As part of several projects commissioned by award winning architects, SRA Architects, this summer I was asked to photograph one of their largest and newly opened estates – Phase 3, Silverstone. On an estate of nearly 17 acres, the project includes four separate buildings raging in sizes and uses from R&D, light & general industrial, storage and distribution.

As all the buildings are now fully let and before the owners and tenants began using the site, I was asked to photograph the exterior of the buildings and wider estate. My brief was to show the design incorporated into the architectural language of the wider estate with a clear, crisp palette of simple, well detailed materials and colours. Throughout the shoot I kept the architects key message of, ‘Both uncomplicated and contemporary in appearance, the mixture of cladding materials and feature red motifs gives dynamism and focus to the principal entrances establishing a dialogue between the buildings which have been designed to be open-plan and flexible for a variety of tenant needs’ – at the forefront of my mind and whilst framing each image.

In the lead up to this shoot I was continually ‘weather watching’ to pick the correct day, with blue skies, small clouds and importantly – dry. However…. This is England…. I was quickly reminded of! After the first few hours of the shoot, I had to take cover in my car for an early lunchbreak whilst the unplanned rain shower passed. Once the skies cleared again, I was rewarded with bright green grass and the bonus of gloss black fresh tarmac to ensure vibrant, contrasty images – ‘every cloud’ I hear myself say!

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