Meet Architect – Lindsay Mattinson

Lindsay has lived and worked on the Island for the past fifteen years having previously been in London as Design Director for a practice specialising in large commercial buildings for blue chip companies all over the world. A native Zimbabwean, she studied architecture in Cape Town before beginning her career in South East Asia.

‘I went straight from university in Cape Town to Kuala Lumpur during the early 90’s building boom to a large local commercial practice and was thrown in at the deep end. My first project was lead architect designing thirteen theatres for the University Malaysia Sabah in Kota Kinabalu. It was a big ask of someone straight out of university, but I think it made me what I am today: no architectural challenge is insurmountable if I set my mind to it.’

Here on the Isle of Wight the practice gets involved in feasibility studies and master planning which are popular given the buoyant property market, concentrating on commercial developments and reimagining facilities for charities or helping those looking to develop a parcel of land. A good portion of our work is remodelling and extending to create modern contemporary lifestyle homes out of historic listed buildings or dated and unimaginative buildings. Bespoke ‘show stopping’ new builds have become popular commissions affording us the opportunity to create some really special buildings in amazing locations.

We are all about good design and making sure the architecture is relative to its context while pushing the boundaries of creativity to create unique pieces of architecture. Our clients often say we ‘magically create what they don’t yet know they need and can’t articulate’.

With large increases in build prices and the race to carbon zero living, we at the practice feel there needs to be a shift towards using more existing building stock in new and imaginative ways. Emphasis on place making, creating healthy spaces people want to use and linking buildings together with wonderful green spaces to achieve an overall built environment that champions wellness is the only way forward.

Adopting the Government Design Code is not necessarily enough, success will only come through an inherent understanding of what good design is, the creation of an aesthetically pleasing, socially aware and psychologically uplifting environment and how we can do that best.

We successfully run the Young Designer’s Award which addresses grass roots education of good design and its impact on the built environment. Currently I am busy working on a new design review panel with the Local Planning Authority to facilitate making good design decisions for the Island so that we see a better built environment for everybody.