Architectural Vogue

We are pleased to announce we are now featured on Architectural Vogue. To check out our latest article click here.

Sustainable Energy Partnership

Stratford Energy Solutions Announces Exciting New Partnership with JAB Design ( Leading UK Architect Business)

We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with JAB Design, a leading architecture firm in the Midlands specializing in both residential and commercial projects. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in enhancing the integration of solar and battery solutions within modern, aesthetically designed buildings across the region.

A Partnership Rooted in Excellence and Innovation

At Stratford Energy Solutions, we take immense pride in the design and functionality of our solar and battery installations. Every project is handled with precision by our expert team of designers, who are extensively trained to ensure that every installation not only operates efficiently but also blends seamlessly into the architectural aesthetic of the property.

“Our commitment to form and function is what makes this partnership with JAB Design Architects such a perfect fit. Like us, JAB Design is dedicated to delivering cutting-edge solutions that meet the unique needs of their clients. Their innovative approach to architecture aligns with our philosophy of providing high-performance, beautiful solar installations that enhance the overall experience of home and business owners.” – Jonathan Watt, Director of Stratford Energy Solutions.

Extending Value with Extensionhub.co.uk

What makes JAB Design even more unique is their ExtensionHub platform—a powerful tool that provides homeowners and businesses with greater transparency and structure throughout the build process. This platform offers clients clear insights and a streamlined process, ensuring that projects are managed efficiently and with minimal disruption.

Through this partnership, our clients will benefit from Extension Hub, gaining access to a more organized and transparent experience when incorporating solar and battery solutions into new builds, extensions, or renovations.

Serving Like-Minded Clients

Both Stratford Energy Solutions and JAB Design share a commitment to delivering innovative, sustainable solutions for our clients. We know that today’s homeowners and businesses are not only looking for functional and cost-effective energy solutions but also design-led projects that reflect their vision.

Our combined expertise in solar design and architecture will provide clients with integrated, aesthetically pleasing solar and battery systems that align with the architectural goals of their projects. Together, we aim to make renewable energy not just a practical choice but a design statement.

Looking Ahead

As the demand for renewable energy grows, we are excited about the potential of this partnership to offer even more comprehensive services to our clients. By working with JAB Design Architects, we are bringing together the best of both worlds—sustainable energy and architectural excellence—to ensure that the transition to solar power is as seamless, stylish, and as functional as possible.

The team across JAB Design and Stratford Energy look forward to collaborating to create projects that not only stand out but also contribute to a greener, more sustainable future.

For more information on how this partnership can benefit your next project, visit our www.extensionhub.co.uk

or reach out to us at Stratford Energy Solutions https://www.stratfordenergy.co.uk/.

What is the 45 degree rule and why is it important?

If you are considering building an extension to your home or making other alterations to your property, you might have come across something called the 45 degree rule.

This is vitally important, particularly when it comes to planning permission.

When taking on new projects, particularly single storey extensions, we often get asked that the 45 degree rule is.

So, in this blog, we’re going to go over the 45 degree rule and outline how it can impact your ideas for home improvement.

What is the 45 degree rule?

Basically, the 45 degree rule relates to how a planned development, such as an extension or new build, will impact sunlight and daylight on neighbouring properties (known as the ‘right to light’).

There are two ways this can be measured, horizontally and vertically and it should be an essential part of any structural drawings and calculations.

It is important to note that the horizontal and vertical measurements are taken from a nearest ‘habitable room’ of the neighbouring property (for example,a  living room, bedrooms, a kitchen or even a conservatory). It doesn’t include other rooms such as utility rooms or bathrooms.

Horizontal

This is the primary way in which the 45 degree rule is applied.

Once you have your drawing for your proposed extension or development, a line is drawn from the nearest window of your neighbours property. A 45 degree angle is added, so if your planned extension falls outside this line, it shouldn’t impact your plans.

Vertical

The 45 degree rule also applies vertically.

This mainly applies to two storey extensions but the basis is still the same. An imaginary 45 degree line is drawn from the nearest habitable room of a neighbouring property to check if your proposed extension will impact daylight and sunlight.

Can the 45 degree rule impact planning permission?

Planning applications and applying for planning permission can be a pain, but it is an important step in ensuring your alterations are legal and compliant.

Your planning application will usually be rejected if it does fall foul of the 45 degree rule, so it is best to ensure that this is considered by an experienced architect first, to avoid any issues down the line.

What about permitted development?

Certain extensions and property alterations don’t require planning permission; however, the 45 degree rule still applies.

If you go ahead and build your project which then impacts on the daylight getting into a neighbouring property, you could face legal action. Even though you might be able to build under permitted development rights, that doesn't mean that the 45 degree rule shouldn’t be considered.

Getting the right advice

Planning, designing, and building an extension to your home can be a minefield.

This is why it is important to get expert advice and help, especially around things such as planning permission and ensuring any proposed plans are compliant with the 45 degree rule.

Get in touch with our team to find out how we can help your proposed development go as smoothly as possible.

Why Lighting is a Vital Factor in Designing a Home

Lighting is often something that gets overlooked by homeowners when they are creating their dream home.

Whether you are focusing on a new kitchen, an extension, or a completely new build, factoring in lighting will have a vital impact on the whole project.

In this blog, we want to highlight how lighting will affect your home renovation project and why we also treat this as an essential part of the design process.

Why is lighting so important?

There are two ways lighting can influence a room: functionality and from a purely aesthetic perspective.

Functionality

One of the first things we explore when taking on a new project is what the space will be used for and how lighting can provide the best functionality for your home.

This is particularly important in certain rooms such as kitchens to ensure that you have adequate light to prepare meals, eat, or even provide a clear view inside your cupboards. While we can usually bring in a lot of natural light combined with artificial lighting to these types of rooms to strike a harmonious balance, other parts of your home can be trickier.

For example, hallways often need creative artificial lighting as they often don't have the same natural light coming in.

So, lighting, whether it is natural light or artificial light, is vital to provide the most functionality throughout your home.

Aesthetics

Aesthetics and how your room looks are other aspects where carefully planned lighting solutions can help.

Creating depth and making spaces look bigger than they are (especially in smaller rooms) can help bring your home to life. We can use artificial lighting to turn attention to focal points throughout your house or to make smaller spaces appear larger with more depth.

This can help create warmth and a homely feel and highlight sections of your room that would otherwise be ignored.

Why we use Relux

So, considering how important lighting is to an interior design and architectural project, how do we achieve the goals of our clients?

Relux is an application that works wonders to simulate artificial light and daylight. It allows us to visualize and plan lighting solutions for your project while it also lets us find the best lighting technology to enable you to get the best out of your plans.

We use this to ensure that your architectural designs are brought to life through a visual representation of how lighting will impact your home. Essentially, you can see our lighting solutions' influence on your room before any practical work is carried out.

How we can help

At JAB designs, we take lighting seriously, whether it is bringing in natural light or using creative artificial lighting.

We know how much it can impact the final look, feel, and functionality of every room.

We can help you create the best lighting solutions to make the most of your space through Relux and 3D visualisations.

Get in touch today to find out how we can bring your ideas to life.

Architectural Trends

Architecture is an evolving industry with new ideas, concepts, and visions being implemented across homes and commercial buildings.

At JAB Design, we constantly keep on top of new architectural trends that we propose and bring into our various projects. The dynamic nature of this industry means that a trend that was popular just a couple of years ago, might not be today. So, we need to remain clued in to these new trends and incorporate them into the plans and eventual finished buildings or extensions for our clients.

We have compiled a list of the top 5 trends you will see in UK architecture over the next few years.

Sustainability

Creating sustainable buildings isn’t a new trend and there has been a big push in the architectural world to achieve eco-friendly construction particularly since 2016. Sustainable and environmental architecture flows through the whole process from planning, sourcing materials, building, and also disposal of waste.

We see this as a very positive development and we hope that it continues to grow and become a dominant architectural trend in the future.

Botanical

Whether or not this is a hangover from the height of the pandemic when our ability to enjoy the great outdoors was restricted, but botanical designs are very much in.

We have noticed a trend of ‘bringing the outside inside’ with an emphasis on botanical motifs designed to help bring buildings closer to nature. Things such as floral patterns and natural materials are being used a lot more in home design and helps to create a lighter and more open feel to spaces at home.

Curves

Curves were a big design feature back in the 1970s and architects are starting to embrace this design again.

Curvatures throughout a building help give the impression of ‘flow’ and we feel they also promote a softer style. A curve interior design also helps to open up space and the straight line architecture is starting to be replaced with curved walls

Upside-down layouts 

Bringing more natural light into rooms that potentially otherwise suffer from its absence has brought many architects to design homes with an upside-down layout.

Having kitchens and living rooms upstairs and implementing skylights into these spaces helps create an open feel. This design with bedrooms located on the lower levels, can bring a calmer nature with less light ensuring a more relaxed and peaceful environment.  

Virtual Reality

The use of virtual reality is exploding across the UK architectural industry and it opens the doors for a range of possibilities.

 We are a big proponent of using virtual reality and 3D visualisations in our projects.Through this technology, we can present our design plans to our clients in an immersive way we find it particularly invaluable for demonstrating the movement of light throughout the day.

If some architects aren’t utilising the power of VR yet, they certainly will going forward as this trend gets more and more popular.