ATO’s design philosophy is influenced by his initial training at Manchester School of Architecture (then polytechnic) for which the Victorian Eclecticism was very apparent in the context of the school at Manchester.
The early work of the firm was geared towards satisfying the needs of new financial & banking institutions, for which the stylized neo-classical and post-modern were the vogue. Most of ATO Architects, later schemes have been eclectic, and largely influenced by the client’s requirements, site, materials and environmental constraints. Having said this, the firm has explored a variety of solutions to problems brought to bear by these constraints.
In tackling a range of building types our philosophy of exploiting and experimenting with materials have yielded dividends in some of our design solutions. We have exploited structural systems not readily used in the West African environment and continued to focus on developing these systems.
The firm has concluded several solutions over the years with a unique aesthetic.