Atlas was founded in 2011 by Ellen Marsh and Tom Aveling, two years after they had both left larger offices and decided they would rather do fewer projects properly. The first was a village hall roof. The second was the same hall's floor, four years later, once the money arrived.
That pace has not really changed. We take on around four projects a year and stay on each until it is finished, which means we turn down more than we accept. It also means that when a client rings three years after completion about a leaking gutter, the person who answers is the person who drew it.
The practice is nine people now, in a converted grain store outside Frome and a small room in Bermondsey. We draw by hand at the start and in three dimensions later, and we still build models out of grey card because they are quicker to argue with than a screen.
The people
Who you will actually be working with.
We share the work rather than dividing it. Ellen leads on the civic projects and the research strand; Tom on housing and the interiors. Both of us are on site every week, which is the part of the job neither of us is willing to delegate.
- Ellen Marsh Director — civic, research
- Tom Aveling Director — housing, interiors
- Studio Nine people
- Accreditation ARB, RIBA Chartered Practice
A short history
Fifteen years, abbreviated.
2011
Founded
Ellen Marsh and Tom Aveling start the practice above a bakery in Frome, with one commission for a village hall roof.
2016
First civic building
The Stapleton Rooms complete — a parish hall that remains the practice's most-used building.
2019
The grain store
The studio moves into a converted grain store, which becomes both office and testing ground for reused material.
2023
Ground Study begins
A self-funded survey of stone, brick and lime within thirty miles of the studio, now in its third year.
2025
London room
A second small studio opens in Bermondsey to keep the housing work close to its sites.
2024 RIBA South West Award — The Long Room
2023 Civic Trust commendation — Weir Lane Archive
2022 Wood Awards, shortlist — Cloister Passage
2021 Stephen Lawrence Prize, longlist — Stair for a Narrow House
2019 AJ Small Projects, shortlist — Bakery Steps