About Us

 

Charles Fowler demonstrated a natural aptitude for construction and architecture from a very early age and has refined his talent during the last three decades. Inquisitive and curious, he is fascinated by people and the emotionally intoxicating atmosphere characterised by their response to the built environment. Continually seeking to capture the intricate curves and angles of the built form, his buildings are instantly recognisable by their integrity, playfulness and subtlety to achieve an overall effect of intimate beauty and extraordinary strength.

 

Much of Charles’ labours are concerned with the sentiments of emotion and desire rather than that of need. He distils the fragile relationship between the built form and their occupants with warmth and humanity. Charles is fast becoming a formidable architecture led contemporary builder whilst uniquely capturing the grace and elegance of a bygone age.

 

Having been born into a development and building family, in his young childhood he would sketch aspects of those properties which appealed to him. Later on, in his teenage years, he would begin to learn the trades within the family company. Formal education beckoned and a brief period as a biochemist was soon forgotten on completing his Masters degree in Construction Management. These degrees taught him discipline and rigour, qualities which have subsequently become hallmarks of his approach.

 

At the age of twenty two in 1994, he was one of two founding directors of a consultancy business which became widely regarded as a leading centre for production engineering in the construction industry. Dissatisfied with the distance from the ‘coal-face’ that a consultancy business presented, he founded his own development company The Guild of St James Group in 1999.

 

The Guild of St. James Group acquired the family company in 2001 and has since expanded considerably. Apart from gaining recognition for its high quality and individual homes, the company has earnt a reputation as a friendly, approachable organisation working to the highest standards and specifications. Perhaps the company’s greatest strength is its sympathetic attitude to combining the best design principles with the highest quality building materials in sensitive environments. Buildings have been left with a sculptural purpose, positive amenities and an ease of utility.

 

Charles formed Canneto in 2005 to offer the knowledge capital of The Guild of St James Group on a consultancy basis. It has since gained an enviable reputation for undertaking a wide variety of design and management consultancy tasks with tenacity and imagination. The fusion of dynamic architectural flair with contemporary construction techniques has led to the undertaking of some remarkable projects, from palazzos to post-modernist homes.

 

“We have a responsibility to society and a role to perform in the ethical function of architecture”

 

“I am extraordinarily lucky to have been trained, supported, nurtured and allowed to make decisions informed by research and grounded in experience. My vision of a home is a dynamic, enriching, thoroughly inclusive affair; full to the brim with emotion and passion. However, the challenge of architectural excellence remains ongoing”

 

Charles is a keen musician, both playing the trumpet and also singing. More active leisure time is spent between his love for the sea as an experienced offshore sailor and ‘beach addict’, and his equal passion for mountains as an accomplished on and off-piste skier.