Croftworks is an ecological architecture practice based in Edinburgh and working across 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.
Angus completed his Part 1+2 at the University of Edinburgh, and has worked for notable practices in Edinburgh, OCA Studio and Richard Murphy Architects. During his education he cofounded Crumble magazine with fellow students. Following graduation, he was awarded the RSA John Kinross Scholarship, a season long period studying in Florence. He is also a practicing potter, producing ware for restaurants and cafes in Edinburgh. Alongside this, he teaches across the 1st, 2nd and final year of the undergraduate degree at ESALA.