Laurence Bowen
Architect featured in Building Dream Homes
Every day is different and each design challenge is a new opportunity to create something that will have a real impact on people's lives.
I grew up on a small estate in Slough which was not inspirational in terms of architectural influence but thanks to my parents I was surrounded by art and design. My father was a portrait painter and art lecturer, so from an early age my brother and I would spend my free time drawing and painting.
By age 10, I knew I wanted to become an architect and my education revolved around reaching that goal.
I initially missed out on securing a place on the architecture degree course I had sought for so long. Poor results meant I was forced to find another way so I enrolled on a HND Building Studies course at Plymouth University. After gaining my HND, I managed to talk my way onto the BA architecture degree course and went on to obtain a First Class Honors Degree from Oxford Brookes University widening my passion for design by completing both the Architecture and Urban Design post graduate courses.
Following graduation, I embarked on a career at a local practice in Poole before moving to a larger multi-disciplinary practice in Bournemouth where I first met . We were both working towards our professional qualification and quickly hit it off. We shared a passion for architecture and discovered that our aesthetic appreciation of all things design were very similar.
We qualified as RIBA architects in the same year and were approached by the Director of Architecture to start a new practice. We jumped at the chance and became Design Directors within a practice of 15 鈥� perhaps a little niave of the challenges we'd encounter.
One lunch time, Paul and I met and decided to embark on our own venture 鈥� in short, rbstudio was born.
Seven years later our passion for design still burns brightly.
