What our work has in common is a set of values rather than a stylistic signature: civility, professional responsibility and sustainability in the widest sense are the underpinnings of our creative output.

The combination of small, close-knit studio teams and a carefully limited number of projects in development at any one time enables us to offer an exceptional level of service to our clients. We pay close attention to the specific chemistry of individual places and cultural situations, seeking to understand both the context and possible future life of our clients’ buildings - a process which often yields original or unconventional design solutions.

Our projects have won over 180 major design awards, including the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2014, and we were named AJ100 Practice of the Year in both 2020 and 2022.

As a practice and as individuals a sense of social purpose is a key driver for the work that we do, and we are both a B Corp and an Employee Ownership Trust. We have over 30 years’ experience of collaborating with socially driven organisations and clients who share the belief in our responsibility to create spaces for people and communities and not for the profit of the few.

We undertake research with this agenda though LSE cities programme and in house, sit on advisory groups for ethical and sustainable development, and support New London Architecture, Heart of the City, and the Architecture Foundation.

We strongly believe that the profession should better reflect the society it serves, and the need to break down the ever-increasing barriers to entry. We partner with universities including London School of Architecture, Kingston University and the University of Sheffield collaborative practice programme, employing students and offering work placements to support alternative routes for training.

Members of our team sit on the board for Blueprint For All (formerly Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust), and mentor through the RIBA and the Social Mobility Foundation. We run an established work experience programme offering experience of practice to school students interested in a career in architecture and have worked with school groups through the RIBA Architecture Ambassadors scheme. We sponsor Arts Emergency, Theatres Trust, and Blueprint for All.