Who we are

Alison Brooks Architects (‘we’ or ‘us’ or ‘our’) gather and process your personal information in accordance with this privacy notice and in compliance with the relevant data protection Regulation and laws. This notice provides you with the necessary information regarding your rights and our obligations, and explains how, why and when we process your personal data.

Alison Brooks Architects registered office is at Unit 610 Highgate Studios, 53-79 Highgate Road, NW5 1TL London and we are a company registered in England and Wales under company number 4810339. We are registered on the Information Commissioner’s Office Register; registration number A8365277, and act as the data controller when processing your data.

Information That We Collect

Alison Brooks Architects processes your personal information to meet our legal, statutory and contractual obligations and to provide you with our products and services. We will never collect any unnecessary personal data from you and do not process your information in any way, other than as specified in this notice. Personal data we collect can include: name, date of birth, contact details, education and employment information and passport details.

How We Use Your Personal Data

Alison Brooks Architects takes your privacy very seriously and will never disclose, share or sell your data without your consent; unless required to do so by law. We only retain your data for as long as is necessary and for the purpose(s) specified in this notice. Where you have consented to us providing you with promotional offers and marketing, you are free to withdraw this consent at any time. The purposes and reasons for processing your personal data are detailed below:

• We collect your personal data in the performance of a contract or to provide a service and to ensure that orders are completed and can be sent out to your preferred address
• We collect and store your personal data as part of our legal obligation for business accounting and tax purposes
• We will occasionally send you marketing information where we have assessed that it is beneficial to you as a customer and in our interests. Such information will be non-intrusive and is processed on the grounds of legitimate interests

Your Rights

You have the right to access any personal information that Alison Brooks Architects processes about you and to request information about:

• What personal data we hold about you
• The purposes of the processing
• The categories of personal data concerned
• The recipients to whom the personal data has/will be disclosed
• How long we intend to store your personal data for
• If we did not collect the data directly from you, information about the source

If you believe that we hold any incomplete or inaccurate data about you, you have the right to ask us to correct and/or complete the information and we will strive to do so as quickly as possible; unless there is a valid reason for not doing so, at which point you will be notified.

You also have the right to request erasure of your personal data or to restrict processing (where applicable) in accordance with the data protection laws; as well as to object to any direct marketing from us. Where applicable, you have the right to data portability of your information and the right to be informed about any automated decision-making we may use.

If we receive a request from you to exercise any of the above rights, we may ask you to verify your identity before acting on the request; this is to ensure that your data is protected and kept secure.

Sharing and Disclosing Your Personal Information

We do not share or disclose any of your personal information without your consent, other than for the purposes specified in this notice or where there is a legal requirement. Alison Brooks Architects uses third-parties to provide the below services and business functions; however, all processors acting on our behalf only process your data in accordance with instructions from us and comply fully with this privacy notice, the data protection laws and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures.

Marketing

Occasionally, Alison Brooks Architects would like to contact you with details on the services that we provide as well as news updates. If you consent to us using your contact details for this purpose, you have the right to modify or withdraw your consent at any time by using the opt-out/unsubscribe options or by contacting Alison Brooks Architects directly, here.

Cookies

We use cookies to provide statistical information regarding the use of our website. Such information will not identify you personally – it is statistical data about our visitors and their use of our website. This data does not identify any personal details.  All computers can decline cookies, which can be done by activating the setting on your browser. Please note that should you choose to decline cookies, you may be unable to access some areas of our website.

Alison Brooks Architects is a multidisciplinary firm specialising in urban planning, architecture, and design.

Our key objective is to seek excellence in every aspect of our work and practice.  We aim to maintain honour and mutual respect with a professional approach in relations between clients, members of our company and collaborators. By so doing we seek to achieve a service appropriate to the needs of our client and to society at large.

We seek to create conditions where people of high ability and high ideals, who share in our aims and objectives, are attracted to work with us.  We encourage creativity, skill sharing, team work, professional and personal development.  We operate in a manner that allows people freedom and flexibility to use their skills to the full.

We continually seek to improve our performance and therefore the service given to our clients.  It is our policy to give clear instructions, which are necessary to facilitate the planning, and execution of projects to the required quality and to meet the requirements of BS EN ISO 9001.

Project Quality Plan

QA arrangements for this project would involve a Project Quality Plan (PQP) established at the beginning of the project.  The PQP includes detailed project information outlining the requirements of the brief, set project objectives, budget, preliminary project programmes and schedules and the organization of resources.  The PQP records any client changes with respect to this information.  The PQP identifies information, as it is to be prepared at specific design stages and records relevant internal checking and approval procedures.  The PQP records the structure of the project filing system of paper hard copies, digital computer files, file archiving and back-up procedures.  The PQP is regularly reviewed and revised as necessary to suit the changing demands of the project.

In addition to the PQP file ABA regularly reviews the procedures for setting out the processes of project work, the responsibilities for them and the type and methods in which records are kept.

Approach

In order to maintain this approach to produce innovative, high quality work, it is necessary to ensure that ABA protocols are followed to make the most efficient use of time to maximise time for design and delivery.  The following quality control and management procedures are implemented through from concept to post completion of each project to ensure that quality is maintained and the delivery of each project is assessed after completion in order to improve services in the future.

ABA’s design approach is intensely site and client specific, drawing from the broader cultural context of each project to produce highly inventive work that seeks to communicate with a wide audience. The team defines this as ‘cross-fertilisation’, integrating urban design, landscape, and interiors with disciplines outside conventional realms of architecture. This approach has generated an award-winning body of work noted for its inspired manipulation of space, inventive use of materials, clear structural expression and the ability to create profound emotional and sensory experiences for its users.

Our client base is not unanimously in favour of formal Quality Assurance (QA) arrangements which has to date not encouraged us to seek accreditation.  ABA does however have several systems in place to monitor project quality.

Resourcing

Alison Brooks Architects are a medium sized practice of 17 architectural staff and one office administrator, dedicated to excellence in all aspects of the practice’s work. For this project Alison Brooks as project design leader will be supported by technical and administrative services of a dedicated project architect who will provide a single point client contact. Other support will be added to the team as and when necessary.

Project Method Statement

Alison Brooks Architect’s work is conducted according to the terms and conditions of RIBA Standard Forms of Appointment and in alignment with the RIBA Plan of Work modified to meet the specific requirements of a given client’s brief. At completion of each Work Stage a client presentation will be prepared which may be accompanied by a cost study (by others) appropriate to the stage. Client approval will be sought prior to proceeding to any subsequent stage. ABA encourages a team approach from the initial stages of any project including public consultation, as well as requests for environmentally sustainable design solutions.

Programme Control

Realistic planning of design stages, allowing adequate periods for cost analysis, consultant input and client approval is essential to achieving project program targets. All potential obstacles to project progress must be identified at the earliest stages, such statutory consents or in the case of existing buildings, special consideration to be made for building structure, mechanical services and accessibility. This, combined with a clear team commitment to communication and adherence to deadlines, will minimise programme slippage. In previous projects ABA has consistently produced design and production information within extremely tight time frames and well within client needs.

Communication

Excellent design and project execution results from an excellent client-architect relationship and consistent, thorough and open communication amongst the project team for the duration of a project. Clear lines of communication are established at the outset of the project as well as an overall project programme and project team meeting schedule. Meeting are generally minuted by ABA unless other parties are assuming this role and distributed to the client and relevant parties.  All ABA telephone conversations are noted and when necessary, distributed. All correspondence with consultants and statutory and other bodies are copied to the client.  ABA maintains open communication within the project team, briefing individuals for tasks and clarifying the methods to be used as appropriate to the work at hand.

Project Filing

As outlined in the PQP a full paper filing system is maintained throughout the project in addition to all digitally saved files to ensure a clear audit trail relating to all decisions and correspondence.  All digitally saved files and project work are regularly backed up and where necessary off-site storage arrangements are made.  Standard systems of drawing revisions and drawing issue records are also maintained in full.

Project Reviews

ABA regularly conducts formal internal reviews of project work carried out by members of staff.  These reviews are used to monitor project performance against the requirements of the PQP, and that overall ABA project standards are maintained.  It is at this time that technical aspects of the design including health and safety are checked and verified.  ABA internal reviews are minuted and filed with project data to ensure continuity.