About Us

I'm Sophia, an architect and the founder of Spira.

I've worked across different sectors, at different stages and scales, but something clicked for me when I worked client-side in New Zealand at Ryman Healthcare. My role invovled writing design guidance and setting standards for their portfolio which allowed me to dig deeper into understanding human behaviour and supporting users needs.

I was privileged to have this breadth of scope- the fee and time demands of most commercial design firms simply don't enable designers to spend much time on detailed research.

It is my passion to create design tools that help designers do what we all want to do: deliver better spaces that genuinely consider our users' needs.

Whilst there are many wonderful specialists and consultants who work in the areas Spira’s tools cover, the practical limitations of architecture practices mean projects often aren't resourced sufficiently to engage their expertise.

These tools do not attempt to substitute the wealth of experience these experts possess, but rather to give designers a practical way to engage with these topics on a daily basis.

I began with the visual contrast calculator.

I knew how appropriate visual contrast helps people understand and navigate a space independently. Additionally, it is a requirement written into the Approved Documents, yet there is a surprisingly poor overall understanding of LRVs and visual contrast across the industry.

Why? Because the technical guidance is scattered all over the Approved Documents. Because it is incredibly difficult to find LRV data from some suppliers. Because I used to have to create my own spreadsheets to work out the maths to ensure the spaces I designed were suitable.

And because the topic was so poorly understood, materials would often get value-engineered or substituted on site, with no consideration for the

calculations I would then have to re-calibrate!

So, I built the visual contrast calculator.

It is the only tool of its kind that brings together real data from UK suppliers in a user-friendly format, quickly and simply providing designers with feedback on the suitability of their scheme.

Since building it, I've learnt that I wasn't alone in my frustration- many designers have reached out to voice their support for the tool and share how it improves their design process.

That is what Spira is about: reducing technical hurdles, raising awareness, and ultimately supporting designers in creating spaces that work better for everyone. If any of this has resonated with you, please do get in touch. I'd love to chat.