We are a fully bilingual practice that can provide a service in both Welsh and English
We work closely and intensively with local building contractors and suppliers in order to deliver well detailed and executed buildings with a high level of sustainability and energy efficiency.
As skilled and experienced architects, Dobson Owen have a long established presence in the area. We aim to build on this legacy and expand our influence, making a positive and important contribution to our local area and community by continuing to design and deliver buildings and projects of a high quality within this distinctive landscape.
Meet the team
Gruffudd Rhodri Evans
Director
Having studied at Manchester Metropolitan School of Architecture along with a year-out working in Germany, Rhodri started his professional experience specialising in school buildings, before working at a Community Technical Aid Centre on developing and delivering community buildings and projects in and around Greater Manchester. Later he returned to private practice to gain experience in the high-end conversion and refurbishment of several existing and listed buildings into commercial use in the city centre.
After moving back to his native Gwynedd in 2015 and taking over the running of Dobson Owen in 2021, he has designed and built many high-end private residential projects, as well as delivering large and small publicly funded community buildings across Gwynedd. Rhodri was a part-time tutor at the (MSA) Manchester School of Architecture for 10 years, and continues to do occasional design reviews at various universities.
Derec Jones
Project Architect
Derec has worked at Dobson Owen for almost 30 years and is a highly experienced technical architect who has delivered several residential projects for the practice, as well as large community projects such as Canolfan Y Cywain, Bala. He has a great deal of experience working on projects within the Eryri National Park and has a keen interest and knowledge of historic building techniques, and conservation architecture.
Ffion Gruffydd
Associate Project Architect
Ffion is a talented designer who has years of experience designing and delivering several major higher education, school, and healthcare projects for AHR practice in Bristol. In recent years Ffion has worked with us highly successfully on the design and visualisation of several high-end residential and community projects.
Arfon Jones
Office Manager
With a background in computing and experience of running a small construction business, Arfon is well qualified to look after the financial and administrative aspects of the practice, as well as crucially keep on top of the IT and systems.
The distinctive coastal landscape that we work in is our main inspiration, along with its unique Welsh speaking culture and community.
An understanding of its rugged nature and climate, and a respect towards its traditional building forms and materials, informs the approach to how we produce contemporary designs but with a simplicity and clarity that always tries to complement the setting.
Working in a rural area, we are well versed with the planning and regulatory challenges of developing sites and buildings that are often in very sensitive and protected landscapes.
Almost all our projects use renewable heating or at least one form of renewable energy, and have energy efficiency and sustainability considerations at the heart of how they are designed and built.
