Hello,
My name is Dominic, and after many years of studying architecture I began to feel further away from my original vision of the industry. I wanted to help design sustainable projects; work that meant something to the client and had a positive impact on those around them.
I had trained for so long in design, yet I found myself doing less and less of it each day.
This is where I took a leap of faith and founded Dorset Maker Studio, based around my love of design and artistry. I hadn’t given up my love of architecture but I knew it could be expanded to include more than just buildings. It wasn’t till I got married and designed items for my own wedding that I felt a new sense of happiness in design. I love miniature painting and 3d printing so I started to pull all my skills together to form my own practice. In a time that could use some colour and creative thinking. Life is too serious so why should design be?
What we Stands for & why:
We stand for a strong ethical approach to our design work and the understanding of our responsibility to the built environment.
Centred around family and connection we aim to help provide better engagement with our surroundings from our design philosophy and ethos. Simple but effective small scale designs that aren’t over stated or overdeveloped. Designs for weddings that aren’t wasteful but invite curiosity and meaning.
The greatest thing about being an architectural designer is the legacy we leave not as a digital item or famous quote but a real tangible item. A piece that interacts with the real world and leaves a lasting impression. Not on a large scale but in the small family moments where I believe architecture truly matters. From spaces, to wedding tables, to hobby desk.
One day I can say to my children, I made a positive impact there, you can do the same…
Experience In Architecture:
I started at the Arts university bournemouth in 2018 doing my BA (hons) degree, looking at 3d printable architecture and sustainable projects. It was handy as it landed me my first job at a local sustainable architects practice in bournemouth. This is where I gained a deeper love for good architecture design mentored by some truly great architects and colleagues.
I decided I loved architecture that much and went back for seconds and completed my masters degree in architecture. A long two year course but I found new design methods and practices that I’ve refined over the years.
My masters was yet grounded in sustainable design, in addition to this new item called AI. In 2023 chatgpt changed the academic world whilst I was writing my research paper. It was new and hadn’t reached the architecture industry yet, so I theorised about it. So far it’s going the direction i thought it would go, but slightly worse.
My final line in my research paper was ‘true architecture in the future may only be done by the few and for the few’ something I still believe in.
Long story short the industry had a little bit of a crash when I left masters which I fear it still may never recover from. So I did some freelance designing and worked in another practice learning core technical design skills but I felt like it was drifting from my passions. The passions that made me a designer.
During all those years I spent my time developing my skills in graphic design, art, visual effects, 3d printing, miniature painting, sculpting, model making, website design and yes even gardening. What I didn’t know was I was laying the ground work for my own practice.
We may one day house our robotic beings, that we created to look after us. A day were AI may belong in our landscapes as a physical embodiment of our development and direction.
Masters of Architecture thesis | Cyber Cauldrons
