Niall McLaughlin Architects is a practice which designs high quality modern architecture. We put a strong emphasis on the inventive use of building materials, the qualities of light and the relationship between a building and its surroundings. We consider these issues to be more important than working in a particular style and hope that each project will be an original interpretation of the client, site, brief and budget.For us, practice is understood as a range of activities which are all necessary to each other – design of buildings, fittings and furniture; making buildings, installations and models; connecting speculation and practice, lecturing and writing about architecture; collaborations with craftsmen, artists and consultants.For innovative architecture to work well it requires project management from ideas through to implementation and feedback. Control of budget and programme form essential components of our work. We have considerable experience in project implementation, and in communicating the clients’ needs to consultants and builders.We do not specialise in particular building types. We produce high quality architecture and relish having a broad range of projects in the office. We consider the briefing stage of the project to be a critical part of the creative process. This is where the client’s ideas and needs can start us on the track to inventive proposals.We use a great range of materials in our building projects. We enjoy it most when we inventively combine traditional and new construction techniques. We relish unexpected juxtapositions. All of our designs are discussed with the makers, not just in terms of performance, but as aesthetic propositions. A good builder generally has a good eye. Our work is less interested in the expression of technology through bolts, junctions and gaskets, more in the overall presence of a space. In particular, the way in which materials alter space by modulating light; combing it, diffusing it, storing it, reflecting it, dulling it or changing its speed.In the course of recent projects, we have become interested in the idea of broadening the scope of the design process. We have developed a series of parallel projects and collaborations with interested groups including artists, school children, musicians and local community groups. Our intuition is that this will extend the possibilities of the project for its designers and collaborators. We hope that participants will learn about the thrill of architectural design and they will find beauty in the project through a sense of having taken part in its development. These projects have become a rich source of ideas for the practice.Many of our projects are developed from particular metaphors or narratives, in many cases the client’s own brief. The role of the architect is to produce rich and mysterious places and to constantly reinvent the world. When you imagine something new and persuade everyone to take part in making it, then contingency and speculation are held in balance. That is when practice is at its best. We strongly believe in the importance of an experienced team whose combined skills and expertise can address every aspect of a project delivering a rich carefully tailored solution.