About
General Office is an architecture and urban design practice based in London. GO design durable and sustainable places that give pleasure in use. We focus on the places of everyday life: housing, work space, public space and all forms of social infrastructure. We provide architecture, public realm and urban design expertise in-house. Our approach is characterised by rigorous analysis, strategic thinking and an open mind, geared toward unlocking the extraordinary potential of each commission. GO directors have over 30 years of combined experience leading high-profile projects from conception to delivery, for public and private clients in London, the UK and abroad. We combine this knowledge with the benefits of small practice nimbleness and high levels of director time invested in projects. We are a majority female owned micro-enterprise in South East London. GO has been selected for inclusion in the Architecture Foundation’s publication New Architects 5, which is ‘the definitive guide to Britain’s emerging architectural talent.’ Context We are passionate contextualists. We avoid predetermined solutions, approaching each project as a specific case. We are interested in what a place already is—what it contains, who uses it, how it is used, its history, ecology and culture—combined with what our clients want to do there, and how this can evolve over time. For us, context is not only about what things look like. We invest in detailed analysis across scales, to ensure that ideas are stimulated by the conditions of the place and geared towards unlocking wider opportunities. Time We design buildings and places that support multiple lives over a long period of time. We have unique experience in adaptive reuse and apply these lessons whether designing new buildings or working on existing ones. We aim for robust, useful and pleasurable architecture, with the greatest scope for long term flexibility. We favour methods of construction that embrace longevity, reversibility, circularity and material economy. We believe that architecture should be judged on its capacity to enrich life in the long term. This is the key to sustainable places. Pragmatism We combine design ambition with realism. We do not see this as a limitation, but rather a prompt to think more creatively about what can be done within the constraints and parameters of a commission. It also means that energy is focused where it really matters and where it can have the greatest impact. We avoid unnecessary distractions but keep our eyes peeled for unexpected opportunities. We proactively collaborate with clients, specialists and likeminded architects, encouraging a culture of enthusiasm, ambition and critique in the design team. Our design process ensures that each project is based on a clear, understandable rationale.
People
Emma Rutherford
Director
Architect
BA (Hons) DipArch MA ARB
Emma has worked at significant practices alongside gaining experience of working client-side both in local government and in the private sector this gives her valuable insight into the many drivers that shape a project.
In her previous roles including Maccreanor Lavington, Scout and Publica, she led projects ranging in scale from self-initiated temporary interventions to expansive urban studies and complex residential buildings. With over 15 years’ experience of leading projects, in all capacities, she is interested in exploiting the placemaking potential of a brief regardless of its scale.
This was central to the approach on BOK where during a two-year period her and Richard worked in-house and on-site in the developer office converting a 31,600m2 decommissioned vocational college in South Philadelphia to affordable workspace with community, leisure and recreational facilities.
She has extensive experience of designing ambitious housing schemes on complex sites for public and private sector clients at all work stages. She has led and coordinated large design teams and acted as the main point of contact for multi-headed client and stakeholder groups.
Recently, Emma has been leading on GO’s work in Newhaven developing a welcoming and accessible public realm to connect a series of public uses through carefully judged interventions and material treatments. Her approach is geared towards ensuring a high-quality project with a clear spatial ambition.
Emma is active in teaching and research having taught at the Welsh School of Architecture and the London School of Architecture. She is committed to supporting younger members of the profession and is part of a number of mentoring programmes as well as initiatives such as Women in Architecture.
Richard Hall
Director, Architect
BA (Hons) DipArch ARB
Richard is an architect and Director of General Office. Prior to founding General Office, Richard worked at OMA in Rotterdam, Scout in Philadelphia and East in London.
With over 15years experience he has led a broad range of architecture, landscape and urban design projects for public and private clients, across a range of scale and workstages. His work at East focused on projects that combine architecture and public realm in a single commission.
This experience was invaluable to Emma and Richard’s work on BOK in Philadelphia where they worked in-house with the building’s developer. Their work spanned from brief-development to the delivery of key spaces over a two-year period, and established a clear strategy for works continued after their departure.
Recently, Richard has been leading GO’s work at Lower Woodshaw Farm, preparing designs for an edge of rural settlement residential development on the grounds of a Grade II Listed C17th farmhouse. He is utilising his background in architecture and landscape design to develop a holistic, contextually responsive scheme for this complex site.
He has a highly collaborative attitude, encouraging a culture of mutual support, critique and enthusiasm in the project team.
Richard is active in teaching and research having previously taught at London Metropolitan University and the Welsh School of Architecture. He lectures widely on architecture and urban design, has had articles published in leading international journals, and has recently launched a podcast series for the Architecture Foundation and is currently pursuing research on the working methods of OMA.
Daniel Enriquez
Architectural Assistant
BSc (Hons)
Daniel is an architectural assistant at General Office, and has been working on a range of residential, public realm and urban design projects. He graduated from the Welsh School of Architecture and previously worked at East.
He works across projects at a range of scales and stages including strategic and masterplanning work such as on Lower Woodshaw Farm and public realm design development and detail design on Newhaven Interchange. He has gained experience in client engagement, public consultation and design team coordination, both in education—through live design projects—and in practice through his work at General Office and East.
He is interested in how careful design can activate the latent potential of underutilised sites, resulting in places where people want to work, play and live.
Contact
We are always interested in new opportunities and hearing from potential clients and/or collaborators. If you would like to talk more please get in touch.