S5. Ep 10. In conversation with Sarah Harrison, Co-Founder and Director of Harrison Stringfellow Architects.

In this episode I am joined by Sarah Harrison, Co-Founderand Director of Harrison Stringfellow Architects who specialise in creatively reusing buildings. Sarah is particularly good at negotiating the planning system and finding creative solutions for tricky sites combining organisational skills with a creative flair she is also an accredited RIBA Principle Designer.Harrison Stringfellow Architects ethos is centred around Community, Conservation, and Climate.

We talk about Sarah’s journey into conservation and her work as an architect and how exposure to older properties at the start of her career influenced her career progression andviews on repurposing buildings.

Sarah and I chat about advances in technology and how trends often influence a build but whether they are appropriate depending on the client and the age of the property and the buildings overall health and understanding this is integral before you start. This will then ultimately lead to creating the right solution to address any issues in lifestyle, building health etc.

Sarah describes some of the incredible projects she has worked on, the thought process behind them and the importance of heritage making sure it was centric to the final designs.

We also discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector along with top tips when working with an older property.

It will be an interesting listen for anyone embarking on aproject and is looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties.