Design-led solar · BIPV · Heritage
Solar that disappears into the roof
Solar Creative is a design-led solar studio. We specialise in building-integrated photovoltaics, solar roof tiles and flush in-roof systems — solar designed for architects, self-builders and owners of period and conservation-area homes who refuse to bolt panels onto a beautiful building.
Integrated, not bolted on
Slate, in-roof and BIPV systems that read as part of the building — no frames, no brackets, no afterthought.
Heritage & conservation
Discreet, consent-sensitive solar for listed buildings and conservation areas — designed to satisfy the conservation officer.
For architects & self-builders
A specialist studio that joins your design team and resolves the array as part of the composition.
The problem with bolt-on panels
Most solar is specified last, and looks like it
Framed panels on aluminium rails, dropped onto whatever roof area is left over, in whatever pattern fills the space. For a great many homes — and almost every period or conservation-area property — that is a compromise nobody actually wants.
We believe solar should be designed, not bolted on. That means choosing the right integrated technology for the building, setting the array out against the architecture, and — where it matters most — making the generating surface all but disappear into the roof.
What we design
All services →Integrated roofing
Solar Roof Tiles & Slates
Photovoltaic tiles and slates that read as a natural roof — generating power while looking like slate, not panels.
Learn more →Building-integrated photovoltaics
Building-Integrated PV (BIPV)
Photovoltaics as a building material — roof, façade, glazing and canopy — designed in rather than added on.
Learn more →Flush-mount systems
In-Roof & Flush Solar
Panels set into the roof plane on a weathertight tray, sitting flush with the tiles instead of proud on brackets.
Learn more →Heritage & conservation
Conservation-Area & Listed-Building Solar
Discreet, consent-sensitive solar for listed buildings, conservation areas and protected settings.
Learn more →Design collaboration
Bespoke Solar Design
A design service for architects and self-builders — array layout treated as part of the architecture.
Learn more →A materials palette, not a product range
We are independent of any single manufacturer. On each project we specify from three families of integrated technology — chosen to suit the building, the budget and the way the roof will be seen.
Solar slates & tiles
Photovoltaic slates laid within the roof covering, reading as a natural slate roof from the street.
In-roof flush arrays
Standard high-output modules set into the roof plane on a weathertight tray — level with the tiles, not perched above them.
Building-integrated PV
Solar as a building material: roofs, façades, canopies and glazed elements that generate as they weather and shade.
Representative projects, described with our clients' privacy in mind.
Selected work
From Georgian terraces to contemporary self-builds
Our portfolio spans slate-matched arrays on listed farmhouses, flush in-roof zones on new family homes, and building-integrated roofs on architect-led self-builds. Every project starts with the elevation and ends with a roof that looks like it was always meant to be there.
See the kind of work we do →How a project runs
The full process →01
Design consultation
We understand the building, the ambition and the constraints.
02
Survey & feasibility
A measured look at the roof, orientation and planning position.
03
Planning & consent
Permitted development, listed-building consent, conservation liaison.
04
Detailed design & install
Specification, integration detailing and a considered installation.
Questions we're often asked
What makes Solar Creative different from a standard solar installer?
Most installers optimise for the lowest cost per kilowatt and bolt panels onto whatever roof area remains. We start from how the building should look. We specialise in integrated systems — solar tiles, BIPV and flush in-roof arrays — and treat the array as part of the architecture, which is why architects and heritage homeowners come to us.
Can solar really be made almost invisible?
To a large degree, yes. Solar slates laid within the roof covering, or a flush in-roof array set level with the tiles, remove the framing, brackets and shadow gaps that make conventional panels obtrusive. On most schemes the generating area only reveals itself close up.
Do you only work on period and listed properties?
No. Heritage and conservation work is a core specialism, but we work just as much on contemporary self-builds and new homes where the roof or façade is a deliberate design surface. What our projects share is that appearance matters as much as output.
Where do you work?
We work with clients across England, Scotland and Wales. As a design-led studio we operate by appointment and consultation rather than from a shopfront, so location is rarely a barrier — the design work begins with your drawings and a site survey.
Have a project in mind?
Whether you're an architect specifying integrated solar or a homeowner who wants panels you'll barely notice, tell us about the building and we'll take it from there.