In Profile:
Dewson Architects

Name: William Dewson

Company: Dewson Architects Inc.

Website: https://dewson.com/

Tell us a little about your background in design (education, experience, etc):

With his background in architecture established at the University of Illinois, Bill continues to build on his Master’s degree focused on structural engineering, building materials and construction methods. Bill has navigated rigorous environmental certification programs, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Passive House Design, to achieve an impressive list of award-winning projects. Bill founded Dewson Architects in 1996.

How would you describe your personal design style?

Reflective.  My style, and that of Dewson Architects as a whole, is reflective of our client’s style, our client’s aesthetic.  We have no predetermined design style.  We believe in drawing out our client’s essence, their vision, however well defined that may be in their own minds and designing a constructive, sustainable reality around that essence.  That is why all our projects have a distinctly different style.

Where does your design inspiration come from?

Humanity, nature, and the intersection between the two.  This Is embodied in the envelop of the building, the skin of our shelters that is the boundary between nature and humans.  At the most fundamental level, the design and construction of a building’s envelop is architecture, and it is here, where interior meets exterior, that we find technical and metaphorical inspiration.

In what direction do you feel that design is moving towards in a general sense?

Design is moving towards a symbiotic relationship between the manmade and natural world.  We are moving away from conquering and towards embracing nature.

Name five key themes to consider when approaching design in 2024 and beyond.

Symbiosis

Sustainability

Spirituality

Artificial Intelligence

Caution

If you could offer one piece of advice when it comes to design schemes, what would it be?

Once you begin to land on a design parti, reverse direction and try to tear It down.  If It holds up, then you know you have something.

How important are The International Design & Architecture Awards?

Very Important, It brings together the International design community on an annual basis to expand the generating of knowledge.

What projects are you currently working on?

Missing Middle and Multi-Unit Residential Buildings (MURBs) for rent that live for centuries.

What was your favourite project to work on and why?
Missing Middle 4-Plexes +1 (Garden Suite) within urban settings.  Designing for comfortable, affordable, and delightful residential density within our urban settings. 

What was your most challenging project to work on and why?
Making the financial proforma work for Missing Middle 4-Plexes +1 in and urban settings.

Which products/services could you not live without when designing?
Digital software and the Internet.

What are your aims and goals for the next twelve months?
Complete construction on MURBs. 

Final thoughts; tell us a little more about yourself and your daily inspirations:

Your most treasured possession?
My Family.

Your favourite holiday destination?
Irish Golf Courses

Your favourite hotel, restaurant & bar?
Chateau d’Audrieu, Normandy, France

Your favourite book, film & song?
Any biographical book or documentary film, and I’m partial to ballads.

Your favourite food and drink?
Spaghettini with homemade pasta sauce from a recipe handed down thru generations and a bottle of Valpolicella.

Your favourite way to spend an afternoon?
Skiing or golfing with my family.

If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?
Photo-Journalist

Anything else interesting?
Spent a year (1989) In east Asia traveling on a bicycle sketching, photographing, and absorbing eastern culture and architecture.