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about us
Squirrels Architecture is a RIBA Chartered Architecture Practice and environmental consultancy rooted in regenerative design principles. Established in 2019 in Exmoor National Park, we support the transition to zero carbon by providing creative, resilient architectural solutions for new builds, extensions, retrofits, conversions, and listed buildings across the South West. Uniquely, we also offer permaculture consultancy to individuals, businesses, schools, and communities, integrating holistic sustainability into every project we take on.
That same range is why Exmoor National Park Authority came to us to independently review the sustainability chapter of its own Design Guide, benchmarking it against standards including the Living Building Challenge, BREEAM, Passivhaus and Net Zero Carbon.
Founded by Chartered Architect and certified Passivhaus Designer Cerys Dehaini, we began as a one-person studio and have since grown into a team of talented architects and designers led by Cerys and supported by Practice Manager Emma French. We are based at Higher Barn Farm, Roadwater alongside our sister organisation, With the Wild CIC. We bring rigour, care and joy to all of our projects - for our clients, our community, and for our team.
Welcome & Our Story
Cerys Dehaini
Founder, Lead Architect & Director
RIBA Chartered Architect, BA(Hons), RIBADipArch, ARB, Certified Passivhaus Designer
Cerys leads the practice with a clear mission: to embed sustainability into the entire architectural process, from the first sketch to the day you move in. She brings extensive experience in low-energy design, with a proven track record delivering complex deep retrofits and innovative new builds across the South West. Beyond the studio, she is also a director of With the Wild CIC. Outside work, she enjoys nourishing food and time on the farm with her family.
Emma French
Practice Manager
BA Classics
Emma oversees the smooth running of the Squirrels studio. Joining in 2024, her background in operations, team leadership, and project management is integral to how the practice functions day to day. She also serves as Executive Assistant at With the Wild CIC. Outside the office, she enjoys cold water swimming and exploring the South West with her family.
Adam Kent
Chartered Architect
BA(Hons), DipArch, DipCons, ARB, RIBA
Adam brings extensive experience delivering new build homes and sensitive renovations to listed buildings across the South West. Joining Squirrels in 2025, his work centres on celebrating space and views while championing a fabric-first approach to low-energy design. Outside work, Adam enjoys exploring Exmoor with his family, surfing, and applying his knowledge to his own home retrofit.
Sam Parker-Gill
Chartered Architect
BA(Hons), MArch, ARB, RIBA
Originally from the Midlands, Sam brings over ten years of diverse experience to Squirrels, joining in 2025. What drew him to Somerset was a deep affinity for the architectural 'hinterlands' - the opportunity to create buildings that truly belong to their rural landscape and community. Outside the studio, he is a committed member of the Minehead RNLI Lifeboat Crew.
Twearly Peaster
Part II Architectural Assistant
BSc(Hons), MArch
Twearly has a keen interest in hyper-local and sustainable materials and how these processes can contribute to the retrofit of existing buildings. She enjoys getting stuck into a technical design package or exploring possibilities through hand drawing and 3d modelling. Living on the Quantocks, she spends her time with her family, sewing, printmaking, and growing vegetables.
Our diverse team combines architectural expertise with a passion for environmental consultancy.
Meet the Team
What sets Squirrels Architecture apart is our commitment to a holistic, values-led approach. We uniquely combine our RIBA-chartered practice with permaculture consultancy, ensuring every project is regenerative by design, technically rigorous, deeply rooted in the South West, and delivered through a collaborative journey that connects sustainable building with thriving communities.
Our Offer
An Integrated Approach
We combine our RIBA Chartered Architecture Practice with our permaculture consultancy as a single service, so your building and its landscape are designed as one holistic system from day one.
Regenerative by Design
Every project is designed to leave its site, its community, and its climate impact measurably better than before.
Technical Rigour
With a certified Passivhaus Designer on the team, we are comfortable working across Living Building Challenge, BREEAM, Passivhaus, WELL and Net Zero Carbon frameworks, we bring technical depth to every project, regardless of whether formal certification is the goal.
Rooted in the South West
We know this place - its landscapes, its planning authorities, and its traditions - and we specialise in listed buildings, barns and rural sites across Somerset, Devon and the wider South West that require a sympathetic hand. We have strong relationships with a range of trusted consultants and contractors to ensure we can put together the most appropriate team to deliver your project.
A Community Dimension
Our link with With the Wild CIC connects our architecture to real land stewardship, education and food production, not just a sustainability statement.
A Collaborative, Low-Stress Journey
From the initial meeting to the handover, you work directly with Cerys and a small, consistent team, and always know what's happening, so the experience is as rewarding as the result.
Build a career with a great sense of purpose in a creative work place that really cares.
Careers
Squirrels Architecture has grown from a one-person studio into a close-knit team of five, and we are looking for people who want to be part of what comes next. We are always glad to hear from architects, designers, and permaculture specialists. If you want your working life to be genuinely aligned with your values - spent on projects that restore landscapes, support communities, and push regenerative design further - we would love to hear from you.
We are based at Higher Barn Farm on the edge of Exmoor National Park. It's stunning! We work alongside our sister organisation, With the Wild CIC, in a setting that shapes how we think as much as what we design. Whether you are a Chartered Architect with Passivhaus experience, an Assistant keen to learn, or bring skills in permaculture and agroecology, we value curiosity, technical rigour and a genuine care for the people and places we work.
You'll get real involvement from the first project sketch to the post-occupancy review and exposure to the full range of what we do: new builds; retrofits; heritage buildings, and community spaces. We have a culture that takes flexibility, wellbeing, and continued learning seriously. Our forthcoming studio, The Hive, will itself be a live demonstration of the Passivhaus principles we champion, and its location within a community focused organic market garden is a daily reminder of why we do this work.
Genuine variety - Work across retrofit, new build, heritage, and community projects rather than a single specialism.
Room to grow - Support towards Passivhaus, CarbonLite Retrofit, or conservation accreditation where it fits your path.
A rural studio - Based at Higher Barn Farm in Exmoor National Park, with the culture and technology of a modern practice.
Embedded values - A practice built on Regenerative Design, not a sustainability statement bolted on afterwards.
Current Openings
We are always glad to hear from people whose skills and values align with ours. Please send your CV and a short note about why Squirrels appeals to you to info@squirrelsarchitecture.co.uk.
