A little bit more about us...

Award-winning Conservation Architects working with Heritage Properties based in West Yorkshire. Thoughtful conservation, restoration, adaption, and extensions of listed buildings as well as new buildings in historic and sensitive settings.

Arctic Associates Ltd embarked on its Arctic exploration journey in January 2003, and today, it stands as a thriving and well-established architectural practice.

Our growth has been nurtured by valuable partnerships within the building design profession. Specialising in building restorations, our lead architect, Russell Trudgen, accredited in heritage property conservation, spearheads our efforts to breathe new life into listed and historic structures while also innovating for the future. This dual focus sharpens our expertise, enabling us to apply our knowledge to both commercial and residential projects and our staff and their versatile skills across these domains.

Alongside this journey, Igloo Interiors has emerged as a key contributor, crafting exceptional commercial interiors for public spaces and adding prestigious awards to our practice's accolades along the way.

Meet the Team

 

Russell Trudgen
MArch RIBA AABC EASA

  • Russell is a qualified architect and founding Director of Arctic Associates with over 30 years of experience working with developers, community groups and individual clients throughout the north of England. He is an accredited conservation architect (AABC) with experience working on listed buildings. He was the former Membership Secretary and President of the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association.

    You can verify Russell’s registered status here.

Dora deGraft Aidoo
GradDip Arch

  • Dora is a qualified Architect with 15 years of experience in the commercial and residential sectors in both Bedfordshire and West Yorkshire. Dora’s more recent experience has been in the conservation and restoration of historic churches and the regeneration of high street buildings across West Yorkshire. She brings her experience in space planning and detailing buildings to the design team.

Carl Elliott
MArch PG Dip

  • Carl is a qualified Architect and graphic designer with 5 years of experience in the commercial and residential sectors in both Merseyside and West Yorkshire. Carl’s more recent experience has been working as an architectural assistant in the conservation and regeneration of historic churches in Leeds, Bradford and York. He brings his experience in space planning and modelling to every project. text goes here

 

Charlotte Trudgen

  • Charlotte is the owner and Design Director of our sister company acou.space, which designs and produces acoustic solutions and products for working spaces. The company grew out of Charlotte’s experiences as a weave designer of innovative woven fabrics and the founder of award-winning Igloo Interiors. Today, she works alongside and advises designers and specifiers to create fabulous interior designs.

Gemma Trudgen

  • Gemma is the Creative Designer for acou.space, Arctic Associates’ sister acoustic company. With a background in fashion and textiles, she brings a refined eye for detail, quality, and craftsmanship. She works closely with the team to design and develop bespoke products that enhance and complement project outcomes.

Caitlin Hunter

  • Caitlin is a Marketing Assistant at Arctic Associates, supporting design-led marketing for architects, designers, and clients. Working closely with acou.space, the company’s sister brand, she helps translate projects and technical solutions into clear, visually engaging campaigns and day-to-day communications. With a background in social media and customer-facing roles, she keeps content organised, on-brand, and easy to engage with.

 

Amber Germaine

  • Amber holds a BA in Law and brings over a decade of experience from the civil service. She applies strong analytical thinking and exceptional organisational skills to streamline team communication and provide effective administrative support across the business.

Karen Lakin

  • Karen’s role and gifting keep the team here at Arctic in check! As the company’s secretary, Karen has been with us from day one and has seen the business grow. Karen has many years of experience in the construction sector. She loves learning new skills and finding interesting information for our projects, identifying relevant details whilst motivating us all.

 

Award-winning architects and interior designers

Arctic Associates and Igloo Interiors

ARCHITECTURAL AWARDS

  • Commendation Leeds Architectural Awards 2017 - 92 Kirkgate, Leeds - The Wapentake

  • Commendation King of Prussia Award - All Saints Featherstone


INTERIOR DESIGN AWARDS

  • Shortlisted - FX Interior Design Awards International - Public Sector 2017/18

  • Shortlisted - FX Interior Design Award International - Public Space Scheme 2017/18

  • Finalist - Northern Interior Design Awards - Commercial Interior Design Project 2017/18

  • Award Winner - United Kingdom Property Awards - Public Service Interior NW 2017/18

  • Women in Build Award 2016/17

  • Highly Commended - United Kingdom Property Awards - Public Service Interior NW 2015/16

  • Highly Commended - United Kingdom property Awards - Public Service Interior SE 2014/15