CONTACT - Guernsey Chamber of Commerce

Jamie Falla in the
foreground with
the rest of the
ABM team.
When an eager student
with a passion for
design and a keen eye
for detail arrived at
richard Sandwith’s door back in the
1980s, little did richard know that he
would be joining forces with his
apprentice twenty years later.
However in 2009, Jamie Falla and
richard Sandwith together with
fellow director peter Warr did indeed
merge their respective award-winning
practices, Mooarc and BaS to create
BaS Mooarc. the firm has since
established a reputation for the quality
of their design work and the ability
to achieve creative contemporary
design solutions on sensitive local
sites. the practice, which also has
offices in london and exeter, has
developed an increasingly diverse
portfolio of both private and public
architectural projects across the
channel islands and in the UK.
the current practice is built on an
impressive history of architecturally
diverse and interesting buildings.
community projects such as the
renovation of St James concert Hall,
the Garenne Stand at Foote’s lane, and
the excellent rosaire avenue sheltered
housing development contrast with
commercial buildings such as the
arsenal Studios, at which the company
is based, the stunning offices for
Betley Whitehorne in the Bordage,
and the award winning Generali
House opposite the police Station.
this month BaS Mooarc have
announced the appointment of two
new directors, Debbie paul & Simon
cottell. richard Sandwith explained,
‘after 18 months of consolidating
our practices, looking to the future
and bringing through young talent is
key to our long term strategy. We are
absolutely delighted that Debbie and
Simon will be strengthening our board’.
Debbie paul has been practicing as
a chartered architect for six years, five
of which have been in Guernsey. prior
to moving to the island she worked for
two well regarded practices in london
where she worked on several high
‘These are the most critical
elements to our work,
However, with my
feet firmly on the ground,
I’d also add we have the
highest regard for the
heritage of our island.’
profile listed building refurbishments,
notably the Great Northern hotel and
the German Gymnasium at Kings cross.
according to Debbie, BaS Mooarc’s
architectural work draws on such
city project experience, ‘Unlocking
tight urban sites to create unique
innovative spaces for living, working
and relaxing relates equally to
densely populated Guernsey’.
the urban framework has instilled
a discipline in their approach to
architecture and has influenced their
work in rural locations. each project
is treated as a new challenge and
provides them with a new opportunity
to innovate and create the unexpected.
Simon cottell who has been working
in architecture locally for 17 years,
specialises in domestic projects which
integrate contemporary design with
traditional materials. He is currently
working with a local farming couple
who want to create one of the first
straw bale homes on the island. Simon
explained, ‘teamwork is a huge part of
our office ethos and it is the blending
of all our different areas of expertise
that gives us such strength and depth’.
BaS Mooarc are not only determined
to create beautiful buildings but
also to follow the ideology of ‘form
following function’ as Jamie explained,
‘We are passionate about creating
buildings of their time. We are part
of a new generation of architects ➜
www.guernseychamber.com | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010 | CONTACT | 55