Historic Building Architecture
Two architects, complementary skills
Harrison Brookes Architects brings together design, the conservation of historic buildings, and a working knowledge of both traditional and contemporary building technologies
Our Practice
HBA is deliberately small, built on the complementary skills of its two principal architects, bringing together design and conservation expertise across a range of technologies for projects of any scale.
HBA combines the complementary skills and experience of its two principal architects to provide a unique combination of design skills, expertise in the conservation of historic buildings and knowledge of traditional and contemporary building technologies.
The Architects
Director
Rhys Brookes
B.Sc. B.Arch. Grad.Dipl.Cons.(AA) RIBA SCA AABC
Rhys Brookes trained as an Architect at Bath University, graduating in 1989. He gained his initial experience working on a selection of Grade I listed classical buildings, such as the temples at Stowe Garden and a range of stately homes. He completed the Post Graduate Diploma of Conservation at the Architectural Association, London in 1997.
After working as an in-house Architect for a company building traditional green oak timber frames, he applied this knowledge to repairing medieval timber structures and later worked with Roderick James Architects, designing innovative new oak-framed buildings.
The work begins with trying to crack the code of a building, the rationale behind its form, its construction and its materials.
Rhys’ work is driven by a desire to ‘crack the code’ of buildings, unpicking the rationale and evolution of their form, construction and materials in order to make informed decisions about repairs or adaptations. He uses his skill and aptitude for traditional drafting techniques to explore the geometry and proportions that create harmony in new design and facilitate historical analysis.
Rhys has a great enthusiasm for developing his extensive knowledge of materials and building technologies and explores the process of making further by undertaking metal casting, woodturning and joinery projects at home.
Education
B.Sc., B.Arch., Bath University, 1989
Conservation
Post Graduate Diploma in Conservation, Architectural Association, London, 199
Accreditation
RIBA · Specialist Conservation Architect (SCA) · Architects Accredited in Building Conservation (AABC)
Specialisms
Medieval timber structures, green oak framing, historic building analysis, traditional construction
Director
Rebecca Harrison
B.Sc. B.Arch. ARB
Rebecca Harrison trained as an Architect at Bath University, graduating in 1992 with two first-class honours degrees. She studied at the British Institute in Florence and received the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings’ Scholarship in 1993, which included nine months of intensive, hands-on conservation training on building sites across the United Kingdom. She initially worked repairing listed medieval churches and vernacular buildings in Somerset before establishing Harrison Brookes Architects.
Rebecca’s focus is primarily on how people experience and interact with buildings. She is interested in maximising the potential of places, both spatially and functionally, and in providing creative, aesthetically pleasing solutions to practical problems.
The starting point is always how people will experience and use a building, everything else follows from that.
Her practical skills gained from building boats, repairing and maintaining houses and everyday family life give her an implicit understanding of the requirements of living and working environments which perform over time. In the belief that the effective repair, re-use and upgrading of existing buildings is the most sustainable solution she has recently pursued further training to become a Retrofit Co-Ordinator and Domestic Energy Assessor.
Education
B.Sc., B.Arch., Bath University, 1992, dual first-class honours
Further study
The British Institute, Florence
Conservation
SPAB Scholarship, 1993, nine months' hands-on training on historic building sites nationwide
Registration
ARB, Architects Registration Board
Specialisms
Spatial and functional design, listed churches and vernacular buildings, sustainability and retrofit
Recognition
Awarded, shortlisted and accredited
