What
Founded by Liz Crisp and Vera Hale in 2008, the Cave Co-operative is a sustainable architectural practice with a social business model. Cave focus on sustainable construction techniques and design solutions that bring out the full potential of a project whilst minimising environmental impact.
Our aim is to educate and inspire through innovative and functional buildings. Creating surroundings our clients and the wider community can enjoy. Cave champion projects that involve the local community, focussed towards community build and ownership.
Enjoying a close relationship with its clients, Cave understand the importance of good communication and the sharing of ideas to create and achieve original, high quality proposals that are delivered on time and within budget.
Years of practical experience and knowledge of sustainable building techniques allow us to provide you with a professional, friendly, bespoke service. From consultancy, full design and project management with a wide range of experience in retro-fitting existing buildings to residential new build and conversions, housing development, conservation area design, strawbale buildings and city farms.
Cave is currently working on various projects worldwide ranging from a Community Garden in Haringey, an adventure playground for disabled children, an Eco-Village in Malawi, a hands-on cob barn conversion in France, retro-fitting existing UK housing stock and renovations in the UK and in Holland.
Liz Crisp
Liz Crisp studied at Kingston and North London Universities; completing her architectural studies to RIBA part III with a consistent focus on sustainable design.
She has worked for Walter and MacNamara Architects in central London, working on a wide variety of private and commercial projects from initial design stage to completion.
After completing her part II Liz became self employed and over the following 9 years she focused on working with Derek Plummer Chartered Architects on a wide variety of private residential and medium sized local development schemes.
During this time Liz regularly worked on conservation projects and listed buildings, whilst further developing her passion for sustainable design; deepening her knowledge of low-tech construction methods such as Strawbale, Cob, Car tyre construction, Lime & Clay renders and plasters and the re-use of waste material in construction. Liz is proud to be an ambassador for the internationally renowned Strawbale building company "Amazonails".
Liz has been a guest critic at the University of Essex.
Vera Hale
Vera Hale studied at the University of North London and the Technical University of Delft. She graduated from the TU Delft with honourable mention for her graduation project on the re-territorialization of disputed lands in Kosovo after the war by community interaction.
Vera has 10 years of work experience on a diverse range of projects both here in the UK and in The Netherlands, and has gained experience at all stages of design and construction on several social and sustainable schemes.
As project architect at 24h>architecture she worked on a sustainable urban-masterplan in Besancon, France in association with Aterlier Seraji. And at S333 she was project architect for the RIBA award winning Tarling Housing Development.
Vera has taught at the Technical University of Delft and has been a guest critic at the University of Essex.
