Meet Mike Spink, architecture's zen master

A grey industrial building in West London seems an incongruous setting for the studio of the man whose designers produce the UK’s grandest homes. But Mike Spink – the multi-millionaire architect and developer whose projects include Park Place, a 19th century country mansion near Henley-on-Thames that he sold in 2011 for £120m, and Three Carlton Gardens in London’s St James’s, another record-setter when it went for £85m in 2019 – is a model of discretion.

Spink, 56, grew up in Yorkshire and trained as a surveyor – he thought studying architecture would take too long. In the property industry, his name is invariably accompanied by accolades like “genius” and “perfectionist.” And though he’d doubtless dispute the former (he’s too modest for that), he’d absolutely agree with the latter. This is an architect who has his own construction company, so he can control every aspect of the design and build of his projects.

Spink’s minimalist and pared-back design is sought-after by discerning clients all over the world. And his properties garner headlines for the spectacular prices they achieve. But the man himself – slim, casually dressed in shirt and jeans – likes to keep a low profile. Having sold his home, Fayland House near Henley-on-Thames, last year (the rare private commission by David Chipperfield was voted the best new house in the world by The Architectural Review in 2015) he now lives on the farm next door with his wife, Maria.

Here, he tells us about the passions that keep him on his toes, and how his life and work have changed in the wake of the pandemic.

Our projects typically have an end value of up to £100m+, and the pandemic has led to an upsurge in our business.
The moment that lockdown happened, two significant new overseas clients appeared almost from out of the blue – and since then, more clients from the UK and abroad have appointed us. For a while, I sat on Zoom calls from 8am to midnight. Then, when we restarted our sites, we were running at full capacity and our schedule is now busy with projects extending into 2026. There’s been a lot of pent-up demand and inactivity since Brexit; Covid has turbo-boosted people’s desire to do something.

I’d made a reassessment of my life before Covid.
My wife and I had 60 acres with Fayland House, but we decided to buy more land to get into regenerative farming – working with nature to improve local biodiversity, habitat and soil health. We became involved in the long-winded acquisition of the farm next to our home. Covid accelerated things; we paid a bit more and moved in March 2021. It’s a very modest 110 acres, which is a size we can manage with care. We’re trying to do everything really well, which means studying the detail. There’s a strong movement in the country towards regenerative farming, with so much passion and knowledge being shared.

We’ve gone from a house designed by David Chipperfield to an old farmhouse that I’ll renovate one day.
Living in the Chipperfield house – which my company had built to an exemplary standard – was a dream. I miss its architectural purity and perfection. Now, we have a contrasting life next door which is all about the beauty of its imperfection and close relationship to nature.

I also set a new direction professionally before the pandemic – and it was coincidentally great timing.
I’d already decided to reposition the business. I now undertake only a few self-funded speculative developments as projects for my own enjoyment and use the headroom in the business to accommodate the increasing number of commissions from private clients. I can now take on projects like Park Place – or indeed Fayland – as commissions for new clients.

I’m finally witnessing a draw towards sustainability, but we have a long way to go.
Building itself needs to be more sustainable. We need to improve the recovery of wasted energy in our buildings and, as a society, we need to seriously buy into the need to design better buildings with a longer life instead of ‘disposable architecture’.

Thankfully, I’m seeing change. We have sustainable measures stipulated by some clients, and others are happy to go with our suggestions. Clients ought to consider that if they sell their property in five years’ time, buyers will expect it to be designed sustainably.

I have a photographic memory. I’m hopeless with names, great with floorplans.
I enjoy the various challenges of construction – endlessly problem-solving design issues and making things more efficient. Our point of difference is our knowledge of, and respect for, construction. What we do isn’t just about design, it’s about the whole circle of engineering. We think about practicality, performance, finesse and accuracy.

Our projects may be high-end, but they aren’t always about showing off.
Our current residential projects include homes in the Gulf and the Balearics. In the UK we have a countryside rebuild for a home in Buckinghamshire, with beautiful ancient woodland. The clients are young, with a family. For them, this project isn’t about impressing anyone, it’s about creating a relaxed family home and using the land to attract wildlife, improve the habitats and increase carbon sequestration and sustainability. Projects with new biodiversity improvements inspire others to do the same.

I admire Chipperfield, but it was Japanese architect Tadao Ando who first caught my eye.
The way he plays with natural light in the volumes he creates, and how he uses the architecture to make you feel free to wander around, yet establish key views, moments and experiences to create drama. I also love his contrast of dark and light to make a great atmosphere.

I would like to be remembered as a good employer, running a company with a good ethos.
If there’s one project that I’m particularly proud of, it’s Park Place. When we took it over, it was an abandoned former school. We went against the grain and rather than develop it into luxury flats or a country club hotel, we restored it back to the grand country house it had originally been. We just had a hunch that its credentials were sufficiently rare and that if we created something of excellence, the high-end market would see the benefit of a ‘move in’ project that would take them perhaps 10 years to form. When someone 100 years from now charts the history of that building, I realise SPINK will be just a snapshot in time, but our short ownership represents the decision to reverse its decline and reinstate a purpose for the building lost for almost a century.

Zoe Dare Hall is a multi award-winning property journalist who writes for the Financial Times,
The Times and The Telegraph.