Charlotte Skene Catling

Spear’s Review

Charlotte Skene Catling of Skene Catling de la Peña calls her unique approach ‘geoarchaeology’, whereby she seeks to excavate meaning from context to develop architectural designs. 

This method sees her taking observations of the composition of the earth, historical artefacts and the cultural landscapes of her commissions, which she uses to respond to her client’s wishes in an original way. For example, on housing projects, she questions the ‘underlying assumptions about the way groups live together’.

Projects include Flint House in Waddesdon, built for the Rothschild family, who have owned the land for over a century. ‘Extruded’ from the flint and chalk landscape synonymous with Dover’s cliffs, and with the appearance of a natural geological form, the building won RIBA’s House of the Year 2015.