Our vision is to inspire joy and create thriving communities where people can live, work, learn, play and rest. This is achieved by advocating for better places that create a positive impact on real-world problems. We view our work through three core lenses: Sustainability, Belonging and Engagement. Together, they provide us with a mandate to ensure the places we design are focused on improving the lives of people, while minimising the impact on the planet and our resources.
For every minute spent planning, hours of time can be saved later. We plan the journey as a team before we start, creating a meaningful roadmap that we can check against our progress.
There are no stupid questions. We want to create buildings which embody your vision – so we work hard to understand that vision from the inside out, exploring and refining the brief with you.
Our deep and broad experience means that we can benchmark your project against a whole range of relevant examples – helping you to consider what’s possible, and to test the limits of the brief.
We’re used to leading teams – and we enjoy it. We provide direction and momentum for the wider design team, leading by example with our values of sustainability, engagement and belonging.
We take a robust approach to design. Throughout the process, we use peer reviews to mould and refine our design, sharing ideas to make best use of space and resources.
We believe in bringing the greatest minds to every problem we face. And because we enjoy working together, we create spaces which are more fun too.
The details count, and we make sure that our final designs are technically sound right down to the door hinges. We design beautiful buildings – which means paying attention to every detail.
At the end of the day, it’s a project’s users who truly know whether it’s a success. We always ask people using our projects what they thought, and use those thoughts to guide our future approach.
We are proud to be an employee-owned practice, where every team member is personally invested in the success of each project. We operate both nationally and locally, working from seven different locations across the UK, Cyprus and India – but as one team, with a wide range of experience and expertise to suit any project.
“The collaborative way of working, tireless commitment, flexibility, and focus on delivering solutions whenever issues occurred, were very evident from all concerned.”
– Gary Herbert, Project Director, Free Schools Capital, Capital GroupAs an architecture practice, it’s essential that we connect with our communities. Our local studios engage with places and people, and we take part in a wide range of community events – from ArchiKids in London to the Jewellery Quarter Festival in Birmingham.
We aim to deliver real economic and social benefits with every project we design. Projects like Spanish City and the Forum have transformed their communities: Spanish City’s regeneration directly resulted in over 70 new businesses opening in Whitley Bay.
We actively educate others about the built environment, and have partnered with schools in Manchester and Oxford in our role as RIBA Architectural Ambassadors. Our staff lecture at universities including Birmingham City University and Newcastle University.
As a “Friend of Macmillan”, we raise money for centres providing vital services for people living with cancer. We also fundraise for the Marudyan Society, which educates and supports children living below the poverty line in India.
Leeds Architecture Awards 2023: New Building (up to £10 million)- Shortlisted
The Sir William Henry Bragg Building: Changing the way we think about research
Sussex Heritage Trust Awards 2023: Public and Community- Highly Commended
University of Sussex Student Centre: State-of-the art facilities for Brighton’s students
AJ Architecture Awards 2022: Higher Education Project- Shortlisted
The Sir William Henry Bragg Building: Changing the way we think about research
RICS Yorkshire & Humber Awards 2022: Heritage Project- Winner
The Sir William Henry Bragg Building: Changing the way we think about research
FX Design Awards 2022: Public Sector- Shortlisted
University of Sussex: A decade of development on this unique campus
