Thomas Halden
Founding partner, London
Trained in Glasgow and Basel. Leads the London studio and the public work, and still draws every first sketch by hand.
Studio
Thirty-one architects in two rooms: one in East London, one in east Lisbon. Same hour, same table, same way of working.
How we work
A building should be understood with the hands before it is drawn on a screen.
- Site first
We spend days on site before we draw: sun, wind, sound, the neighbours, what grows there.
- Models, not renders
Clients see card and timber models at every stage. Renders come last, if at all.
- Fewer materials
Three or four per building, used honestly, chosen for how they will look in fifty years.
Partners
Elena Varga
Founding partner, London and Lisbon
Born in Budapest, trained at the AA. Moves between the two studios and leads the houses, from Suffolk to the Alentejo.
Rui Sampaio
Partner, Lisbon
Joined in 2014, partner since 2019. Runs the Lisbon studio and its reuse projects, starting with Marvila.
Awards and press
- 2025Shortlisted, Mies van der Rohe AwardMarvila Studios
- 2024RIBA National AwardWharf Road Library
- 2024The Architectural Review, featureCasa Alvito
- 2023Civic Trust AwardWharf Road Library
- 2023Wallpaper*, house of the monthKiln House
- 2022RIBA East AwardKiln House
- 2020Prémio Valmor, honourable mentionCasa do Largo, Lisbon
Work with us
studio@haldenvarga.comSame hour, two cities
London and Lisbon share a time zone. It is now in both studios.