About

STOP Studio is a Glasgow-based Architectural practice, founded in 2023 by long-time friends Craig Stephens and James Opfer.

Having first met while studying Architecture part-time at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, Craig and James followed different paths through the profession, before coming together to establish STOP Studio. Craig brings a systematic approach to design, influenced strongly by technology, craft and heritage, whilst James offers a strong understanding of people, historical buildings and the importance of individuality and self-expression. STOP Studio embodies the overlap between these two perspectives.

We believe Architecture should respond to, not only a building and its context, but to the personality of the people who inhabit it. Our work is therefore deliberately expressive — bold, eclectic and grounded in the practical realities of how buildings are constructed, altered and lived in.

Today, we mainly work with homes across Scotland; from the careful adaptation of traditional tenements to extensions, conversions and new-build houses. We work closely with our clients to discover what makes each project and each person individual — using Architecture to give identity a physical form.

‘We bridge the worlds of personal expression and Architecture — helping bold, creative people shape spaces that reflect who they are.’

Architecture for people who think differently…

Our Founders & Directors

  • Co-Founder | Director

    Craig leads many of STOP Studio’s larger projects, including extensions, conversions and new-build homes. With over a decade of experience across Architectural practice and freelance work, his background involves both residential Architecture and experience with commercial and public projects.

    Craig studied Architecture at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, completing both his Part 1 and Part 2 qualifications, following an HND in Architectural Technology at Forth Valley College. This combination of Architectural and technical education continues to influence his pragmatic approach to design.

    Craig enjoys understanding the bigger picture of a project — how design, construction, regulation, cost and the needs of the people using a building all interact. This way of thinking extends beyond individual projects, into the development of STOP Studio itself, where he takes a leading role in shaping the studio’s systems and ways of working.

    He has a particular interest in 3D modelling and Architectural visualisation and beyond Architecture, his interests include technology and game design, with an increasingly significant amount of spare time now spent dancing salsa.

  • Co-Founder | Director

    If you live in a Glasgow tenement and contact STOP Studio, there is a good chance that you will be speaking with James. Combining over a decade of Architectural experience with an extensive understanding of Scotland’s historic housing stock, James takes the lead on most of STOP Studio’s traditional alteration and conservation projects.

    Prior to co-founding STOP Studio, James gained a first-class honours degree in Philosophy from Glasgow University, before going on to study Architecture part-time at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, whilst working for a small Glasgow-based practice; an experience which gave him an unusually direct relationship between Architectural education and the realities of delivering projects.

    James has a strong interest in people and countercultures. He enjoys working with interesting clients, helping them to create homes that genuinely reflect who they are and how they live. His creativity complements Craig’s more systematic approach; a synergy which has shaped STOP Studio’s distinctive design language.

    James is the familiar face behind much of STOP Studio’s social media and his ability to communicate Architecture informally, without unnecessary jargon, reflects the same style he brings to his projects.

    Outside the studio, James is an established graffiti artist and muralist. He also maintains an active interest in property development, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and fitness.