Being a small practice allows us to quickly adapt to the needs of each project.
Born in three different countries, each with a different design background, we all have an experience shared between practice and university teaching. Our skills complement and enrich each other, allowing us to responsively explore creative solutions with you. With a strong background in research and education, we make sure that the design process remains transparent to yourself, your collaborators and your community, helping all the actors of the project to get involved and participate in the creative thinking process.
Alina Hughes
Alina hails from Bucharest, Romania, where she completed two years of her architectural training at the famous Ion Mincu school, before transferring her studies (and life) to the UK in 1991. She has experience in a wide range of architectural practice, from small scale conservation work to multi-million commercial projects. She brings a focus (based on her MA research) on getting the design ideas right and being true to them throughout the process. Recently, Alina has focussed on architectural education and research, having designed and run a new architecture degree at Nottingham Trent University. She is also president of the Nottingham and Derby Society of Architects.
At 2hD, Alina is the networking lynchpin and design director, often bringing in new work, keeping a weather eye on project development and conducting design reviews for the team.
Contact details
Phone: +44 (0)115 941 9766
Email: alina@2hd.co.uk
Tom Hughes
Tom is an all rounder, as likely to be found with his nose in a book as pounding on his house with a sledgehammer. His formative architectural experiences came during a work placement in Chile, where he discovered a deep appreciation of both the poetics and materiality of building. After finishing his architectural studies with a specialism in the reuse of existing buildings, Tom joined the in-house architectural practice at English Heritage, gaining valuable experience of design in historic environments. A PhD followed, investigating the practice and theory of designing, building, and buying houses made of steel.
At 2hD, Tom is the office Daddy, dealing with everyday practice management, job running and community engagement.
Contact details
Phone: +44 (0)115 941 9766
Email: tom@2hd.co.uk
Thibaut Devulder
Thibaut studied construction engineering in France before coming to Nottingham in 1999 to work on his PhD research on the bioclimatic design of lightweight textile architecture. When not travelling between England, Norway, Serbia and France, he’s excited by things like self-build construction, making igloos, permaculture and taking photos of shadows. He’s also a regular visiting tutor in various architecture schools, including the University of Lincoln, Nottingham Trent University and University of Nottingham.
Oh, and his name is pronounced Teebo…
At 2hD, Thibaut is chief of all things technical, from computer modelling wizardry to sheep’s wool insulation. He makes classy, user-friendly web sites and is our graphics maestro. He is also running our Norwegian branch in Oslo.
Contact details
Phone (UK): +44 (0)115 714 8426
Phone (Norway): +47 21 91 01 11
Email: thibaut@2hd.co.uk
Awards
| 2011 | World Architecture Festival Awards, shortlisted for our inflatable pavilion at the Lille Métrolole Museum of Modern Art, in France |
| 2011 | RIBA East Midlands Awards, winner in the Out of Region category, for our inflatable event space in Lille, France |
| 2011 | RIBA East Midlands Awards, shortlisted in the Special Projects category, for our Jewish Memorial in Nottingham |
| 2010 | Cardiff Bay Public Places competition, shortlisted in collaboration with Tristan Hessing, of Stand Assembly |
| 2010 | Structures on the Edge competition, shortlisted for our Stranded installation on the Lincolnshire coast |
| 2009 | RIBA East Midlands Awards, Highly Commended for our design of a Studio for an artist in Wickham Market, Suffolk |
| 2008 | Business in the Community Award from the Sneinton Business Forum for our long-term community involvement in Sneinton |
| 2001 | Great East Midlands Landmark competition, winner for our design of the Sky Vault landmark |
Legal information about 2hD
2hD is a limited liability company registered in England and Wales with the UK Companies House since 2003 (Nº 04964870). We are registered with the UK Architecture Registration Board. Our main office is located in Nottingham, UK.
2hD also has a branch established in Oslo, Norway, registered with the Norwegian Company Register since 2011 (Nº NO 997 447 727).
In France, we have also practiced as architects as registered members of the Conseil Régional de l’Ordre des Architectes d’Aquitaine.
We are member of the Association for Environment Conscious Building, a UK-based professional network for the promotion of sustainability in architecture and the construction industry.
Promoting good practice and accessibility in web design, we are also a member of the UK Web Design Association.
2hD in the press
We have got quite an extensive cover of our projects in the international press.
See some of the recent ones on our Workshop blog…
Our academic publications
We have published a large number of articles and academic papers that relate to our practice and research specialisms. Have a look at a list of our publications