AH A is a craft-led architecture and interior design practice based in Hackney, East London. We work across London and Norfolk on residential new-builds, commercial fit-outs, and agricultural conversions.
VISION
Our work begins with people. We design from the human experience of space: how a room feels, how light falls, how a material meets the hand. It is where a design begins and how we see the work we do.
We see buildings as a tactile space that nourishes. We want buildings you reach out to. Timber that warms. Stone that weathers. We believe architecture should be memorable, rewarding all our senses with long-lasting joy.
Our horizon is wide. We are rooted in London and Norfolk and purposely engage with projects at a range of scales, a constant challenge to think afresh.
A view over the Glaven Valley in North Norfolk
An internal view of a bedroom in our self-build house, Hackney
ETHOS
Care runs through everything we do.
We care for our clients. A building project is one of the biggest things a person takes on. We listen first. We explain clearly at every stage. We give honest advice on cost and programme, and we stay close when decisions feel heavy.
We care for our response. Every brief gets a fresh answer, made for that person and that place. We would rather make something particular than something familiar.
We care in specification. We choose natural materials: timber, stone, hemp and lime. We work to remove petrochemical products from our buildings, and where we cannot, we reduce them. We are signatories of UK Architects Declare, and we hold ourselves to it in the everyday choices of practice.
METHOD
Every project starts with a conversation. We ask how you live or work now, and how you want to. We walk the site. We listen more than we talk.
Then we design. We test ideas through drawings and models, openly, as part of a wider collaboration. Ideas improve as they develop this way.
We specify from close to hand. Local makers, local supply chains, materials with low miles and long lives. We carry the design through planning, building regulations and tender without losing what made it good.
On site, we stay involved. We work with trusted contractors, we visit often, and we keep cost and programme in plain view. We finish what we start, and we finish it well.
Our big communal table in our studio where we design, work, dine, talk, and think.
The studio team May 2025
STUDIO
AH A was founded by Alexander Hills in 2017, having gained valuable experience in practice with William Smalley, Sheppard Robson, and Metropolitan Workshop before undertaking a self-build infill home in Hackney.
Our studio is Unit 13, in London Fields, Hackney. We have deep roots in North Norfolk and work between the two. We share the studio with collaborators and open it for suppers, screenings and talks. We aim to practice socially and sociably, engaging with others as part of our process.
We take on residential and commercial projects at every scale: extensions, new homes, workplaces, and barn conversions. We are always glad to talk about a new one. Do give us a call or pop in for a cup of tea.