The Studio

Carpenter/Lowings Architecture & Design is a partnership between the American sculptor James Carpenter and British architect Luke Lowings, to develop a synthesis of structure, light and space in an architectural and urban context.

James Carpenter has been working with light, with a particular emphasis on glass in architecture for the last twenty-five years, as the principal of James Carpenter Design Associates in New York.  Luke Lowings (a registered architect in the UK and in New York State) has been collaborating with JCDA in New York for the last twelve years, and is now based in London.  With JCDA they have been responsible for the development of an internationally recognized and unique body of work that spans the boundaries of art, architecture and engineering with examples all over the world.  Together they now have a studio in London to develop projects in the UK and Europe.

The ambition of the studio is to integrate visual ideas into architectural projects at a wide range of scales, through a thorough knowledge of materials and structure. Carpenter and Lowings have produced projects of great visual and technical refinement through a collaborative process with clients and architects, developed over many years, and the studio is able to call upon the services of world-class engineers, fabricators, and installers in order to assemble teams capable of designing large building elements as well as smaller-scale installations.  The studio hopes to produce stand-alone architectural projects in the near future that combine the visual ideas that the team has become known for with more functional and defined programmatic concerns. 

Carpenter/Lowings believes that light, structure and material can be brought together in such a way that they heighten the awareness of a specific site, space or time.  The individual’s perception is actually part of a shared human experience, that can create a sense of delight and wonder, deepening the connection to our surroundings.

Design Process

Carpenter/Lowings initiates the design of a project through the development of a unified aesthetic and structural concept in response to context and budget, which is then refined and elaborated in consultations with client, other members of the design team, engineers, specialist fabricators, and materials engineers. The studio then develops a design through to detail design and installation, in parallel with the design team, as a constant refinement and expression of the concept. 

Renderings, study models, full-scale mock-ups of components, and prototypes form part of the development of a project, and the attention to detail that this design process implies is carried through to the built work, though a thorough knowledge of current fabrication and construction techniques, and the capacities of installers. 

Procurement Process

The procurement of a project can occur in a number of ways; smaller installations can be directly commissioned; larger projects can see Carpenter/Lowings acting as a fully integrated member of a design team, either as a design consultant to the architect or as architect.  We have undertaken to assemble teams of designers and fabricators to produce special constructions for larger projects.  In all cases however the design process remains consistent, with a stage-by-stage collaborative process to develop a unique response to each situation.