Ashley Taylor-Watts, director, Define Architects on the UK’s first 3D printed house, community & collective collaboration.
From Liverpool to Manhattan to Copenhagen, Ashley Taylor-Watts refers to her career, which has spanned roles in multiple countries, as taking every opportunity that comes her way.
Saying “yes”, Ashley says, has led her down unexpected avenues both before and during her current position as director at Define Architects, which she co-manages with her partner, Gavin Watts.
With this in mind, a recent project will, when complete, see the UK’s first 3D printed house for a private residential client in Yorkshire. The practice said "yes" to something that not only have they never done before, but that no other UK practice has either.
Projects like this are born out of trust – something Define prides itself on having with people throughout the sector. It’s led to award-winning spaces such as Companio Bakery in Manchester’s Norther Quarter. Competition wins, such as 'Self-build on a shoestring' through Grand Designs. And continued collaboration with practices, manufacturers and suppliers alike to do something different every time.
In the spirit of community, Ashley also has close connections with Women In Property North West, and the North West Small Practice Forum. In the chat to follow, we cover what can come out of an open attitude, and a say-yes-first approach.
To start, can we chat through your career to-date?
“My architectural career hasn't been standard, shall we say. I came out of my degree in the recession. And this had completely changed the construction and architectural landscape… there were no jobs, so you had to be quite opportunistic and inventive in the way that you got the roles that were available. I was lucky enough to find a job in Liverpool for a very small practice, which I loved, but the recession instilled something in me. I felt I needed to take more opportunities and do things differently.
“This led me to undertake a placement in New York. So rather than go back to university after one year out, I went out to New York to live for a year and work for an architecture engineering practice out there.
“After the most amazing year, I came back for my Master's, and a part two job. At this time, I was working on educational projects in really beautiful schools in London. Plus quite a few projects in the Middle East, in Doha. This all set a tone for how much I love working with people – it’s my passion.
“After a while, I felt the need to travel again. So I moved to Copenhagen for just over two-years. As with New York, I was taking opportunities to understand what I needed for my own growth. I feel that when you're in the infancy of your career, you are really shaped by the people and everything they’re doing around you. In this instance, I loved Danish design, and I really understood that in order to learn about it, the best way was to fully immerse myself in it.
“This open attitude has spurred my career to-date. It’s been about taking opportunities and going through experiences. And that’s helped shape me as both a person and a professional, I guess. My partner Gavin and I took all the principles we learnt in Copenhagen and brought them back to Manchester.”
5-years ago, you joined Define Architects - what spurred you to do that?
“Around 7-8 years’ ago, I was working on a lot of residential projects in Manchester - it was booming. I found this to be really inspiring in terms of thinking about a new way of living. Then Covid happened, and it allowed us to think about what we were doing with our lives, and what we perhaps wanted to do. Gavin had started Define Architects after we’d moved back from Copenhagen, and while some practices had to pause what they were doing during the pandemic, Define accelerated.
“A lot of what Define was doing at that time was high-end residential – a sector that grew during Covid – so as more work came in, it was natural for me to come onboard. Our plan was never to work together – we both had different passions in architecture – but we sat down, and it really made a lot of sense. So as the world took a break for refocus, we did too, re-emerging with this whole new ethos.
“Just as I’d done with New York and Copenhagen, my thought was to take this opportunity and see where it took us, and what we’d learn.”
What does your day-to-day look like?
“At Define, there are 7 of us in total including Gavin and I. As co-directors, we’re responsible for the success of the business – making sure everything runs smoothly – but that wouldn’t be possible without our incredible team. They are passionate, they’re open, and we feel very lucky to have them working with us.
“Most days consist of designing, networking and forward planning. We think design crits are critical for us as a growing practice, and we make sure everything's bulletproof going out the door. We want to make sure that everything is the best it can be - our motto is that you're only as good as your last email, you're only as good as your last drawing, it doesn't matter how big or how small the job, it's got to be right.”
“We’re really keen on making sure no one feels like an island. That they feel confident in their day-to-day, and also that they feel they’re growing as architects."
In addition to your work for Define, you’re on the committee for Women In Property North West – can you tell us about your involvement?
“I’ve been a part of Women In Property for 3-years after joining on my way back from maternity leave. It really helped that whole transition back - even though technically I was taking more on my plate – but, again, taking opportunities where they come!
“My close friend, Rachel Cunliffe, was Chair that year, and she encouraged me as she understood I needed something new. At that time, they were looking to grow the Liverpool Chapter – obviously, I'm Scouse, so it all fitted really well. The support I’ve had since then has been amazing. Again, it’s a chance to grow, meet people organically and learn."
Another organisation you’re involved with is the North-West Small Practice Forum – tell us more.
"The NWSPF is a collective which was formed in 2025. It's a collective of 25 practices based in the North West, and the main driver is to create a supportive network for smaller practices. As a collective we felt like we could showcase talent for small and boutique practices where there wasn’t a platform before. It’s also about community and collaborating.
“We think there’s a power that we have as a collective – it gives us a voice. We’ve found that together we are stronger which we feel is so important in the architecture community.
“We’re a really supportive network. And as a people-focused practice, we love to collaborate, and community is really important to us, so the NWSPF ticked all the boxes, and has meant that we've been able to have conversations with people that probably wouldn't necessarily pick the phone up to us, but as a collective they really see the power.”
Can we talk about some of the projects you’re working on at the moment? I know there’s a 3D printed house in the works…
“Yes, so probably the most exciting one that we've got right now (it was published in The Architects' Journal at the end of last year) is we're currently awaiting planning permission to 3D print a private house in Yorkshire.
“It’s going to be the first 3D printed house in the UK. Obviously, 3D printing technology has been around for quite a long time but the way that we want to express it as the fabric of the building and showcase its potential, we don't want to just use it for the construction.
“We're working with the manufacturers and the factory to design our own print head. We're doing tests on the quality of materials – hugely important, because it's going to be exposed. This has come about as the site is in open countryside and there are a lot of constraints, so we needed to propose something truly innovative to have justification to build.
“The budget is lean, and that has also made our approach more innovative. The scale and form of the building has been specifically designed to the parameters of the printer’s rig. The project is a very collaborative one, with the client, the factory, the planning consultant and landscape all key to the holistic vision…it's been incredible so far."
This sounds amazing! How have you gone about material selection?
“We’ve discussed the use of recycled and low embodied carbon concrete, but we’ll be test printing a lot of different variations etc to make sure that it looks and performs the best it can.”
And the 3D printing will all be done on site once planning approved?
“Yes, so all external walls and load bearing elements will be printed on-site. There are two wings to the house, which the printer will complete together. In total the entire superstructure and fabric of the house can be completed in 14 days.”
Very cool. Are there any other sectors you’re focused on as a practice currently?
“Retail is a relatively new space for us. We completed Companio Bakery in the Northern Quarter last year, and that design won us a Northern Design Award for best retail space. That project is very important to us as we worked very closely with the client for a few years to find the right space. We needed to make sure the design aligned with their ambitions, budget and it became a very collaborative process with them which we loved.
“In contrast, we also have the new Burgerism in Piccadilly Gardens on-site right now, which is due to open next month. The project is bold, distinctive and has been very fast paced.
“We’re also starting to working in the social housing sector, which is new for us as a practice and it is something we have been aiming towards for a long time. We are using this as a way to take the principles of our high-end residential schemes into a more commercial setting and challenging these spaces to become more user-focused."
Do you ever collaborate with other practices on projects?
“We do collaborate on a practice level with other practices - we're very open to that and we can only gain and grow from learning lessons with others.
“We also collaborate with our clients right down to the minor detail. For the refurbishment of the original Companio Bakery, for example, we’re designing the furniture with the maker in his workshop underneath Piccadilly Station.
“It’s the same with suppliers – we want to get in there early doors and keep conversations open.
"We’re a very visual practice and we need to know what something will feel like – that’s why coming somewhere like Material Source Studio is so important to us.”
The last 18-months have been fairly tough for the property sector. Does that reflect your experience at Define?
"As a practice, we did find 2025 hard for a number of reasons. However, we find we grow as a practice when we face challenges. For example, the grey belt policy affected the timescales on a number of our residential projects, but this also brought more opportunity to re-look at sites, which previously could have been deemed ‘unviable.’ We therefore used the opportunity to focus on new sectors and meet new people."
How’s your 2026 looking so far?
“We’re going in positive – though I feel I say that every January! We’ve got a lot of projects that were delayed last year that are going to finally come through. We’ve also got a number of projects starting in new sectors, such as social housing which we are really excited to get stuck into."
If you had a magic wand, is there anything you’d change about the sector?
"I wish there was more collaboration between public and private bodies as this would allow projects to move at a consistent pace through the statutory processes."
Who or what inspires you?
“I have so many females in my life that inspire me. My mum, she’s just the best, she's so supportive and the reason I am where I am today.
"There are so many female advocates in our industry doing incredible work that motivate me. I also do a lot of work with schools speaking to 13- and 14-year-olds about their future. It re-focuses and inspires me to do better and be better.
“The theme of my life has been to say yes when something comes my way, and that’s how I plan to continue!”
What’s next?
“For Define, we want to continue the momentum we have picked up with our larger residential projects. Alongside this, we’re going back to our roots to a community self-build project. When we started, we won a competition called: 'Self-build on a shoestring' through Grand Designs. And now we’re coming back to this as one of our core values.
"We are a people-focused practice and this starts in the studio and ends in our projects. We want to champion it – establishing sites and involving the right people to create safe spaces to learn and feel part of a community again.
"We also want to continue to stay true to our own practice and design values and maintain a strong work-life balance for everyone."
