Award-winning Oxford Architects specialising in Passivhaus, Retrofit and Sustainable Design.

Joyful, sustainable and expertly tailored architecture for the modern home.

When Tom Gresford was 12, he was given a book on Fallingwater, the groundbreaking house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the late 1930's. The house cantilevers out from a steep, wooded hillside over a stream and waterfall, with glorious, expansive terraces linking the interior and the exterior of the house to the landscape around it. 

That book on Fallingwater sits on Tom's shelves still, and is an ongoing source of wonder and inspiration; a constant reminder of the power of architecture and the principles of contextuality, connection to nature, and the importance of building for the era in which we live. Today that means recognising the climate emergency, but also embracing the change that is needed and using sustainability as a force to create homes that are not only kinder to the planet but also more comfortable to inhabit, more economical to run and more joyful to live in.

Architects in Oxford, for homes across Oxfordshire

Our studio is at the Oxford Eco Centre on Osney Mead, in west Oxford. It is the base for all of our work across the county, and the place where our ideas about comfort, economy and joy are tested against real buildings.

Much of our work involves existing homes: Victorian and Edwardian terraces, post-war houses, and listed buildings in conservation areas. We know how to make them warmer, healthier and cheaper to run without losing the character that makes them worth keeping.

Whether your home falls under Oxford City Council or one of the county's district councils, we guide you through planning, conservation and building regulations, from the first sketch to the day you move in.

If you are thinking about a Passivhaus new build, an extension or a deep retrofit, we would love to hear about it. Good architecture starts with a conversation.

At Gresford Architects we take these principles to be sacrosanct, the basis for everything we do and the platform from which we launch every project.  Our commitment, passion and deep love for our work means that we take every project not as a commercial endeavour, but a deep source of pride into which we pour our experience, expertise and care to create unique and individual homes for our clients, their families and friends.

Collaboration is at the heart of what we do. We work closely with you to deliver high-performance buildings that stand the test of time. Whether you're looking to build a PassivHaus-certified home, retrofit an existing property, or embark on an ambitious Paragraph 84 project, we’ll guide you through every stage with expertise and creativity. 

Each service is designed to maximise efficiency, comfort, and environmental responsibility — because great architecture should do more than just look good, it should work beautifully too.