From Sketch to Site: The Builder’s Role in Design Translation

For Tom Thurwood, Managing Director of Thurva Projects, building is not simply about construction - it’s about translating design into built form without compromise. At the intersection of architecture and execution, his team is quietly redefining what it means to protect design intent while navigating the real-world constraints of site, budget, and sequencing.

Why Early Engagement Matters

Design translation starts long before ground is broken. When Thurva is engaged early in the process, the benefits extend well beyond scheduling.

“Early collaboration safeguards the architect’s vision from being diluted during construction,” Tom explains. “We’re able to test buildability, refine details, and propose value-managed alternatives before documentation is locked in.”

That foresight helps prevent costly redesigns, while also introducing options - like structural slab solutions or box gutter alternatives - that maintain aesthetic and functional integrity without blowing the budget. But it’s not just about managing cost - it’s about fostering clarity.

“Clients, architects, and consultants all benefit from aligned expectations,” he says. “When trust is built early, communication stays fluid. It reduces friction and makes the whole process more collaborative.”

Translating Detail with Discipline

Design is vulnerable where it’s most precise - at the junctions and transitions. Without the right systems in place, even the best ideas can unravel on site.

Thurva’s approach hinges on establishing consistent datums and setouts to protect the architecture’s backbone. From shadow lines and cabinetry returns to ceiling drops and threshold reveals, the team brings a systemised form of craftsmanship that honours detail with every trade. "Buildability without compromise is about intuition, discernment, and integrity,” Tom reflects. “It’s seeing what a detail wants to be - even before it’s built - and making sure it lives up to that.”

When Theory Meets the Real World

On paper, a detail might look beautiful. On site, it can test the limits of materials and geometry. One such challenge arose when working to integrate a radiused aluminium cantilever eave into a flat roof design.

 To evaluate the feasibility of integrating a radiused aluminium cantilever eave into a flat roof design, we developed a full-scale prototype to assess critical variables. This included testing the cladding’s ability to achieve the required radius without compromising surface integrity - monitoring for honeycombing, crazing, oilcanning, or distortion. We then calculated the cladding zone to determine compatibility with a truss solution that could support the architectural intent. Finally, to ensure long-term performance and watertightness, we refined a French fold detail into the box gutter, resolving complex geometry while maintaining aesthetic continuity.

Rather than take chances, Tom’s team built a full-scale prototype, testing cladding flexibility and structural performance. They monitored for surface distortion - like honeycombing or oil-canning - and refined gutter geometry using a folded detail to preserve form and function.

“Sometimes, the smallest tweaks protect the biggest ideas,” he notes. “That’s the job.”

Communicating with Architects, Respectfully

When something needs to shift on site, Thurva treats it as an opportunity - not a shortcut. "Our job is to bring the architect in, not push them out,” Tom says. “We’ll pause the program if needed, interrogate a detail, and make room for refinement. These aren’t delays - they’re design decisions made in context.”

Whether it’s a recessed flashing or a complex junction in off-form concrete, Thurva adjusts sequencing to preserve the vision, often enhancing it through better alignment, waterproofing or craft execution.

The Unseen Work Behind Every Seam

What the client sees is beauty. What they don’t see is the careful orchestration beneath it.

Take services, for example - civil, mechanical, and plumbing runs can wreak havoc on design if not carefully integrated. For Tom, this is where hidden craftsmanship lives: ensuring penetrations, tolerances and infrastructure planning don’t undermine the architecture above.

“Our team sees what others might miss,” he says. “And that’s where the real legacy is built.”

What Architects Value Most

At the heart of it all is a builder architects can trust. “Architects choose us because they know their vision won’t be compromised onsite,” Tom says. “We work with discipline and discretion. Our execution doesn’t compete with their design - it completes it.”

By committing to just a few projects each year, Tom and his team give every home the focus it deserves. Their work becomes a collaboration between design and build, not a battle.

Beyond the Build

So what do most clients or builders get wrong about high-end architectural construction? “It’s not just about finish - it’s about philosophy,” Tom says. “You need an architectural eye, yes. But more than that, you need the will to uphold design through every junction, join, and gesture.”

In an industry often ruled by speed and volume, Thurva stands apart - curating fewer homes with deeper intention. Each one is built not just to perform, but to endure. To live well. And to hold the trust of those who imagined it, drawn it, and dreamed it into being.