Sanchez Benton architects

Carlos Sanchez and Tom Benton met while working at 6a architects and established their practice in 2017 to work on projects that have a social, poetic and architectural ambition. Their approach is both pragmatic and philosophical. They work collaboratively and enjoy a process that values ongoing conversations with clients, colleagues, consultants, and all end users of the architecture. With every project, the team sets out to understand the cultural setting of the work and then develops an appropriate response. It is a method that celebrates and respects the latent beauty and merit in what is present, what has been, and what could come next. They enjoy the practical and poetic potential in the way buildings are made and engage fully in each step towards the realisation of the designs. The practice looks at architecture as a frame for life at all its levels; they believe it should act wisely and with humour and kindness. Together Sanchez and Benton have designed and built works of architecture on listed buildings, in Conservation Areas, and at UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The studio works across a broad mix of projects. This includes the recent extension and reconfiguration of two apartment buildings in south London, a contemporary art gallery in Vauxhall, a high-end shop in East London, a number of ambitious residential projects, and an arts centre in Wiltshire. Their last completed building at 6a architects, Jürgen Teller’s photography studio, was voted London’s Building of the Year by the Royal Institute of British Architects and was nominated for the 2017 Stirling Prize.