Architecture: where science and art combine with Magdalena Jaslar

I’ve been at Benoy for eight years now. I came here straight from university following my graduation and worked as a Part 2 Assistant. I then completed my Part 3 while working fulltime at Benoy, qualifying in 2019. 

As a Senior Architect, I focus mainly on UK projects, a combination of retail, workplace and residential, although I’m currently working on a residential and hospitality scheme in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. I was also involved in an eight-month masterplan development in Dubai early on in my time here, plus a project in Saudi Arabia. So, it’s been an interesting mix.

I love the varied nature of the work at Benoy. We experience different clients, climates, geographies and sectors. It’s the kind of exposure that’s quite rare and hugely valuable. I also love the multidisciplinary nature of the company, all those specialisms under one roof. As an architect you get to interact with such a range of practitioners: landscape architects, interior designers, wayfinding experts. Then there’s our data team, Pragma – they bring a whole new dimension to the work here, and partnering with them is fascinating. 

Overall, there’s a high level of collaboration at Benoy, both internally and externally – working with all these great minds to devise the best solution to the problems we’re set. It’s collaborative puzzle-solving, essentially, which I really love.

At school I always loved both science and art. Architecture seemed to offer a happy marriage of the two, and by the time I was 15 I knew what I wanted to do. The prospect of being able to combine analytical thinking with aesthetics was really attractive to me, and these elements combine very naturally within the design process. 

Of course, creativity sits at the heart of what we do, and sometimes we’re very free in the design schemes we create. At the same time, through Pragma we ensure there’s scientific rigour behind every piece of work. By looking at user behaviour and dwell times, for example, we can understand how busy certain places are at certain periods, which informs our design approach, particularly in retail. We also use data and analytics to measure our outputs very precisely. It’s been an eye-opening experience, seeing how numbers can be used to enhance design. In fact, I would say the extent to which science and art combine at Benoy is really unique – so, I’m clearly in the right place! 

Brentford Works is a major mixed-use development in West London. It involves the creation of a new, progressive ​‘live-work-make’ community – a vibrant social and economic hub, with sustainability at its core. 

From the very start, the project was framed by a unique set of challenges. The site itself is very constrained spatially, with the M4 motorway to the north and a railway to the south. It’s also just a couple of miles from Kew Gardens, which is a World Heritage Site. This meant we were restricted in terms of building height, with the local council stipulating that our tall structural elements shouldn’t negatively impact key views from Kew. 

In addition, the client wanted to optimise the site through unit volume, which really tested our design within these site strictures. We also had to ensure that residential quality wasn’t compromised and satisfy local heritage criteria. And halfway through the project, new regulations came into force impacting buildings over 18 meters. This was a real curveball, requiring major adaptation. So overall, there was a lot to contend with on our part!

We had to be agile and innovative in our response. To meet the height requirements, we resubmitted plans with an addendum, lowering our vertical estimates. We also worked closely with our consultants, focusing on daylight, overheating, heritage and noise to navigate key constraining issues. Through this process, we contrived to protect our residential assets from the M4 through elevation, then lowered the mass on the south side to maximise exposure for the courtyards. And we conducted a number of studies to understand how, through the use of passive design measures, we could balance conflicting needs and interests. For example, we used taller openings at the base of the development to satisfy daylight requirements, then smaller openings higher up, combined with massing and façade, to provide adequate shading. 

Keeping the heritage councillors happy was a major priority. To this end, our reduced-mass redesigns helped to minimise visual impact on the skyline. We also brought an old heritage feature, the Brentford Fountain, back into the scheme. Abandoned for years at the side of a busy road, the historic fountain now has pride of place at the heart of Brentford Works, with the project powerfully reconnecting past and present.

Overall, it’s been a great project to work on and I’ve learned so much, especially having a lead architect’s role. Having to come up with new solutions at speed as new challenges emerge, having to balance so many elements and work within such tight parameters – it’s been hugely rewarding, as well as deeply challenging! And again, it has involved collaboration from start to finish. 

For me, parametric design is a really interesting development. I think the use of algorithms to speed up design, explore new forms and push boundaries is really exciting. These software innovations are bringing cutting-edge intelligence into design, helping us understand the environmental impact of a building, which is really important. I also think building adaptability is key. Through flexible, mixed-uses designs that can be repurposed or pivot into multiple uses, we can avoid the demolish-and-rebuild model and create more sustainable urban environments.