SPACE April 2025 (No. 689)
Roof structure and skylights
LLDS (co-principals, David Leggett, Paul Loh) is a studio that explores sustainable architecture by combining digital fabrication technologies with a handcrafted sensibility. In contrast to the often monotonous appearance of passive houses, Northcote House, designed by LLDS, boldly communicates an expressive form. This striking visual identity was fabricated and constructed in-house, using the studio’s own techniques. For LLDS, fabrication is an extension of design, allowing them to realise unconventional forms beyond standard production specifications without compromise, leveraging expertise gained through experimental prototyping. In this interview, David Leggett and Paul Loh discussed their vision for architectural sustainability and technological innovation, with a focus on Northcote House.
Front view of Northcote House
Mouth-blown glass
Lee Sowoon (Lee): LLDS is a team uniquely composed of architects, designers, researchers, and makers. It also has an in-house manufacturing facility. What brought about this fusion of project partners?
Paul Loh (Loh): The composition of our office is a reaction to conditions encountered in our present-day construction industry, where the practice of architecture is bound to the drawing board and rarely includes advanced manufacturing knowledge and research in design strategy. When we started the practice, we set up a workshop with a CNC router and industrial robotic arm alongside the studio. This allowed us to create prototypes in partnership with our design process, devising highly crafted architectural components. We use the prototyping process to simulate construction sequences to understand the process so we can adjust them to work for our design. Because of these needs, our team has built up a broad knowledge of digital fabrication, material understanding and experimentation...
