As a practice, Parti has always tried to create its own opportunities, and have broader involvement in projects than is customary. At the Royal College of Art, my Parti co-director Eleanor Hill and I were surrounded by people in creative disciplines for whom self-initiated work is the norm. Questioning our industry was encouraged: do architects have enough control and reward, financial and creative? In some projects we've taken equity stakes in lieu of profit, with mixed results. Our boldest venture is ARC, an architecturally-focussed hospitality business, which launched last spring. We have holiday homes in the Cotswolds and Cornwall, with more in development. We had worked for five star hotels and learned of the challenges in that business model. After researching UK tourism and identifying an opportunity in event-related travel, we developed a model for houses that accommodate large groups, offering better value and renting year-round.
展开▼
