New work published — the Hollis Residence, photographed in full.

The practice

An independent studio for homes, workplaces and small cultural buildings.

SWP Architecture is an independent studio for homes, workplaces and small cultural buildings. We draw in plan and think in daylight, testing every room against the hour it will be used most.

Plain building corner with afternoon shadow across the render

Nine people, one drawing board

The studio has stayed small on purpose. Everyone here draws, everyone visits site, and the person who takes your first call is on the project until the keys change hands.

We work in a converted printworks off Maplewood Lane, with the model shop in the back room and a material library you are welcome to come and handle before deciding anything.

Founded
2016, Springfield, Illinois
Registration
Licensed in Illinois and Missouri
Typical budget
$180,000 to $2.4 million
Working radius
Three hours from the studio door

64

Projects completed since the studio opened in 2016

9

People in the studio, all working on drawings

18

Months, the average length of a house project

41%

Of new work comes from past clients and their neighbours

How a project runs

Four stages, each ending in something you can hold: a document, a drawing set, a finished room. You approve one before the next begins.

  1. 1

    Listen and measure

    Two visits, a measured survey, and an honest read on what the site and the budget will allow.

  2. 2

    Draw options

    Three plans at the same scale, costed roughly, so the trade-offs are visible before anything is fixed.

  3. 3

    Detail and permit

    Full drawings, specifications and the planning or permit submission, with consultants coordinated by us.

  4. 4

    Build and hand over

    Site visits at agreed intervals, a snag list you can read, and the maintenance folder at the end.

One letter, four times a year

A finished project, a detail that went wrong and what we did about it, and whatever the model shop is busy with. No sales, and you can leave in one click.