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Catherine Roberts

BSc DipArch (UCL) RIBA ARB

Catherine studied at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, and obtained professional qualification there in 1995.

Having worked on housing and commercial projects in South Wales, her experience was broadened by employment in two London conservation practices working on historic buildings. This included making sympathetic modern insertions to allow these buildings to function in the modern world, as well as learning to be part of a continuum of maintenance work that had been carried out on the same buildings by generations of professionals before her.

She followed this with over ten years at Form Design Architecture where she was an Associate until 2009. At Form she was a Project Architect for multiple projects in the residential, commercial, hotel and health sectors, all to very high standards of design and often highly complex.

Returning to her native Wales, she set up CRSH Architecture and Energy with husband Steven Harris. The practice has concentrated to date on local projects with the emphasis on exemplary design and energy use.

Designing and building her own house has galvanised her years of designing, detailing and running projects on site with first hand construction experience.

Steven Harris

BSc DipArch (UCL) RIBA ARB

Steven studied at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, and obtained professional qualification there in 1996.

For the ten years prior to setting up CRSH Architects with Catherine, Steven was the Technical Director of ZEDfactory, the Architects of BedZED and other innovative Zero Energy Projects. Prior to this he spent six years at Hopkins Architects working on government, educational and healthcare projects, most notably a £40 million package on the New Parliamentary Building, Portcullis House.

Steven has also spent time as the Head of Low Carbon Technologies at the Energy Saving Trust, Technical Lead at the Energy Saving Co-operative and as a Senior Lecturer in Environment and Energy at the University of East London School of Architecture.

He splits his time between CRSH Architects, the energy consultancy Steven Harris Ltd. and the energy monitoring company Energence Ltd. He is a member of the Building Regulation Advisory Committee for Wales (BRACW) and the Part L and F working groups. For many years he also sat on the Zero Carbon Hub considering future changes to Building Regulations and was a fellow of the Centre of Refurbishment Excellence.

Designing and often ‘on the tools’ building his own house has taught him a respect for trade skills and producing information that can be simply interpreted into a trade activity on a site.

CRSH Architecture and Energy is a husband and wife Architects’ practice with a wealth of experience in design led Architecture and energy efficiency. After studying together the principals worked separately in diverse practices building complimentary skills and experience on projects from interior domestic joinery to restaurants and hotels, from school music rooms to multi million pound university campuses and MP’s offices, from zero energy social housing to royal palaces.

They formed their practice in 2009 after designing and building their award winning new family home. CRSH Architecture and Energy are now well established with projects in and around Abergavenny and further afield. Projects include sensitive renovations and upgrades of existing buildings for energy efficiency, barn conversions and new build schemes, all with good spatial design and sustainability at their hearts.

Photos James French

Services:

Full Architectural Services, i.e. brief taking/concept and feasibility design, detailed design, statutory permission application, technical design, procurement management, project (construction) management, handover and after contract monitoring and management (soft landing).

Partial services or ‘as required’ consultancy on a lump sum or time charge basis.

We carry full professional Indemnity Insurance, are regulated by the Royal Institute of British Architects and Registered with the Architects Registration Board. We are also members of the Association of Environmentally Conscious Building.

Specialisations:

(to Passive house, CfSH5/6 or RetroPHit standards if wished)

1. -individual bespoke zero energy homes
   

2. -small ‘eco’ housing developments
   

3. -community, small commercial and education buildings
   

4. -conversions, extensions and alterations
   

5. -whole house energy retrofit
   

6. -renewable energy system feasibility and implementation planning