Sergison Bates Architects : La Pratique de l'Architecture

Lecture by the authors: on Tuesday, October 23rd at 5:00 PM / Student Church of the Holy Family – Karel IV. 22, České Budějovice


Exhibition opening: on Tuesday, October 23rd at 7:00 PM / Gallery of Contemporary Art and Architecture – House of Art of the City of České Budějovice


Exhibition duration: October 24th – November 22nd, 2018


Curator: Michal Škoda



This autumn and winter at the House of Art in České Budějovice will be marked by contemporary European architecture. The first event is the project "The Practice of Architecture" by the studio Sergison Bates Architects – based in London and Zurich, founded in 1996 by Jonathan Sergison (1964) and Stephen Bates (1964), with Mark Tuff joining as a partner in 2006. 

The projects of Sergison Bates Architects encompass all levels of architecture and urbanism. They engage in a wide range of projects from urban planning to renovation, designing public buildings, residential complexes, and private houses. A key characteristic of their work is a very sensitive approach to the site, a reductive way of designing, and a feel for materials.

They place great importance on the historical structure, which they strive to respond to, while also fully recognizing the challenges of today’s modern European cities, including the changing demands of housing. They thoughtfully explore the possibilities and strategies of current and future cities. They respect and are aware of the imprint that history has left in European cities in the form of various styles.  

You can encounter the works of Sergison Bates not only in England but also in nearby Vienna, Switzerland, Belgium, and Germany. Despite their versatility, they primarily focus on residential construction, emphasizing simplicity, detail, context, spatial layout, and the functionality of buildings stemming from the needs of their inhabitants. They convincingly blend tradition with modern needs and skillfully utilize materials that can age beautifully.

In addition to their practical work as architects, they also engage in educational and theoretical-publication activities. Jonathan Sergison has been a professor at the Accademia di Architettura in Mendrisio, Switzerland, since 2008, while Stephen Bates works alongside Bruno Krucker (since 2009) at the Chair of Urban Planning and Housing at the Technical University of Munich.

For their exhibition "The Practice of Architecture" in České Budějovice, they have prepared an entirely new project based on the spatial possibilities of the gallery, presenting five main characteristics of their work. 




The façades of contemporary buildings are, almost without exception, multi-layered. Each layer has a specific function – a load-bearing inner layer or structure to be filled, thermal insulation, and a thin outer layer resistant to weather conditions. Economic factors and universal building practices have tended to reduce these components to thin layers using manufactured elements. Durability and insulation capability are essential; however, budget constraints and the increasing lack of traditional crafts make it impossible to create solid monolithic walls. For those of us who are not satisfied with merely cloaking these walls with abstract grids and mosaics, the architecture of cladding buildings remains the most fertile ground for exploring façade creation. We want the façades to gain a human dimension and to emit that they are "crafted by hands." We seek a kind of quietness or monumentality in character, but also a sense of everydayness in façades that lend dignity to buildings. Their materiality reveals elements of their construction – not as a process but as an emotional connection to nature and existence. The walls that protect and define the inner world strive to engage with the architecture of the city. They possess a frontal quality, akin to the direct gaze of a portrait; they are built "facing us," but also reflect something back to the viewer.

The atmosphere of European cities can be characterized by a strong connection between residential buildings and the street. There is a resonance between the buildings and the spaces between them. In the best cases, the public character of urban space infiltrates residential buildings through deep thresholds, courtyards, and arcades. The buildings themselves offer something to the city in the form of verandas, balconies, and vaults. This creates a close connection between the private sphere and the public character of the urban spaces that surround it. These spatial relationships lie at the heart of the European city. In our teaching studios at the Accademia di Architettura in Mendrisio, Switzerland, and the Technical University of Munich, Germany, we have investigated a shared conviction about the relevance of the European city. Here we present examples of how our studio examines buildings and the spaces between them, studying typologies and building patterns. Through this disciplined attention to observation, creation, and representation, students find themselves in close exchange with the vast potential of rooms and traditional spaces, material thread, and façade composition. These exercises serve as stimuli for students to consider how these images might influence their own work when designing spaces. In contrast to perceiving architectural practice as a continuous sequence of experimental attempts, whose value lies in abstract originality and technical bravura, these images refer to the historical experience of architecture and the elements that define it as a practical activity, cultural specialization, and atmospheric experience. Such a scenographic approach is designed to enhance the personal skill of each student but also encourages them to consider the city and their contribution to it by placing cultivation and generosity at the center of architectural discourse.



We consider writing both a challenge and a necessity. It has become a prerequisite for creating architecture, providing a means for expressing ideas, observations, and reflection as a method of practice. From the beginning of our work in practice, it has been clear to us that it is essential to develop and articulate the position of architects, the theoretical and ethical foundation for creating buildings and spaces. Since then, we have recognized long ago that it should be dynamic, should change and evolve over time, and should integrate into the broader culture of architectural thinking. Through the precision and creativity of words and grammatical structure, writing has become a source of discipline for formulating our thoughts, an open expression of our insights, and an explanation of understanding conventions – in other words, for developing our position. Like those before us, we enjoy the poetic and atmospheric potential of words, and the subjectivity of this exercise has undoubtedly contributed to the way we think about architecture and how we create it. Writing, akin to drawing and conversation, supports our collaborative and creative work, providing a tangible reference point for conveying shared intentions.



Space 4: Spatial Plan


In sketching plans, we are interested in their accuracy, spatial logic, and the way walls connect. However, we have long recognized that what matters most is the quality of the interior spaces rather than a discipline dictated by reasons that can only be gleaned from the plans. Thus, we do not rely on plans as the sole means of creating the interior of a project. We often construct large-scale models that convey the degrees of deviation from more abstract concepts. This fact reminds us that many of the buildings we like most were not realized according to the plan, and it challenges us to adopt a tolerant approach. Such tolerance, however, should not be confused with a lack of discipline: it is the acknowledgment of the necessary interaction between conceptual precision and the kind of atmosphere that makes us feel at home.




In relation to the role of reference in architecture, there is a kind of reticence. Even where questions of image and everydayness arise, reference is often relegated to abstract models and materials. For us, reference is not only a significant and useful tool, but also an essential framework for placing our work. When collaborating with others, we find it valuable to refer to existing or previous cases. Reference encompasses a landscape of personal and collective memories, associations, and emotions. As we recognize that our work is a contribution to an already existing and evolving culture of architecture, it seems necessary to familiarize ourselves with the work of previous generations and to acknowledge the city and the spaces around us that existed before us and will outlive us. Rather than being driven by the need to create something new for the sake of it or to work in isolation from the creation of the past, we strive to interpret existing forms with a contemporary approach.