execution of a building to extend beyond the role the architect alone and he describes his professional relationships as “paramount to creating excellent architecture”
“Excellent design/construction can only be realised through collaborative working”
“[Clear Architects] surrounds itself with likeminded individuals and professionals, as there is an appreciation that creating buildings to the highest quality does not lay solely with the architect, it is a combination of many professionals.”
In this vein, James considers the connection of landscape and architecture to be essential.
“Some of our best concepts have been developed and inspired from the landscape/context that the building sits in. I believe that the landscape architect should be part of the design team from the outset, bouncing ideas with the architect to ensure the landscaping is not an afterthought.”
James’ expertise in the translation of good design into practical construction is certainly an asset here. He describes the importance of the involvement of landscape in the early stages of design and a necessity to remain open to adjustments in the design of the architecture to better connect building and landscape. In essence, James’ approach is to try to create one design which flows from architecture to landscape architecture and he advocates the value of this method to the architecture itself, to the landscape and ultimately to the client. It is a truly holistic approach to architecture that produces some quite remarkable results and makes it both a pleasure and a joy for Studio 31 to work alongside James (and Clear) on some truly astonishing projects.
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