Michaelis Boyd Associates

Michaelis Boyd is a design-led architecture practice that has earned a reputation for simple, elegant architecture with a creative approach and an emphasis on sustainable and environmentally-sound building techniques.

Founded by Alex Michaelis and Tim Boyd in Notting Hill, London in 1995, the practice began with a primary focus on the luxury residential sector where they gained a strong reputation not only for contemporary additions to historic houses, but also new build residential projects.

Michaelis Boyd’s portfolio encompasses projects ranging from residential new build and renovation, to hotels, luxury private members’ clubs, restaurants and bars, for clients in the UK and around the world. Projects include Sandibe, a sustainable safari lodge in the Okavango Delta in northwest Botswana, the interiors for Battersea Power Station’s new residences, which will be completed in 2018, the iconic Groucho Club in London, El Pastor - a taqueria in London’s Borough Market, the Williamsburg Hotel in Brooklyn, New York, Soho Farmhouse, Oxfordshire and the Kimpton De Witt Hotel in Amsterdam. Upcoming projects include five new residences at the prestigious Sugar Beach Resort in St Lucia, a reimagining of the Goldeneye Resort in Oracabessa, Jamaica. In London, Michaelis Boyd are currently working on the design of Sabor, a new Spanish restaurant for chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho and have recently completed an outpost of the Michelin-starred Hong Kong restaurant Duddell’s.

Biography
Simon Haycock
Simon graduated from Nottingham University and the Bartlett, where he was nominated for the RIBA Presidents Silver Medal. He has worked with Alex and Tim for 16 years, and has been instrumental in the growth of the practice. As a partner he is involved in all areas of the studio and brings a critical approach, with a strong focus on project and design delivery.

Simon has led many projects in the UK and internationally, and is currently working on a project for Le Meridien Etoile hotel in Paris for Starwood Hotels, Battersea Power Station with Alex and Tim, the expansion of the Byron restaurant chain across the UK, and the design of Brewdog bars. His expertise in commercial projects has formed a fluid and thorough approach, enabling the practice to meet complex time and budget restrictions.

Simon has successfully completed a wide range of luxury and complex residential commissions within and outside London, including listed country houses in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Simon has a keen interest in architectural photography. This has given him a clarity and critical perspective on Michaelis Boyd’s design aesthetic, and the development of much of the practice’s project portfolio.

Tim Boyd, MA RCA
Tim studied architecture at the Royal College of Art and worked at a number of architecture and design practices including the Conran Design Group, John Miller and Partners, and Richard Rogers and Partners, until setting up Michaelis Boyd Associates with Alex in 1995. He is currently working with Alex on a major project for Battersea Power Station’s residential interiors. Michaelis Boyd were chosen as the interior architects for 254 luxury apartments, which will include more than 100 different types of apartment that will highlight the original features that make up the iconic London building.

Tim is also working on a new build residential project in Notting Hill, new international restaurants for acclaimed chef Tom Aikens, new hotels in Paris and Amsterdam, a new build residential tower in central London, as well as a £12m new build complex in central London. Tim has led many commercial and residential projects and has expertise with listed, period and character properties for private residential clients, including architecturally important buildings such as Kingham House in Oxfordshire, and Elm Park Road in London.

Tim and Alex led a politically sensitive scheme to design a residential home for Gurkha pensioners living in isolated communities in Nepal. The project presented a unique opportunity to donate time and expertise to help Gurkhas live their lives with pride and dignity. Both Tim and Alex have a personal interest in furniture design and manufacture, and this has led to Michaelis Boyd developing a bespoke approach to furniture design and selection for clients. In 2012 Michaelis Boyd launched the studio’s first furniture collection at Milan’s Salone.

Alex Michaelis, ARB RIBA
Alex Michaelis and Tim Boyd set up Michaelis Boyd Associates in Notting Hill, London in 1995. Born in Paris, Alex studied architecture at the Architectural Association and Oxford Polytechnic. He joined Solar Energy Developments in London and Gilles Bouchez et Associes in Paris before meeting Tim Boyd at John Miller and Partners where he was working on a new faculty building for the Royal College of Art.

Alex is currently working on their latest commission, Battersea Power Station, and has led significant commercial projects for the Soho House Group, including Soho House Berlin and Pizza East in London, and he has been instrumental in developing Soho Farmhouse, a new concept in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside, with 30 new build cabins and the restoration of listed farmhouse structures, which will open in July 2015. He is currently leading a number of high-­end retreats in Kenya and Botswana, as well as the new Williamsburg Hotel in New York, a residential project in South Africa, and Pizza Marzano in Shanghai. He is also working on a new build house overlooking the Dead Sea and Jerusalem in Jordan.

A chartered member of the RIBA, Alex is a champion of sustainable architecture, having worked with Solar Energy Developments and later becoming a founding member of the Energy Island group. He has lectured on green design in the UK and internationally including at the Green Aruba conference 2012. Alex is currently building his new family home in West London on the site of an old MOT Centre. The design has striking curved brick walls and it allows light to flow around the landlocked site. The house will be ready later this year.