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It is ironic that we are obliged to book two long haul flights to Miami to present our super sustainable project to the jury as one of the finalists in the World Architecture Festival 2025. We have worked hard to ensure Copper Bottom is truly net zero and will make a positive contribution over time to reducing our carbon footprint. But we do not see it as an eccentric anomaly; it is intended as a paradigm to demonstrate how the necessity for buildings to be net zero and green power stations can be a positive catalyst for creative form-making. Attending the World Architecture Festival is a brilliant way to spread this message round the globe.

#sustainablebuilding #greenenergy #sustainabledesign #sustainabledevelopment #worldarchitecturefestival2025 #wildflowermeadow #Oxford #architectinoxford #copperbottom ...

Crumbs! Copper Bottom has been shortlisted as one of the best new rural houses in the WHOLE BLOOMING WORLD. It is a finalist in the World Architecture Festival 2025.

@worldarchfest

#worldarchitecturefestival2025 #WAF25 #besthouse #copperbottom #architectinoxford #designinspiration #architecture #bestvilla ...

Breaking news: AJA have two buildings shortlisted for the 2025 UK Brick Awards.
Queen Elizabeth Hall in the Housing category and Copper Bottom in the Sustainability category.
Neither of them is the usual fare for the brick awards, and neither of them is just about brick, but they both celebrate and exploit its unique qualities.

#brickdevelopmentassociation #brick #brickbeauty #award #architectinoxford #queenelizabethhall #copperbottom #housing #sustainability ...

Villa Katerina 3. The house belongs to the island vet, and is home to nine cats, three dogs, one pony and an unknown number of tortoises. The courtyard has tall doors on its open side so it can be closed off when the wind blows.

#greekisland #kythira #oculus #courtyard #courtyardhouse #bluesky #views #islandliving #architectinoxford #islandvet #indooroutdoorliving #catsanddogs #pony #tortoise ...

Villa Katerina 2. There are huge sliding doors between the living space and the courtyard so the spaces merge. Both address the spectacular vista of the Mediterranean to the south. The house is oriented so that the focus of the view is the majestic rock which rises from the sea beyond the port of Kapsali.

#greekisland #kythira #oculus #courtyard #courtyardhouse #bluesky #doglovers #views #islandliving #architectinoxford #kapsali #indooroutdoorliving ...

Villa Katerina, the house we designed pre-Covid on the Greek island of Kythira, is now complete. It is arranged around a central courtyard which sports a giant oculus opening onto the cerulean Mediterranean sky.

#greekisland #kythira #oculus #courtyard #courtyardhouse #bluesky #doglovers #views #islandliving #architectinoxford ...

There is an in-depth interview with our Director, Adrian James, in this month’s RIBA Journal.

Follow the link in our bio to read it.

#ribajournal #riba #copperbottom #sustainable #carbonoffset #copper #metals #bolddesign #lowcarbon #solarpanels #solarenergy #copper #coppercladding #green #netzero ...

Our yoga studio had a guest slot on BBC local news last week in a feature on flooding and flood resilience. The building takes an innovative approach to being sited in the Thames floodplain; the discreet grille at the base of the façade conceals valves which allow floodwater (but not vermin) to run through the building. The interior finishes are all flood resilient - including the scrummy polished concrete floor.

There was an article too: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8rgmr1310xo

#floodresilience #flooding #riverthames #floodplain #resilience #designforresilience ...

AJA were invited, at short notice, to submit a sketch proposal for a new teaching building at an historic school in Oxford, chock full of listed buildings.
Our design retains and reclads an existing ‘50s block and then extends it. The spirit of the chunky, archy, buttressy context is invested in a new masonry skin which has the depth to act as a brise-soleil for the south-west facing windows.

#designinspiration #architecture #architectinoxford #schoolbuilding #inspirationalspaces #learningspaces #sketchproposal #brick #arch #buttress #brisesoleil ...

A quick raw study of a new façade which has lots of depth for solar protection.
AI is a marvel, but there is still a place for sketching by hand as a swift and powerful design tool.

#sketches #design #drawing #byhand #designtools #sketching ...

“A green marvel in every sense….It shows a way in which architectural enjoyment and sustainability can go together…..”

Rowan Moore, The New Review, The Observer. Read the full article via the link in our bio.

#rowanmoore #sustainable #sustainablearchitecture #sustainableliving #origami #sculpture #copperbottom #architectinoxford #Oxford #design #dreamhome #green #metallicorigami ...

Classical music is perfectly pleasant on Radio 3, but hearing a full orchestra in the flesh is bone-shakingly awesome.
Classical architecture is perfectly pleasant on the high street but a visit to a pukka Greek temple is gut-thumpingly visceral and humbling.
This is the second temple of Hera in Paestum, photographed last week. I am still recovering.

#greekinspiration #temple #bluesky #februarysunshine #wintersun #fullorchestra #paestum ...

Our habitable power station is featured in Dezeen today. Follow the link in our bio to read the article.

#powerstation #dezeen #copperbottom #renewableenergy #solarpanels #poweredbysun #copper #oxford #architectinoxford #solaredge #design #dreamhome ...

Preview of our Portland stone proscenium.
Crisp.

#portlandstone #crisp #view #wintersun #wintersky #preview #lightfilledspace #architecture #dreamhome #architectinoxford #proscenium #glassandstone #glassandlight ...

Mega oculus work in progress.
Our project in Wolvercote is designed around this eye-popping view.

#portmeadow #views #houseswithviews #workinprogress #Oxford #architectinoxford #dreamhome #wintersun #oculus #roomwithaview #housewithaview #dreamingspires #wolvercote ...

Merry Christmas everyone!

#christmaslights #snow #whitechristmas #dreamhome #light #glowing #architectinoxford #Oxford #architecture #design #adrianjamesarchitects ...

The Architects’ Journal is featuring Copper Bottom this week.

You can read the article, with lots of photos plus plans and elevations, here:
https://tinyurl.com/mr3anmbe

or follow the link in our bio.

#copperbottom #copper #thesundaytimes #brick #dreamhome #architectinoxford #wintersun #emptynesters #origami #bricksteps #viewsofoxford #architectsjournal ...

Here is our Copper Bottom project as featured in The Sunday Times this weekend. There is a longer article online: https://www.thetimes.com/article/355c96bf-9b66-44be-b2ba-4f483ada9ba6
or you can see more via our website – just search for Adrian James Architects or follow the link in our bio.

#copperbottom #copper #thesundaytimes #brick #dreamhome #architectinoxford #wintersun #emptynesters #origami #bricksteps #viewsofoxford ...

Antidote to the current grey skies - a façade detail from our Sunnymead Twosome.
Louis Kahn said it best; “The sun never knew how great it was until it hit the side of a building.”

#sunonbrick #wintersun #wintersunshine #details #louiskahn #architectinoxford #Oxford #brickfacade ...