Introduction
Having worked with some of the UK’s leading Architects, Craig has returned to his home county of Lincolnshire to deliver that same high quality of design & level of service locally. He established Craig Smith Architects in early 2024.
Unique Experience
Craig has worked with well respected local Architects in Lincolnshire & with prominent practice Stanton Williams in London. This esteemed company was a previous winner of the UK’s most prestigious award for architecture; the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize.
Quality & Professionalism
Craig is a qualified Architect with almost 15 years experience. He is registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB), which is the professional regulator of Architects in the UK.
The title ‘Architect’ is protected by law in the UK. Anyone can call themselves an ‘architectural designer’ or ‘architectural technician’ & they don’t need any qualifications or experience to do so. Only Architects, who are required to undertake a minimum of 7 years training & continue a prescribed amount of year on year training, are Architects.
Design & Project Management
Craig started his career managing building sites for a local house builder in Grimsby. He has worked as both the Contract Administrator & Project Manager during the construction stage of various buildings on behalf of previous employers.
Trusted
Trusted by previous employers to work directly with clients such as the Canary Wharf Group, London Borough of Haringey, Edinburgh City Council, Turner-Prize winning artists, the charity Reach, Walesby Forest, Stamford Welland Academy, Dyson Farming & many private clients.
Zero Carbon
Craig is one of a small number of Architects nationally who is experienced in this gold standard of sustainability. He has been involved with zero carbon projects at a range of scales from individual homes to schemes of 140 apartments.
Planning Permission Expertise
An excellent track record of designing and securing planning permission for contemporary buildings located on challenging and sensitive sites, often where previous Architects have failed to gain consent. These have included Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB’s), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI’s), Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings & Paragraph 84 homes.
Award Winning
Many completed projects in previous employments have been recognised nationally winning RIBA, Civic Trust & British Home Awards.
Shortly after qualification & having returned to the county to live & work, Craig was personally longlisted as a 'Rising Star' by the RIBA journal for his commitment to design quality in Lincolnshire. To date, Craig is the only Lincolnshire Architect to be included in these awards.
The quality of his drawing has also been recognised with previous inclusion in the Royal Academy of Arts ‘Summer Exhibition’ in London.
Sharing Experience
Craig is passionate about education & alongside practice, teaches on both the architecture & interior programmes at the University of Lincoln. He is also a Visiting Specialist in environmental design & technology at the University of Sheffield on the Master of Architecture course. Teaching the next generation of Architects ensures Craig is working at the cutting edge of the profession.
Craig also previously mentored on University College London’s pioneering ‘Accelerate’ programme, which supports young people from under-represented backgrounds with skills development for entry onto higher education built environment courses.
Exemplar Past Projects
Craig has been involved with a broad range of project type and scale with contract values of between £30,000 & £150million, spanning the arts, conservation, retail, public spaces & homes.
Recently whilst employed at Allan Joyce Architects in Nottingham, Craig led the construction phase of a new 12 bedroom, net zero carbon building in Southwell for Reach; a charity which supports people with learning disabilities. He was also the Architect of a new lakeside activities building at Walesby Forest & the conversion of over 10,000 sqft of existing agricultural buildings to form a contemporary home for a multi-generational family, situated in open countryside, Nottinghamshire.
Other notable past projects and clients include apartments for the Canary Wharf Group in London, a painting studio for a Turner-Prize winning artist in Devon, improved public spaces for the London Borough of Haringey, a distillery within an existing railway arch for Jensen’s Gin in London, retail stores & furniture design in New York & Devon for Other Criteria, a Victorian house extension in London, the new Linbury Theatre at the Royal Opera House & 140 net zero carbon social homes for the City of Edinburgh Council.
Craig has also previously worked with well regarded local practices on several key projects. At the KD Design Partnership he worked on the Louth & District Hospice. At Hodson Architects Craig was involved with the first masterplan for Garth Lane in Grimsby. At Framework Architects in Lincoln, he worked on the Western Growth Corridor project for Lincoln City Council; the largest development in the city for decades & one which will deliver over 3,000 new homes when complete.
‘‘A significant visual enhancement and something of a landmark building on this main approach to Sleaford’’
— Planning Committee Report, North Kesteven District Council, for a
16,000 sqft mixed-use building in the town centre Conservation Area of Sleaford, Lincolnshire