Oliver Lowrie

Oliver is the Founder and Director of Ackroyd Lowrie, an Architecture practice that is totally unlike any other. They have thrown away the rule book on how traditional relationships work, and practice a collaborative, agile approach to delivering our clients' dreams through open communication and the latest technology.

In a traditional and slow-moving industry, Ackroyd Lowrie are committed to improving the design and construction through innovative technology and collaborative partnerships. Their core values are to constantly test new ideas, and adapt them until they are honed to deliver value for our clients. Their innovative approach has recently won us the 2017 Archiboo Award for best use of Innovation where the judges comments were "This feels like the future".

An example of this approach is their development of a design process that uses use Virtual Reality as a communication tool. They identified a problem that was experienced by their clients- they often struggled to understand plans and models of their proposed buildings. They started building digital 3D models that can be viewed through a VR headset to allow their clients to literally walk around their future building. They then developed this into a 'Pre-Occupancy Sign-Off' which they have rolled out on all of our projects. This ensures that their clients have approved every single detail of their scheme in an immersive walkthrough before a single brick is laid.

Once they approve the design, Ackroyd Lowrie use the same tools to communicate with our fellow consultants, and builders on site This improves efficiency, as everyone understands immediately what the building should look like. Oliver envisages a future where builders no longer use paper, but are guided by Augmented Reality displays on their protective glasses, direct from the design model.

Oliver passionately believes in working closely with clients, makers and builders to deliver projects in a collaborative manner. This approach, along with the revolution in communication created through improvements in VR will change the building industry fundamentally, and Oliver is keen that Ackroyd Lowrie are at the forefront of this shift.

References:

Oliver Lowrie featured on BBC world service about use of VR in design

https://ackroydlowrie.com/blog-1/2016/4/4/a-a-interviewed-on-bbc-world-service-about-how-virtual-reality-technology-is-revolutionsing-the-way-we-design-buildings

Oliver Lowrie giving a talk at the RIBA on the future of the construction industry:

https://ackroydlowrie.com/blog-1/2016/12/12/watch-oli-lowrie-talk-virtual-reality-at-the-riba-conference

Oliver Lowrie's chapter on innovative solutions to improving the construction industry:

https://ackroydlowrie.com/blog-1/2017/7/19/oliver-lowrie-published-in-latest-riba-book-retropioneers-architecture-redefined

Ackroyd Lowrie featured in the telegraph on the subject of how innovation and technology will change the industry:

https://ackroydlowrie.com/blog-1/2015/11/3/aa-featured-in-the-telegraph-business-section

Oliver is a also keen artist. His work has been exhibited at the Royal Academy as part of the Urban Utopias exhibition, and has been published in Blueprint and FX Magazine.