How long have you been in the UK?

Beatriz Blanco: Not that long, about 8 months.

Caridad Muro: Same for me.

Back in Spain you’d graduated and worked as architects?

BB: We did everything connected with architecture, for example: projects, drawings, sketches and so on. I worked for a construction company and Caridad worked for a design company. I’d say we’re not lacking in experience.

CM: The things we were dealing with started with urban projects,, then the building and internal design.

BB: Generally speaking architecture is made of all of those elements. In Britain our projects are a bit smaller. For the time being we’re dealing with some small buildings. We are offering general refurbishment, rear and side conversions, loft extensions, interior design, planning permission, etc.

Why did you decide to come here?

BB: Nowadays the economic?  Situation in Spain is rather rough. I think that here in the UK the possibilities are much better.  Learning English is also important to us.

CM: Working abroad, meeting new people, and making contacts are not to be underestimated. By doing this the world will be open to us and that creates further possibilities.

BB: London is a city of incredible possibilities and I think that was the reason we came here.

Do you like the architecture of London?

BB: Of course! London’s great!

CM: I second that.

BB: In Spain we have a very interesting and old buildings but they are generally in disrepair or ruined. Instead of repairing them they are demolished. In London those buildings are maintained and repaired. This is very important as those buildings are part of the cultural heritage.

CM: I agree 100%. I also like the big and high buildings in London. The whole urban organisation works very well here.

Personally I am not impressed with buildings in suburbs or some boroughs in London. Everything looks the same and it is so easy to get lost.

BB: That’s true but nevertheless compared with other European cities London still looks great.
What do you do?

BB: Generally speaking we do everything: we project, we vet, and we design and do the project work. We give a few options to our clients and then they pick up the one they are interested in. We draw plans, 3D drawings. In a word – everything. As I have said, we have a lot of experience from Spain.

Do you also have knowledge of some technical software?

BB: Sure. AutoCad, Photoshop, Corel etc. We know how to use those programs.

However – I realize that this might sound a little naive – what brought you to gloomy London, considering that you lived in one of the sunniest places in Europe?

BB: The chances to develop our work. Apart from that it is spring now and the weather’s not so bad. We are still learning and picking up experience. We know our job and me and Caridad are a good team so I think we can develop in a place like London. And we can be competitive.

CM: We just love our job.

Interview by:
Artur Wielgus