Architecture by Hand: Inspired by Natural and Organic Materials

Spencer Fung is never without a sketchbook or a pencil. Inspiration and ideas can strike at any moment, and often the smallest thing that catches his eye impels him to capture it on paper. Whether it is designing private houses, restaurants, hotels, furniture or lighting, he starts by hand, creating miniature works of art, which he then develops into scale perspective drawings, exploring space, structure and detail. His designs have always drawn their inspiration from nature and the environment, from the rugged mountains of the Pyrenees to the quiet meadows of a country farm; from the beams of a medieval tythe barn to the patterns of a drystone wall. Passionately committed to the organic recycling of natural materials, the book is structured into chapters on wood, stone, metal, glass and organic materials in which over 40 of his projects are showcased. Spencer prefers to commission small artisanal firms who have retained a high degree of skill, as a result many dying and forgotten crafts have been revitalized new forms - the use of drystone walling inside a bathroom, or coppiced ash branches being used as a hanging rail for clothes - are examples that are not just deeply inspiring but sympathetic to the environment as well. This book will appeal to anyone interested in design, recycling, upcycling, the environment, organic and mindful living but in a style conscious and glamorous way.

Spencer Fung was born and brought up in Hong Kong where he began his technical training, before moving to the UK to complete an architecture degree at Cambridge followed by the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. He is best known for his successful collaboration with the Daylesford Group, an organic retail group that encompasses farm shops, restaurants, hotels, spas and with the Bamford clothing brand, for which he designed the retail outlets.