Translate the household brief into testable decisions
We begin with the activities the home needs to support and the difficulties in the current arrangement. The brief records priorities, retained features and relationships between rooms, rather than starting from a fixed style. We ask what would make a measurable difference to everyday use: a clearer entrance, more accessible storage, a quiet working position or a better connection between kitchen and dining space. Those objectives become criteria for comparing design options.
Existing drawings are reviewed against a survey, with their limitations made clear. We identify differences in levels, openings and construction that could affect the proposal. Where a feature has not been investigated, it is shown as an uncertainty rather than treated as a verified condition. This distinction matters when drawings are passed between advisers. The design should allow another person to see what is known, what is proposed and what still needs investigation before it can be relied upon.
Establish the City's relevant constraints
The City Corporation is the planning authority within its boundary, and its guidance distinguishes the position of flats from houses. We establish the dwelling type and proposed alterations before identifying a likely application route. External changes are listed separately from internal work. This gives the design review a specific basis and avoids a broad statement about renovation being mistaken for a conclusion about every window, outlet or opening included in the project.
The relevant conservation mapping, character documents and listed-building records are reviewed where applicable. We identify which parts of the design may affect significance or setting and what supporting evidence is needed. Some properties require dedicated management guidance in addition to general planning information. The design develops around the documents for the actual building; an attractive solution used in another neighbourhood does not establish that it is appropriate or permissible here.
Sources: City Corporation: residential planning permission · City Corporation: conservation maps and character documents · City Corporation: listed buildings and alterations
Compare layouts with sections and real furniture
Alternative plans are tested with furniture, door movements and circulation shown at useful scale. We examine what happens to the whole dwelling when a room becomes larger or a corridor becomes shorter. A layout can gain apparent openness while losing a practical wall for storage or placing a desk in glare. The comparison explains these consequences so that the owner can choose between meaningful options rather than between images with different finishes.
Sections test vertical relationships that a plan cannot show: headroom, floor build-ups, ceiling changes and the effect of a stair or roof alteration. We bring structural and service advice into the process where the proposal needs it. The resulting design is refined around credible construction information. If technical advice changes a room's dimensions or arrangement, that change is returned to the household brief rather than treated as a detail that the owner will only discover during building work.
Coordinate the drawings around their users
Different drawings serve different decisions. A planning submission explains the proposal and its context; construction information needs to describe materials, junctions, dimensions and responsibilities sufficiently for the agreed work. We identify what each stage is intended to achieve and what it does not yet resolve. This avoids a planning drawing being mistaken for a complete instruction to build, or a concept sketch being used as the basis for manufacturing fixed furniture.
The coordination review focuses on interfaces. A structural opening must align with the room layout, a service route must fit within the proposed enclosure, and a cabinet must allow access to equipment. Information from specialist designers is reviewed together so conflicting assumptions can be addressed. The drawing record identifies revisions and their purpose. A change should be traceable through the relevant documents rather than existing only in an email that one installer has not received.
Carry the design through selection and construction
Material and product decisions are linked to the developed design. We review samples, thicknesses, clearances and maintenance requirements before they affect fixed dimensions. Where an alternative product is proposed, its implications are considered beyond appearance. A different appliance or fitting can change the service provision, opening size or access detail. The approved selection and any resulting drawing revision are recorded so that the work can be checked against an agreed instruction.
During construction, questions are resolved through the appropriate designer rather than by silently changing the proposal on site. Relevant observations, approved variations and final arrangements are gathered for handover. The completed home is reviewed against the brief as well as the drawings: circulation, storage and daily use remain part of the design's success. We make no claim that an official photograph or historic building record represents a commission by Hampstead Renovations; project evidence remains separately identified by its true location.
Before work begins
Architectural design in City of London: questions
Do I need a complete design before contacting you?
No. A short account of what is not working, photographs and any existing drawings provide a useful starting point. We can help define the brief and identify the investigations needed. The initial discussion does not require you to have chosen every room arrangement or product.
Are planning drawings enough for construction?
Not necessarily. Their purpose is to explain a proposal for the relevant planning decision. The agreed work may need further coordinated technical information, details and specialist design before construction. We identify the intended use and limits of each drawing package so that it is not relied upon prematurely.
How is a flat's design different from a house proposal?
The Corporation notes that householder planning assumptions cannot simply be applied to flats. Shared structures, services and management arrangements also influence the project information needed. We establish those conditions before developing the design rather than adapting a house layout without checking the wider building.
Can you compare retaining walls with opening rooms up?
Yes. We can test both approaches against circulation, furniture, storage and the intended use of the home. Structural and heritage considerations are included where relevant. The comparison should explain the practical consequences of each option rather than assuming that the largest opening is always the best result.
How are changes during construction recorded?
The relevant question, decision and revised information are recorded with enough detail to identify what changed and why. Changes affecting another discipline are coordinated before implementation. The final handover information should reflect the installed arrangement rather than leaving the owner with drawings of an abandoned version.
Official sources
City Corporation: residential planning permission · City Corporation: conservation maps and character documents · City Corporation: listed buildings and alterations
Sources checked on the dates recorded in the source register, most recently 5 November 2026. Maps, list entries and directions must be checked for the individual property and proposed work.