.Croftworks is an ecological architecture practice based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Our work is grounded in a strong connection between the wider landscape and the buildings that we assemble to house ourselves. With a strength of experience in historic restoration, our work also spans creative retrofit and sustainable new-build.
Croftworks draws inspiration from the thrift of crofting, a farming practice that involves making a little go a long way. Crofting involves close attention to the particularities of place, collaboration with natural processes of growth and a creative improvisation with the limited materials to hand. Our practice draws on these to propose a regenerative architecture appropriate to our changing world.
Architecture is an assemblage of parts, materials gathered to serve our needs. Through careful material selection, prioritising local, grown and natural materials, we seek to create places that are beautiful and enjoyable to be in, as well as benefiting a wider landscape. Passive, low-tech, sustainable design principals guide us towards simple, well-crafted, cost-effective solutions.
Founded in 2020 by Theodore Shack, Croftworks is a teaching practice, its members teach architectural design, representation and theory at Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture with research interests in landscape restoration. The practice benefits from involvement and connection to this wider intellectual field and the vitality that these ideas can bring.
Croftworks was previously known as Taigh Solais
People
Theo studied at Edinburgh University and the London School of Architecture where his research explored low-tech design and rewilding. He previously worked with Haptic and Feilden Fowles and, whilst at Edinburgh co-founded Crumble Magazine. He was awarded the Venice + Scotland Fellowship, joining the Scottish pavilion to the Venice Architecture Biennale, The Happenstance. His work has been shortlisted for AJ awards in Sustainability and Retrofit and he has given public lectures in Venice, Glasgow and Edinburgh. In addition to design, Theo draws on practical experience of building, carpentry, painting, gardening and dry-stone walling.
Michael Becker. MA (Hons).
Michael completed his RIBA Part 1 at the University of Edinburgh in 2023 where his final proposal was awarded a commendation for the RIBA Bronze Medal and won the Serjeant award for Excellence in Architectural Drawing. His drawings are being exhibited as part of the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize that is on tour in the UK. He is passionate about drawing and making as methods of research, investigation and design.