The sibling duo Noiascape believes artful design can elevate urban living As West London natives whose father worked as a builder, architects Tom and James Teatum have watched dramatic shifts occur in their hometown. London grew into a expensive, expansive metropolis, where space is increasingly at a premium. More people moved into the city center for work, and found themselves bouncing between apartments.
The Teatums, who have been working together for the last 15 years, believe a better approach to residential architecture?focused on adaptive reuse, more artful design, and less isolating rooms?can lead to better housing because it?s grounded in the reality of how people actually live.
?Look at how space is used, and more importantly, how it?s used everyday,? he says. ?There?s a finite amount of land, and we need to reuse what we?ve got. There?s a move toward higher buildings. We?re trying to reprogram them.? When they started their new studio, Noiascape, last year, the brothers decided to act on some of their ideas about shaping community and become both designers and developers. They saw an opportunity to create spaces more attuned to these new lifestyles and daily routines?a more social building filled with shared space. It?s more like a ?city in a building? that avoids the monoculture of totally separate home and office spaces.
Many architects and companies profess similar beliefs; this is, after all, the age of coliving, with companies such as Common and WeLiv...