Beautiful, functional and life-enhancing architecture.

We design beautiful, well considered, functional buildings and spaces that meet our clients’ needs.

We are currently engaged in a variety of domestic and commercial architectural projects.

We are a small architectural design practice based in Glasgow, Scotland. We design and create buildings and spaces that are affordable, beautiful, functional and life-enhancing. Our specialism is small residential projects, however we have recently added commercial projects to our portfolio, and we can help if you want to:

•build a new home

•extend or alter your property

•convert your loft, garage or barn

•build or refurbish business premises

We are currently engaged in a variety of projects in and around Glasgow and the central belt of Scotland.

Our approach

Collaboration is fundamental to our way of working, and we encourage you to share your ideas, inspirations and vision. We help you think about your space in different ways, show you what is possible and provide the information you need to make informed choices. We are here to assist you with your project and your requirements guide our design.

We know that it is difficult to visualise the end product from technical drawings alone, so we use a variety of media that are easily interpreted and understood to present our designs to you. These include sketches, water colours and visualisations. With computer visualisations, you will see what the final build will look like – inside and out – before site work begins.

Because we are small you get a personal, responsive, tailored service. You will have one point of contact throughout the project, so it is simple to keep things running smoothly. Our size makes us flexible and we are happy to work around your other commitments, and our love of designing ensures we will go that extra mile to achieve the optimum built result.

We are committed to environmentally-conscious design. We can advise you on insulation, renewable energy, water conservation systems and ‘green’ building materials. Sustainable design will save money on your energy bills too.

People

Darren Baird is a talented, creative Glasgow-based architectural designer. He graduated from the University of Strathclyde, where he had a rigorous technical and academic training. With solid, wide-ranging work experience under his belt, including a stint with Building Design Partnership, one of Europe’s foremost practices, he set up Darren Baird Architecture.

He is bright, determined and 100% committed to helping people realise their architectural visions. Clients comment on his listening skills and his ability to understand their needs. Darren’s computer and artistic skills are exceptional, and he is able to show clients what their final build will look like through 3D animation and sketching. He has an additional research interest in urban master-planning and is involved in academic projects, publications and workshops in this field.

Our services

We provide both a full and a partial architectural service, depending on your project and budget. The full architectural service will take you through the whole process from initial design to build completion. The partial architectural service provides the design, detailed drawings and specifications necessary to acquire planning permissions and warrants.

We are happy to help you manage your project and select contractors and other consultants if you need to use them.

The process

The first thing we do is visit the project site and talk to you. We go through your requirements and advise on the approvals you are likely to need. We then provide you with a written quotation for the fees for our services. There is no charge for the consultation and fee estimate. If the quotation is accepted, we agree an outline schedule of work.

We then provide you with initial drawings for your comment. We present designs that are easy to interpret. To give you a better insight into the creative vision, we use design sketches, 3D visualisations and water colours as an alternative to technical drawings. We develop these into the detailed information package required for applications and for obtaining builders’ quotations.

We deal with all correspondence, and keep you informed of progress. We work closely with you at every stage of the project. If you opt for the full architectural service, we will manage the build from conception to completion and be the point of contact for all parties.

Fees

Our fees are highly competitive and each project is priced individually according to its complexity. We can tailor our designs to individual budgets and aspirations to make sure you get the optimum result for your investment.

Don’t move, improve …

Moving house is expensive. Have you thought about unlocking the potential of your current home instead? We can help you expand or alter your house to meet your changing requirements. You would be amazed at how much space and light you can add with the right design.