Oliver Perceval set up as a sole practitioner based in London in April 2004, after 7 years with Burrell Foley Fischer LLP.
He qualified with MA Hons DipArch at Edinburgh University in 1997.


I believe that Architecture should integrate and reflect perennial qualities in our built environment, such as balance, harmony, vitality and beauty.


Mission statement: "To design buildings which support and promote the physical, mental and spiritual health of all those who use them, and to specify them to be as sustainable and energy efficient as possible."

Within the residential market I aim to respond to the feeling that my client wishes to bring into their home, without imposing any current trend or style. However, my tendency would be to steer towards a simple homely feel within the contemporary yearnings for more space and light.

There are various key disciplines that I work with in a holistic approach:

This is simply about designing within a certain geometric discipline, to create harmonious, symmetric, well proportioned and related forms. By designing our buildings using the principles of sacred geometry, which reflect the patterns underlying all of life, we create spaces that resonate with the Order of Things (fractal) and which corral energy in a balanced and restorative way. What we can then feel is a simple sense of balance, clarity and calmness in a space. The same principles, which are also the basis of Feng Shui, can be applied to the design of any created object so that it just 'feels' right.

www.geomancygroup.org/sacred_geo.html

A building should act as a storehouse of vitality, and so we must maximise this in the spaces which we inhabit. Materials play an important role in this regard.

As a rule of thumb I believe we should use building materials in a state closest to that in which they are found. The more coherent and natural a material is (least processed and engineered), the more alive and supportive it will be and feel.

Using natural materials, sourced as locally as possible, is also a good sustainable practice. I try to specify materials with as little 'embodied energy' (from manufacturing processes and transport) as possible, and to generally keep the palate simple.

www.ecospaints.com/index.htm
www.natural-building.co.uk

With our increasing use of technology we are becoming more exposed to high and sustained levels of microwave and electrical/magnetic radiation in the work and home environment. These fields can be detected using modern devices, and some of their effects can be dealt with in existing spaces. I would also work on reducing or minimising the inevitable levels where possible on a project.

It seems obvious to say this but maximising the use of natural daylight can dramatically enhance the quality of a space. Full spectrum daylight is known to have many curative effects on the body and mind, it is too easy to settle for artificial substitutes that seem to do the same job. Natural daylight consists of a complete spectrum of very short wavelengths which have perfect Phase Discipline, this is very healing and grounding since it forms an absolute reference to life’s matrix. Artificial light should be as close to being full spectrum and in phase with the sun as possible.