In our series ‘Modern Masters’, we’re meeting with some of our favourite architects, designers and makers to profile their practice and get their unique insights on architecture, interiors and design inspiration.

Following the critical acclaim of what has been deemed IF_DO’s ‘breakout project’, we spoke with the architects behind the first Dulwich Pavilion about the origins of the practice, residential projects and architectural inspiration.

Sarah Castle: “At university one of the first books we were told to read was ‘In Praise of Shadows’ by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki. It’s an amazing book that talks about the beauty of darkness as opposed to light, and the joy of craft. There are elements of that book which were sort of the seeds of our architectural education together, and there is an inherent interest in craft which we’ve brought into our work.”

Al Scott: “The three of us met at Edinburgh during our Part I but we all went our separate ways after graduating. I went to London, Sarah stayed in Edinburgh and then spent some time in Paris and New York, and Thomas went to the states. It was great as we were all able to explore different avenues and experience architecture in different countries, but we share the same grounding in architecture and we came back together in 2014 to set up the practice.

“When we first started up we worked on a competition together as a way of testing our systems and methods of working, and most importantly to see how we designed together. early on we were commissioned to do a handful of residential projects including Well Street and Burgh Street which recently completed, but simultaneously we were working on a scheme for 16 new eco-homes in Suffolk which was a relatively large-scale project, so we have been working at various scales from the outset.

“We’re not currently working on any Passivhaus projects but Thomas and I have both worked in that area and it’s something we would like to get back into. The Horsecroft Estate project we are working on involves the full restoration and extension of a listed farmhouse and conversion of the adjacent barn, and has a similar emphasis on sustainability, adopting many of the core principles of Passivhaus. We’ve dug a 100 metre bore hole to provide drinking water as well as a ground-source heat pump to provide passive heating to both buildings – it’s set to be a model of country living for the 21st century.

“We’re starting to move towards more arts and cultural projects, but residential work is something that we really enjoy and always want to maintain as part of our portfolio. In the last two weeks we’ve actually taken on two residential projects which are some of the smallest we’ve done to date – regardless of scale, our clients came to us with very considered briefs and the all-important appetite to do something inventive. Both clients want to go on a journey with their architect and that’s when we know that people trust in us to do our best work.

“There are ways you can experiment with architecture at the domestic scale which you just don’t get to do in other sectors and at other scales, and working so closely with the end users can be the most rewarding experience.

“I’d say we’re most interested in making each project special through exploring a detail that’s unique to that space. Our work is understated with an emphasis on the craft and materials, which bring it to life.

“The Dulwich Pavilion has come at a time that has been really exciting for the practice. It’s hard to know how much of our growth has been influenced by the publicity of winning and then completing the pavilion – but we’ve grown from a team of three to nine in a relatively short time frame.

“At the moment, I’m really looking forward to the delivery of the workshop campus we’re developing in Ireland for designer Joseph Walsh. We’re renovating a complex of buildings based around what was a derelict farmhouse but is now a focal point where the makers get together for lunch. The house is used for an artist’s residency too. If you’re not familiar with his work it’s well worth a look.

“We’re also excited about the St Teresa Sixth Form Centre as it’s our first school building and is situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Thomas Bryans: “There’s so much that’s inspiring in architecture at the moment. The generational shift towards community-driven, contextual projects; things like Alejandro Aravena’s incremental housing project; Francis Kéré’s Serpentine Pavilion.”

Sarah: “I’ve just got back from South America and Lina Bo Bardi’s work is really inspiring too…her projects engage the public and community and address the social, economic and environmental questions they need to, but her work also retains an incredible focus on form and beauty.”

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Read more about IF_DO in our Directory of Architects and Designers.