Established in 1996, we started small: our first commission was for a public house in Walsall which won an award for the best new- build pub in 1999. This was the beginning of our interest in public architecture. Other interesting projects followed: a prototype for suburban housing in Stevenage - our first exploration of social housing, a studio house in Bethnal Green and the transformation of a former paint factory into a residential building. Over the years our focus has expanded both geographically and typologically, and so has recognition of our work. We were awarded the Schelling Prize for Architecture and the Tessenow Gold Medal in 2006, and a number of RIBA awards and international prizes have followed. Since the outset, we have engaged with the debate within the profession by lecturing and writing, and have curated a number of exhibitions about the themes we continue to explore in our projects: brickwork construction; affordable housing; the relationship between thinking and making; and teaching and practice.