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Architect Benjamin Machin

London, UK
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Practice Statement

The studio’s work is grounded in looking carefully and shaping form with care. Modelmaking plays a central role in this process, not as representation, but as a way of thinking.

We use models to slow design thinking. They allow ideas to be tested against scale, proportion and inhabitation before they harden into measured drawings or decisions. In making, uncertainty is not something to eliminate but to work with. Models hold ideas open, allowing relationships to be adjusted, read and re-read, much like plans tested against the body in use.

This matters because the studio is interested in the everyday life of buildings — routines, improvisations, rituals — and in how form can quietly support them. Physical models make these concerns tangible. They expose moments where intention and experience may diverge, and they help us judge when a building feels measured rather than overstated.

Modelmaking is also a conversational tool. Models establish a shared language between architect, client, collaborator and builder, reducing reliance on specialist abstraction and encouraging discussion. They invite participation rather than instruction, helping architecture remain open, generous and responsive.

At a time when architectural discourse is rightly focused on sustainability and delivery, the parallel conversation about form risks being sidelined. Making matters to us because it keeps that conversation alive — not as style or cleverness, but as the everyday work of shaping buildings that feel humane, grounded and attentive to the lives they support.

Architect Benjamin Machin
House for Astrid and Freddie, 1.200, Neighbourhood Model This model was made to situate the proposed house within its immediate urban context and to test its relationship to the existing fabric. Working at 1:200 allowed the scale, roof forms and collective rhythm of the street to be understood as a whole, rather than as a backdrop. The model was used to explore how the building's adaptations participate in the shared life of the neighbourhood. Massing, height and roof geometry were adjusted to test conversations with adjoining buildings, the handling of corners, and the way the proposal mediates between public impression and private interior. The ground is modelled as a continuous surface, reinforcing the idea of the house as part of a larger terrain shaped by use, movement and history. For the viewer, the model clarifies the proposal at the end of a terrace as a contextual act rather than an isolated object. It shows how the design is shaped by adjacency, scale and collective form, and how modest shifts in volume and profile can have wider spatial and social effects. The model foregrounds neighbourhood as an active design condition, where responsibility to the street and its inhabitants informs architectural decision-making. Handmade in card and timber off-cut from construction Benjamin Machin and Lewis Foster-Jeapes, Architectural Assistant
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House for Astrid and Freddie, 1.200, Neighbourhood Model This model was made to situate the proposed house within its immediate urban context and to test its relationship to the existing fabric. Working at 1:200 allowed the scale, roof forms and collective rhythm of the street to be understood as a whole, rather than as a backdrop. The model was used to explore how the building's adaptations participate in the shared life of the neighbourhood. Massing, height and roof geometry were adjusted to test conversations with adjoining buildings, the handling of corners, and the way the proposal mediates between public impression and private interior. The ground is modelled as a continuous surface, reinforcing the idea of the house as part of a larger terrain shaped by use, movement and history. For the viewer, the model clarifies the proposal at the end of a terrace as a contextual act rather than an isolated object. It shows how the design is shaped by adjacency, scale and collective form, and how modest shifts in volume and profile can have wider spatial and social effects. The model foregrounds neighbourhood as an active design condition, where responsibility to the street and its inhabitants informs architectural decision-making. Handmade in card and timber off-cut from construction Benjamin Machin and Lewis Foster-Jeapes, Architectural Assistant
House for Astrid and Freddie, 1.10, Construction Model This model was made to test the junctions, layers and material relationships that underpin the architectural idea of the house. Working at 1:10 allowed structural depth, fixing logic and tolerances to be explored with enough precision to confront how the building would actually be assembled. The model was used to examine how timber structure, enclosure and heavier base elements meet, and how architectural intention survives contact with construction reality. Joints were adjusted through making, not only to resolve buildability but to understand how thickness, reveal and alignment contribute to the spatial character of the house. The act of assembling the model exposed moments of friction between abstraction and material fact, helping to refine both. For the viewer, the model makes legible the translation from idea to contemporary construction. It shows how the house is composed of layers rather than surfaces, and how architectural form emerges through decisions about connection, support and sequence. The model foregrounds construction as a formative process, where material reality is not a constraint on design but a means of sharpening it. Handmade in timber, card, foam and aluminium Benjamin Machin and Lewis Foster-Jeapes, Architectural Assistant
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House for Astrid and Freddie, 1.10, Construction Model This model was made to test the junctions, layers and material relationships that underpin the architectural idea of the house. Working at 1:10 allowed structural depth, fixing logic and tolerances to be explored with enough precision to confront how the building would actually be assembled. The model was used to examine how timber structure, enclosure and heavier base elements meet, and how architectural intention survives contact with construction reality. Joints were adjusted through making, not only to resolve buildability but to understand how thickness, reveal and alignment contribute to the spatial character of the house. The act of assembling the model exposed moments of friction between abstraction and material fact, helping to refine both. For the viewer, the model makes legible the translation from idea to contemporary construction. It shows how the house is composed of layers rather than surfaces, and how architectural form emerges through decisions about connection, support and sequence. The model foregrounds construction as a formative process, where material reality is not a constraint on design but a means of sharpening it. Handmade in timber, card, foam and aluminium Benjamin Machin and Lewis Foster-Jeapes, Architectural Assistant
House for Astrid and Freddie, 1.50, Structural Model This model was made to test the spatial and load-bearing logic of the proposed adaptations at an early stage of design. It isolates the timber frame and floor structure alongside the volume of the retained outrigger, allowing proportions, spans and junctions to be understood without the distraction of surface or finish. The model was used iteratively alongside drawings to explore how structure could both organise space and support everyday inhabitation. Stud positions, bay depths and timber thicknesses were adjusted through making, helping to judge enclosure, openness and rhythm across the plan. The solid mass represents elements of greater weight and permanence, set against the lighter framed construction, clarifying the balance between solidity and lightness within the proposal. For the viewer, the model reveals the house as a system of relationships rather than a composed object. It demonstrates how structure establishes scale, sequence and use, and how architectural form emerges from decisions about support, span and assembly. The model foregrounds structure as an active participant in the spatial character of the house, not simply a technical necessity. Handmade timber and plaster Benjamin Machin and Lewis Foster-Jeapes, Architectural Assistant
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House for Astrid and Freddie, 1.50, Structural Model This model was made to test the spatial and load-bearing logic of the proposed adaptations at an early stage of design. It isolates the timber frame and floor structure alongside the volume of the retained outrigger, allowing proportions, spans and junctions to be understood without the distraction of surface or finish. The model was used iteratively alongside drawings to explore how structure could both organise space and support everyday inhabitation. Stud positions, bay depths and timber thicknesses were adjusted through making, helping to judge enclosure, openness and rhythm across the plan. The solid mass represents elements of greater weight and permanence, set against the lighter framed construction, clarifying the balance between solidity and lightness within the proposal. For the viewer, the model reveals the house as a system of relationships rather than a composed object. It demonstrates how structure establishes scale, sequence and use, and how architectural form emerges from decisions about support, span and assembly. The model foregrounds structure as an active participant in the spatial character of the house, not simply a technical necessity. Handmade timber and plaster Benjamin Machin and Lewis Foster-Jeapes, Architectural Assistant
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