Giles Quarme Architects (GQA) is a London-based architectural practice specialising in the conservation, repair, restoration and sensitive adaptation of historic buildings. Established by Giles Quarme in 1987, the practice brings together conservation architects, designers and historic building consultants with extensive experience of listed buildings, heritage estates, museums, cultural institutions and historic urban settings.
Its work ranges from carefully targeted repairs to major programmes of restoration and adaptive reuse. The practice also designs new buildings and additions in historic contexts, providing planning and listed building advice, condition surveys, conservation consultancy and expert witness services. Its philosophy combines respect for the architectural and historical individuality of each property with the practical requirements of contemporary use.
GQA offers architectural expertise for the long-term care, repair and appropriate alteration of historic structures. Listed and traditionally constructed buildings present particular challenges: materials and construction methods vary widely, previous alterations may obscure original details, and new uses must be accommodated without unacceptable loss of significance.
The practice supports clients in understanding the evolution and condition of their properties before developing appropriate programmes of work. Its conservation-led approach considers historic fabric, architectural character, structural and environmental needs, future maintenance and the requirements of owners and building users.
Core conservation services include:
Alterations to listed buildings and development within conservation areas often involve complex planning and heritage considerations. Giles Quarme Architects advises on proposals affecting designated historic assets and their settings, including sensitive schemes that combine conservation with contemporary design.
Services encompass architectural planning advice, the preparation and coordination of applications for planning permission and listed building consent, and liaison with conservation officers, heritage bodies and other project specialists. The practice's experience extends to sensitive sites of national and international heritage importance.
Heritage-related professional work can include historical research, analysis of significance, heritage statements and conservation management documents where appropriate to the commission. Early attention to these issues can help establish clear project objectives and reduce uncertainty during design development and the statutory approvals process.
The practice undertakes condition surveys and provides consultancy concerning historic buildings and proposed interventions. Understanding the construction, evolution and significance of a building is essential before major repairs, restoration or alterations are specified.
GQA has extensive experience with country houses, historic estates, manor houses and important private residences. The practice's published portfolio includes Althorp House, Glynde Place, Wiston House, Pitshill House, Chilham Castle and Dropmore House.
These commissions illustrate the range of challenges associated with architecturally significant properties: conservation of original fabric, repair of historic details, adaptation of accommodation, management of complex estates and the integration of contemporary requirements within sensitive surroundings.
The practice also works with listed townhouses and period residential buildings in London, including Georgian and later historic properties. Its approach is relevant where refurbishment, new services, architectural improvements or extensions must be balanced with the building's heritage value.
Finding viable uses for historic buildings is often essential to their long-term survival. Giles Quarme Architects has experience of adapting historic structures for contemporary educational, cultural, residential and public uses, as well as advising other design teams on sensitive heritage sites.
Adaptive reuse can involve complex decisions concerning circulation, accessibility, building services, fire safety and the preservation of important rooms or architectural elements. The practice's role is to reconcile modern requirements with a clear understanding of historic significance, building performance and the character of the original fabric.
Its published experience includes work at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, where Giles Quarme served for more than twelve years as Surveyor to the Fabric during the site's transformation into a mixed-use setting for education, museums and events. This work took place within an internationally significant World Heritage Site.
Other project references include heritage-related collaboration at Coal Drops Yard, King's Cross, and conservation work involving major museums and cultural institutions.
The practice undertakes conservation and architectural work involving cultural institutions and educational buildings, where the conservation of important fabric often accompanies demands for public access, exhibition facilities and operational change.
Published project references include the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Bentley Priory Museum, Paisley Museum, The Brewhouse at Peterhouse College, Cambridge, and buildings associated with the University of Cambridge.
GQA's work also includes the Museum of Immigration and Diversity in Spitalfields, where the practice identifies ongoing conservation and repair activity. These commissions demonstrate experience of heritage settings with differing levels of public access, functional complexity and architectural significance.
Giles Quarme Architects' portfolio encompasses historic religious and public buildings, including the Old Royal Naval College Chapel at Greenwich, the London Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple and St Edmund King and Martyr.
Places of worship and historic civic buildings may require specialist consideration of the cultural and architectural significance of their interiors, as well as their ongoing use by congregations, visitors or the wider public. Conservation projects must respond to both the fabric of the building and the needs of the organisations responsible for its care.
The practice's wider heritage portfolio includes complex public and institutional settings, providing a foundation for multidisciplinary collaboration with surveyors, engineers, historians, specialist conservators and public bodies.
Alongside conservation and restoration, GQA undertakes architectural design for new buildings and extensions in historic settings. These projects require a considered relationship between new construction and established buildings, landscapes and streetscapes.
This capability is relevant to historic country estates, listed properties, conservation areas and other contexts where a new addition must be evaluated against the significance of its surroundings.
Giles Quarme regularly acts as an expert witness in planning matters concerning historic buildings. The practice also provides specialist heritage advice to other architects, owners and consultants involved in sensitive proposals.
Its experience encompasses complex planning submissions, advice about listed building legislation, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites, and engagement with heritage organisations and planning authorities. This expertise can help clients understand the conservation implications of proposed development and explain the rationale for appropriate interventions.
GQA's consultancy is particularly relevant to projects requiring independent architectural conservation judgement, the analysis of a building's significance or the presentation of specialist evidence in a planning process.
Founder and Director Giles Quarme holds the Diploma in Conservation from the Architectural Association and is a RIBA Specialist Conservation Architect (SCA). Since founding the original practice in 1987, he has led conservation projects in the United Kingdom and provided advice concerning historic buildings internationally. He is Chairman of Historic Buildings & Places, formerly known as the Ancient Monuments Society.
Director Natasha Brown has more than twenty years' conservation experience with GQA. She is accredited as a RIBA Specialist Conservation Architect and through Architects Accredited in Building Conservation (AABC). Her experience includes historic estates, museum projects, National Trust properties and major listed buildings.
The team also includes architects, designers and technologists with heritage expertise. Senior Associate Niall Bird is a RIBA Specialist Conservation Architect and a former SPAB Scholar. These credentials reflect the specialist conservation knowledge available within the wider practice; individual qualifications should not be interpreted as applying automatically to all employees.
Retention and appropriate adaptation of existing buildings can help conserve the cultural and material resources already embodied in the built environment. Careful repair, long-term maintenance and considered reuse may avoid unnecessary demolition and replacement.
For historic buildings, however, sustainability must be approached in a way that recognises the behaviour of traditional construction, the risks of incompatible interventions and the importance of architectural significance. Conservation architects can help evaluate alterations in the context of building condition, functionality, durability and the potential consequences for historic fabric.
GQA's combined experience in repair, adaptive reuse and design provides a basis for conservation-led solutions tailored to the specific needs and value of each property.
Giles Quarme Architects is based at 7 Bishops Terrace, Lambeth, London SE11 4UE. The practice undertakes projects across London and other parts of the United Kingdom, with a portfolio extending to the South East, East Anglia, the Cotswolds and the South West. Giles Quarme's professional experience also includes international heritage consultation.
Prospective clients should contact the practice to confirm the scope of services, availability and geographical coverage for individual projects.
For enquiries about listed building restoration, conservation architecture, historic property alterations, heritage consultancy, expert witness services or new buildings in sensitive settings, contact Giles Quarme Architects.
Address: 7 Bishops Terrace, Lambeth, London SE11 4UE
Telephone: 020 7582 0748
Email: mail@quarme.com
Website: www.quarme.co.uk
| Services & Expertise | |
|---|---|
| Principal Areas of Work: | Conservation Architecture, Historic Building Restoration, Listed Building Conservation, Architectural Conservation, Heritage Consultancy, Historic Building Repair, Adaptive Reuse, Architectural Design, Conservation-Led Refurbishment, Historic Country House Restoration, Listed Townhouse Alterations, Ecclesiastical Building Conservation, Museum and Cultural Building Conservation, Historic Estate Restoration, Heritage Planning, Conservation Area Design, Historic Building Surveys, Condition Surveys, Expert Witness Services, New Architecture in Historic Settings, Heritage Regeneration, Conservation Project Management |
| Capabilities and Specialisms: | RIBA Specialist Conservation Architecture, Historic Fabric Assessment, Listed Building Repair and Restoration, Conservation-Led Architectural Design, Traditional Building Construction, Historic Building Surveys, Building Condition Assessments, Historic Building Research, Architectural Significance Assessment, Heritage Impact Assessment, Listed Building Consent Advice, Planning Applications, Conservation Area Planning, Heritage Planning Consultancy, World Heritage Site Advice, Conservation Management Plans, Conservation Strategies, Architectural Feasibility Studies, Historic Country House Restoration, Listed Georgian and Victorian Townhouse Conservation, Historic Interiors, Traditional Architectural Detailing, Conservation-Sensitive Extensions, Adaptive Reuse of Historic Structures, Museum Conversion and Refurbishment, Historic Educational Building Conservation, Ecclesiastical Architecture, Heritage-Led Regeneration, New Buildings in Historic Settings, Conservation Project Coordination, Architectural Specification, Technical Design, Contract Administration, Conservation Expert Witness Reports, Planning Inquiry Expert Evidence, Historic Building Consultancy, Heritage Grant-Funded Projects |
| Accreditations, Certifications & Memberships : | Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), RIBA Specialist Conservation Architect (SCA) – Giles Quarme, RIBA Specialist Conservation Architect (SCA) – Natasha Brown, Architects Accredited in Building Conservation (AABC) – Natasha Brown, RIBA Specialist Conservation Architect (SCA) – Niall Bird, Architects Registration Board (ARB) – Registered Architects, Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) – Individual Professional Associations, Historic Buildings & Places – Giles Quarme Chairman |
| Accreditation & Membership Details: | Giles Quarme Architects includes architects with specialist professional qualifications in architectural conservation. Founder and Director Giles Quarme holds the Diploma in Conservation from the Architectural Association and is listed on the RIBA Conservation Register as a Specialist Conservation Architect (SCA). He is also Chairman of Historic Buildings & Places, formerly the Ancient Monuments Society. Director Natasha Brown is recognised as a RIBA Specialist Conservation Architect and is accredited by Architects Accredited in Building Conservation (AABC). She has more than 20 years of specialist conservation experience. Senior Associate Niall Bird is listed on the RIBA Specialist Conservation Architect register and was a SPAB Scholar in 2015. |
| Geographical Areas Covered: | London, Greater London, South East England, East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent, Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Cotswolds, South West England, England, United Kingdom, International Heritage Projects by Arrangement |
| Contact & Online Presence | |
| Email: | mail@quarme.com |
| Business Details & Insurance. | |
| Company Trading Name: | Giles Quarme Architects Ltd |
| Company Number: | 12257622 |
