TQEC Research Hub receives a Bristol Civic Society Design Award 19.06.25

Last night, Wednesday 18 June, The Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus (TQEC) Research Hub received a Bristol Civic Society Design Award.

The TQEC Research Hub is the first completed building in the wider emerging Innovation Campus for the University of Bristol. The project revitalises two unlisted Victorian gas sheds into a dedicated state-of-the-art research facility for the Bristol Digital Futures Institute and Myworld, balancing the level of structural intervention with the demanding, highly bespoke client brief.

The design principles focus on a light touch approach, making the most of the buildings’ idiosyncrasies while also delivering a high-quality academic building that suits the needs of its users.

The refurbished building now holds several high-performance technical spaces such as the Immersive CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment), the Production Studio and a Smart Cinema, along with ancillary support spaces, workspaces, collaboration areas and training and meetings rooms for 250 staff, researchers, partners and collaborators.

This research hub is in Bristol’s original innovation district and the project honours the industrial history of the site while looking forward to help define a new future.

University of London Decarbonisation project receives planning 11.06.25

Camden Council has given Listed Building Consent for the addition of two plant enclosures to the roof of Sir Denys Lasdun’s Grade II* listed Institute of Education (IoE) building at 20 Bedford Way.

Developed for the University of London (UoL), the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and University College London (UCL), known collectively as The Bloomsbury Heat and Power Consortium, the project is central to the Consortium’s initiative to decarbonise its southern campus.

The Consortium’s buildings are currently supplied by 20-year-old gas CHP engines, 50-year-old gas and oil-fired boilers and distribution pipework – some of which are over 80 years old. The primary driver of the project is to upgrade, enhance and extend the Consortium’s decarbonisation initiative through replacing the life-expired gas and oil-fired heat generation plant, to deliver a highly flexible and efficient low carbon scheme capable of delivering significant fuel cost and carbon savings to its customers through real time optimisation of system performance.

AHMM’s brief was to create two plant enclosures for IoE’s roof which would sit comfortably within the architecture of the Grade II* listed building. The enclosure will minimise the visibility of sixteen chillers and four compressors plus transformer and switch rooms distributed along the two central roof areas of the building, from street level.

The primary goal of the proposed upgrade is to significantly decarbonise the university’s heating, with the eventual aim of complete decarbonisation of the UoL’s southern campus within the next decade, enabling consortium members and the broader estate to meet their Net Zero Carbon targets.

New Auditorium for Lansdowne House 09.06.25

Planning consent has been granted for a major design enhancement to Lansdowne House, incorporating a striking double-height auditorium, for lead tenant Blackstone, providing a new 250-person space which will serve as a dynamic hub for events and collaboration.

Located at the southern end of Berkeley Square in Mayfair, London, the landmark Lansdowne House site is being transformed with a new high quality and sustainable commercial building providing 10 storeys of premium office space with retail and restaurants on the ground floor.

The revised scheme includes a forward extension of two storeys to the façade and a lengthened top canopy, seamlessly integrating the new auditorium with the main office building and defines two new generous outdoor rooms. The increased transparency of the central bays will showcase unrivalled views across Berkeley Square.

The new building is designed to last for generations to come, and to achieve the highest possible standards for sustainability and wellbeing, targeting BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Platinum.

AJ100 Sustainability Initiative of the Year Award Shortlist 05.06.25

Our Fit Out // Rip Out report has been shortlisted for the AJ100 Sustainability Initiative of the Year Award.

Examining the wasteful nature of Cat A fit out within the design, construction and marketing of speculative office the report quantifies the carbon impacts of the current approach and interrogates the significance of tenant churn, a process currently overlooked by existing accounting methods.

AHMM explored the potential carbon impacts by examining four of our own commercial buildings; each representing a different model of BCO verifiable Cat A fit out. Late-stage model data was used to quantify the elements within each fit-out model, with upfront carbon emissions calculated for each scenario.

The report highlights the considerable discrepancy between typical whole life carbon models and the reality of speculative office space. So, while acknowledging the complexity of the commercial real estate ecosystem, Fit Out // Rip Out calls for stakeholders to challenge the current system and proposes steps to drive an industry wide movement towards a more provident status quo.

No1 Blackhorse Lane tops out 03.06.25

On Thursday 29 May the team for No1 Blackhorse Lane celebrated the topping out of the building at a ceremony on site with the client Morro, and wider project team.

The redevelopment of the site, previously home to The Standard public house, located opposite Blackhorse Lane station will deliver innovative co-living accommodation for 321 residential apartments with a series of shared residential amenity spaces, ground floor public café, ground floor retail unit and a purpose-built music and comedy venue.

The new building presents a different urban approach to a key junction in the area with a series of stepped planted terraces that seeks to mediate between the established low rise residential buildings along Forest Road to the east and the newer taller buildings of the Blackhorse Lane Masterplan to the west.

The project is due to complete at the end of 2025.

London Festival of Architecture 2025 02.06.25

AHMM is organising four events for London Festival of Architecture (LFA), the month-long celebration of architecture taking place every June. This year’s theme is ‘Voices’

On 05 June AHMM is organising an Open Studio afternoon for 80+ young people aged 15-18 interested in studying architecture, complete with explorations of AHMM’s home a sustainability mini-lecture, modelshop tours and opportunity to meet architects and find out about their routes into the profession. Young people are key to the future of the city, and this year’s programme includes activity to celebrate emerging voices and creativity, alongside opportunities to support the next generation to upskill, learn and feel empowered.

On the same day, AHMM is also joining other practices across Clerkenwell and opening our doors to the public as part of the Clerkenwell and Shoreditch Studio Late programme. Our Studio Late celebrates our activities supporting young people, including our Summer School, young people from Chickenshed inclusive theatre, mentoring sessions with Narrative Practice, ‘Stepping Stones’ an exhibition of work from the new RIBA EDI national work experience programme and an appearance from the Creative Dimension Trust’s ‘Human Tassel’. For more information and to book please visit here.

On 11 June there will be an exploration of Tower Hamlets Town Hall with AHMM’s Sam Scott and Ben Leach joined by community heritage practitioner Rav Singh and members of the Tower Hamlets Council team. Recently awarded RIBA London Building of the Year, Tower Hamlets Town Hall encompasses the restoration of the Grade II listed former Royal London Hospital building with the addition of a new build extension as the new home for London Borough of Tower Hamlets council, consolidating several of the council’s offices into one, more accessible location in Whitechapel. On this tour visitors will get the opportunity to see behind the scenes of the town hall and hear about the building’s history, conservation and transformation, adding their own voice to the historic site and neighbourhood. For more information and to book onto the tour please visit here.

AHMM will also be part of the Norton Folgate ‘Building by Building’ tour on the 24 June as one of the five architecture firms who collaborated on the masterplan. Occupying a prominent position on the City Fringe, this office led development comprises three urban blocks with the retention of a significant number of historic buildings, creation of six new buildings and new public realm. This tour is fully booked.

Claire Pollock, AHMM’s Partnerships Lead is an LFA mentor this year and she has selected her highlights within the festival programme Claire Pollock - London Festival of Architecture

Quakers Friars receives planning 29.05.25

Last week Bristol City Council approved the first part of a masterplan vision that re-imagines an area known as Quakers Friars in central Bristol as a new cultural destination.

Emerging from the original masterplan vision, this project, developed for Bristol Alliance Partnerships, regenerates the ground and first floor of the Philadelphia Street city block which is made up of 4 residential buildings sitting atop a podium of retail, leisure and car parking, converting the existing retail units into a new diverse mix of uses including shops and flexible workspace, supporting the new vision objectives for Quakers Friars.

AHMM’s design proposals have been developed iteratively, taking into account requirements of prospective commercial tenants at first floor level and retail tenants at street level. The materials and finishes have been carefully selected, recognising that a variety of components make up the existing elevation.

St Luke’s Multicultural Women’s Group visit Morelands 22.05.25

Last Friday afternoon, 16 May, the St Luke’s Multicultural Women’s Group visited AHMM’s Morelands office to meet some of our architect team and find out more about how the practice works. The group went for a tour around our modelshop followed by some mindfulness sketching on our rooftop and participated in a Virtual Reality demonstration. 

The Women’s Multicultural club at St Luke’s welcomes women of all ages and backgrounds to come together to de-stress and connect with like-minded women from the area.

AHMM’s Partnerships group has been a corporate supporter of St Luke’s for more than nine years providing financial support as well as workshops, food bank donations and supporting their Job Club programme, providing one-to-one support to people in the local community who are searching for work.

Building London Planning Awards 2025 Finalists 21.05.25

Norton Folgate, Arthur Stanley House and Tower Hamlets Town Hall are all finalists in this year’s Building London Planning Awards in the Best Retrofit, Best New Place to Work and Best Borough-Led Project categories respectively.

Norton Folgate sits within the Elder Street Conservation Area and occupies a prominent position between the City of London and Shoreditch. Rather than applying a blanket strategy, the masterplan employs a building-by-building approach to the retained buildings, utilising restoration, refurbishment, extension, remodelling and façade retention. The project provides for different office types and floor plate sizes, including work ready spaces, to attract a range of tenants from more established law and creative firms to tenants from the emerging TMT sector and local SMEs. Going beyond delivering commercial office space, the project also creates a network of spaces which give amenity and allow spatial choices for people to walk, meet, sit and experience this layered and rich part of London. New routes encourage links to the City and the emerging scheme at the Bishopsgate Goods Yard.

Located within the Charlotte Street Conservation Area, Arthur Stanley House reinvents a decaying 1960s block originally designed by TP Bennett Architects in Fitzrovia, London, to provide 10 floors of modern office accommodation and a new residential building. The new scheme, which retains more than 70% of the existing fabric, has refurbished the brickwork, added depth to the façade with generous stone reveals, and replaced the existing windows with new high quality triple glazing meeting modern standards while maintaining slim profiles typical of the Fitzrovia character. The design of Arthur Stanley House celebrates the original building alongside its 21st century additions and complements the conversation area. New and old are left exposed within the floorplates giving a uniqueness not normally found in commercial floor space.

Tower Hamlets Town Hall encompasses the restoration of the Grade II listed former Royal London Hospital building with the addition of a new build extension as the new home for London Borough of Tower Hamlets, consolidating several of the council's offices into one, more accessible location in Whitechapel. Responding to key eras of the existing building's development, between 1757 and 1906, the design utilises architectural characteristics inherent in each to enrich the new internal environment. The Georgian formality of the external facades has been retained, the restored brickwork creating a backdrop to the council's activities within the new extension. 

All finalist projects will be visited by the judges with the winners announced at the annual awards ceremony in October.

1 Moor Lane receives planning 20.05.25

City of London Corporation has approved the sustainability-led transformation of 1 Moor Lane into 300,000 square feet of new grade-A offices set in a revitalised public realm.

The AHMM designed redevelopment of the building formerly known as Milton Gate for developer Brookfield Properties will increase the amount of office space by around 50% and appeal to modern occupiers looking for large, efficient floorplates and out-standing ESG credentials. Extensive landscaped terraces will provide flexible outdoor amenity across all floors with impressive City views, while cycle storage, changing and wellness facilities support active commuting.

By taking a retrofit-first approach, the project will retain 70% of the original structure, significantly reducing its embodied carbon and environment impact. The all-electric building will be net zero in operation and is expected to achieve EPC A, BREEAM Outstanding and NABERS 5* certification upon completion.

Dan Scanlon, President of Brookfield Properties, UK commented “We appreciate the support and positive feedback from the City of London and neighbouring occupiers which have shaped our proposals at 1 Moor Lane. We expect the transformation of 1 Moor Lane to create a new destination office of wide appeal.”

Simon Allford, Founding Director of AHMM added “1 Moor Lane is the result of Brookfield Properties and AHMM’s shared ambition to create an innovative, low carbon reinvention of an existing building. The activated ground floor engages with the historic streetscape, whilst the generous office volumes above open onto cascading balconies and verdant terraces, delivering a new green edge to the city’s historic skyline.”

Uphill Grange receives planning 19.05.25

Last week North Somerset Council approved proposals for the regeneration of the Uphill Grange Estate located on the edge of Uphill village close to Weston-Super-Mare.

With a rich history, the Estate has stood vacant for several years, becoming dilapidated and in urgent need of a new use to secure its repair and long-term maintenance. The new proposals, developed for Ferrer Projects, will comprehensively restore and convert the Grade II listed Mansion into 15 luxury apartments, provide 10 new residential homes to the north of the walled garden, re-using, where possible, material from the existing wall to reinstate the historic garden boundary and refurbish the existing Coach House and Bothy into a new single residential dwelling.

The landscape proposals conserve the unregistered park and garden, committing to protecting the existing woodland and enhancing the ecological value of the estate for the long-term through careful landscaping and new planting.

RIBA London Awards 2025 14.05.25

Last night, Tuesday 13 May, Soho Place and Tower Hamlets Town Hall both won RIBA London Awards, with Tower Hamlets Town Hall being named London Building of the Year.

Tower Hamlets Town Hall encompasses the restoration of the Grade II listed former Royal London Hospital building with the addition of a new build extension as the new home for London Borough of Tower Hamlets, consolidating several of the council’s offices into one, more accessible location in Whitechapel. Responding to key eras of the existing building’s development, between 1757 and 1906, the design utilises architectural characteristics inherent in each to enrich the new internal environment. The Georgian formality of the external facades has been retained, the restored brickwork creating a backdrop to the council’s activities within the new extension.

Judges commented “The scheme boldly reinvents the dilapidated and derelict Grade II listed former hospital buildings, satisfying the brief by overlaying it on the existing spaces and adding a substantial new extension. The approach is at once sensitive and brave, creating a modern, civic home for council administration, local services and democracy.”

Soho Place is a vast urban jigsaw that builds on the arrival of the Elizabeth Line to bolster the regeneration of Oxford Street. It comprises two mixed-use buildings framing a new civic plaza, Soho Place. The north building, 1 Soho Place, is a ten-storey, two tier building housing 33,000 sqft of retail space across three floors and 192,000 sqft of office accommodation across ten floors. The south building, 2 & 4 Soho Place, is a nine-storey building, the lower volume containing the first new-build West End theatre to open in 50 years, with 18,000 sqft of independent office space.

Both projects will now be considered for an RIBA National Award.

One Portwall Square wins an RIBA South West Award 09.05.25

Last night, Thursday 8 May, One Portwall Square received an RIBA South West Award.

One Portwall Square is a simple yet sophisticated, highly energy-efficient office development that sets a new benchmark for commercial offices in Bristol. The scheme replaces a disused building, originally part of 100 Temple Street designed by John Wells-Thorpe, with a new six storey freestanding office set back from Portwall Lane by a lively pocket square.

The building delivers new levels of innovation, sustainability and office design, combining modern and flexible floorplates with generous light and space, and maximising occupant comfort and amenity for staff attraction and retention.

The judges commented “The bold design – with south facing balconies, striking use of colour, a robust and serviceable material palette of concrete, glass, galvanised ducts and sharp timber panelling, and generous spaces – is delightful, distinctive and functional. The building is also finely detailed throughout, with very well-considered use of building systems, materials and finishes, such as the carpet that is woven from recycled synthetic materials.”

The project will now be considered for an RIBA National Award.

AIA UK Excellence in Design Awards 2025 08.05.25

Last night, Wednesday 7 May, Norton Folgate received an American Institute of Architects UK Excellence in Design Award in the Outstanding Adaptive Reuse category at their annual awards ceremony.

Occupying a prominent position on the City Fringe, this office led development comprises three urban blocks with the retention of a significant number of historic buildings, creation of six new buildings and new public realm.

The architect team led by AHMM and including DSDHA, East, Morris + Company and Stanton Williams, employed a building-by-building approach to the retained existing buildings using restoration, refurbishment, extension, remodelling and façade retention to breathe new life into the architecture with sensitively designed new buildings.

Norton Folgate is a unique destination whose character the team has worked hard to preserve, and provides a sense of history within a modern sustainable workplace for businesses of all sectors and sizes.

Property Week Awards 2025 Shortlist 07.05.25

AHMM’s Fit Out // Rip Out report has been shortlisted in the Sustainability Initiative category of this year’s Property Week Awards.

The Fit Out // Rip Out report challenges the industry standard approach to the development, marketing and management of speculative office space, while proposing an ambitious new approach to evaluating the whole life carbon impacts of office buildings. The significance of tenant churn is also interrogated as a contributor to whole life building carbon emissions which is currently missed by existing accounting methods; this research aims to disrupt the current model.

Ella Smith, Building Performance Analyst at AHMM, was the lead researcher, and co-authored the report with Dr Craig Robertson, AHMM’s Head of Sustainability. The research is a continuation of AHMM’s commitment to developing a viable model for delivering Net Zero buildings within a commercial context and uses real-world projects for maximum relevance and impact.

Winners will be announced at the Property Week Awards party on the 1st of July.

BCO South of England and South Wales 2025 Awards 02.05.25

Building C at Assembly Bristol has received a South of England and South Wales BCO award in the Innovation category.

Transforming a long vacant site adjacent to the city’s inner circuit road and William Jessop’s Floating Harbour, the Assembly Bristol campus is anchored around a waterfront park, creating a new urban place that positively engages with the city, brings colour to the skyline and links the waterside with a restored historic street, Cheese Lane.

Providing a variety of commercial floorplates, with an assortment of retail, restaurant and flexible units at ground level, a hierarchy of three buildings shapes the space and frame a connecting vista from Pip and Jay Church to the water’s edge.

Building A, now the Bristol headquarters of BT, is long and narrow, holding the street edge and protecting the waterfront park from the clamour of traffic. Building B is the smaller of the trio, enjoying a gentle waterside setting whilst Building C brings sculptural height over the public realm.

All regional award winners will now be considered for a BCO National Award.

BCO London 2025 Awards 30.04.25

Norton Folgate has received a London BCO Award in the Refurbished/Recycled Workplace category.

Occupying a prominent position on the City Fringe, a short walk from Liverpool Street Station, this office led development is one of the most complex projects delivered by British Land and the architect team led by AHMM and including DSDHA, East, Morris + Company and Stanton Williams. The project comprises three urban blocks with the retention of a significant number of historic buildings, creation of six new buildings and new public realm.

Rather than applying a blanket strategy, the masterplan employs a building-by-building approach to the retained existing buildings using restoration, refurbishment, extension, remodelling and façade retention to breathe new life into the architecture with sensitively designed new buildings. It sets new standards for retrofit, refurbishment, and redevelopment in central London, and acts as a blueprint for reusing building fabric.

All regional award winners will now be considered for a BCO National Award.

40 Argyll Street on site 28.04.25

Works are in progress at 40 Argyll Street, the refurbishment of the office element of the redeveloped Dickins and Jones Department store, a Grade II listed building within the Regent Street Conservation Area.

Extensive works, carried out by contractor Mace, include three floors of Cat A fit-out, new end-of-journey facilities, and a rooftop terrace and sky room pavilion, all while the building remains operational.

With a strong commitment to sustainable delivery, 40 Argyll Street is targeting an upfront carbon target of A1 to A5 which is below 200 kgCO2e/m, BREEAM ‘Excellent’, WELL Enabled ‘Gold’ and NABERS rating of 4.5*.

This landmark project will be setting new standards in low-carbon, high-performance workspaces.

Housing Design Awards 2025 Shortlist 10.04.25

The redevelopment of the former London Chest Hospital site in Bethnal Green into a successful community of 274 new homes has been shortlisted for a 2025 Housing Design Award in the unbuilt category alongside Urbanest Battersea, a highly sustainable PassivHaus development providing modern accommodation for 852 students opposite the new Battersea Power Station development, which is shortlisted in the built category.

Developed for Latimer, the development arm of Clarion Housing Group, the refurbishment will include the Grade II listed main hospital building, the Sanitary Tower, and the South Wing, which are all currently on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. In addition, five new buildings ranging from five to nine storeys will be constructed, providing carefully designed new housing of which 50% will be affordable housing (by habitable home), with a significant proportion (70%) allocated for Social Rent. The Hospital’s historic grounds will be opened to the public for the first time in nearly a decade with 1,140 square metres of open space, and the veteran Mulberry tree on site, which is reputed to be the oldest tree in the East End, will remain in its original location, aligning with community and environmental priorities.

Led by private student accommodation provides Urbanest, Urbanest Battersea comprises of three student buildings and a dedicated commercial building and is the first major PassivHaus student housing development in London. The buildings, ranging in height from 11 to 19 storeys, step in height and twist to open to key views with a unifying base around courtyard gardens, creating a varied silhouette. Bold colours and glazed terracotta facades draw on the industrial heritage of the site and provide a strong marker within the neighbourhood. Significant improvements to the surrounding public realm and an improved connection and accessibility to Battersea Park will draw people into the site, becoming a catalyst for the regeneration of the wider area.

Assessment will take place over the next few months, with judges visiting each built shortlisted project before the announcement of the winners at the annual awards ceremony in early autumn.

Arthur Stanley House wins a Civic Trust Award 07.04.25

Arthur Stanley House has won a 2025 Civic Trust Award.

Located within the Charlotte Street Conservation Area, this project has reinvented a decaying 1960s block in Fitzrovia, London. It was originally designed by TP Bennett Architects, part of the Middlesex Hospital estate, as a centre specialising in physiotherapy with wards and consultation rooms on the upper floors and a hydrotherapy pool in the basement. The hospital trust relocated in 2005 leaving the building vacant and in decline. The project has reinvented it to provide eight floors of modern office accommodation and a new residential building along Tottenham Mews.

The new scheme, which retains more than 70% of the existing fabric, has refurbished the brickwork, added depth to the façade with generous stone reveals, and replaced the existing windows with new high quality triple glazing meeting modern standards while maintaining slim profiles typical of the Fitzrovia character.

The design of Arthur Stanley House celebrates the original building alongside its 21st century additions and complements the conservation area which in parts is fragmented with post-war and recent large-scale developments interspersed with lower scale, historic terraces.

New and old is left exposed within the floorplates to represent the building’s development over a 60-year period, repurposing it for a new generation by creating a design led space for the next 60 years. Additionally, the characterful floorplates give a uniqueness not normally found in commercial floor space.

St Luke’s Community Centre visits 1 Broadgate 28.03.25

Last Friday, 21 March, members from St Luke’s Community Centre Multicultural Women’s group and the Men’s Shed over 55s visited AHMM’s 1 Broadgate with Associate Tom Wells for a tour of the building site.

It was a fantastic opportunity to show people living close to our offices one of our buildings – being created in their neighbourhood. It was also the first time that most of the group had had a chance to go onto a building site.

The Women’s Multicultural club at St Luke’s welcomes women of all ages and backgrounds to come together to de-stress and connect with like-minded women from the area. While the Men’s Shed is a relaxing space for men aged 55 and over to share interests, offering a programme of activities and trips out and about.

AHMM’s Partnerships group has been a corporate supporter of St Luke’s for more than nine years providing financial support as well as workshops, food bank donations and supporting their Job Club programme, providing one-to-one support to people in the local community who are searching for work.

Sir Ken Dodd: A Legacy of Happiness 26.03.25

AHMM’s Paul Monaghan and Susie Le Good featured in the BBC’s new documentary about Sir Ken Dodd.

Looking back at the life of the private man behind one of Britain’s greatest comic geniuses, Paul and Susie discussed the plans for the Sir Ken Dodd Happiness, which received planning from Liverpool City Council late last year.

A partnership between the Royal Court Liverpool Trust, The Comedy Trust and The Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation, the new building will celebrate all forms of comedy and humour and provide opportunities for all to take part in a wide range of programmes, workshops and sessions with comedy, humour, health and wellbeing at the heart. A main element of The Happiness Centre will be a dedicated, permanent exhibition space to celebrate the life of Liverpool icon Sir Ken Dodd, charting his remarkable career as comedian, singer, actor and entertainer and his enduring impact on the comedy scene.

You can watch the documentary on the BBC website.

Brick Works London 2025 25.03.25

Laura Stephenson, Director at AHMM, will be presenting Norton Folgate, the 2024 Brick Award Supreme winner, at Brick Works London on 27 March at Ibstock’s I-Studio in Clerkenwell, London.

Norton Folgate comprises three urban blocks occupying a prominent position on the City Fringe with the retention of a significant number of historic buildings, creation of six new buildings, and new public realm. Delivered by British Land and an architect team led by AHMM, the masterplan employs a building-by-building approach to the retained existing buildings using restoration, refurbishment, extension, remodelling and faced retention. It sets new standards for retrofit and refurbishment, and redevelopment in central London, and acts as a blueprint for reusing building fabric.

Brick Works are a series of relaxed and highly informative evenings, which offer practitioners and brick enthusiasts the opportunity to explore examples of contemporary brick architecture and network with peers.

For more information and to purchase tickets please visit here.

University of Leeds Campus Reimagined Masterplan Framework 20.03.25

AHMM is part of the winning design team appointed to shape a Masterplan Framework for the University of Leeds main campus that will articulate the University’s future vision and drive a long-term programme of transformation.

Led by Prior + Partners, the multi-disciplinary design team brings diverse expertise from across the university and design sector to deliver a Masterplan Framework that will become a crucial tool for future-proofing the University, ensuring the campus environment and experience supports the evolving needs of students, Faculty, Facilities Directorate staff, and visitors for decades to come.

The appointment forms part of the University’s wider Campus Reimagined project, which seeks to look at the campus through the lens of lived experience and not just a set of buildings. As part of this, the University is re-framing how the campus works as a community and introducing a new way of thinking and linking through a new decision-making process. This ties closely with the ongoing engagement programme that will be a core principle throughout the Masterplan Framework process, where the outputs will be closely guided by the evidence and dialogue with the University’s staff and students.

The commission will run for 18 months, with a programme of engagement and an iterative design process running throughout.

The design team led by Prior + Partners is made of nine consultancies, including: AHMM, DNCO, Alan Baxter Ltd, Expedition, Gardiner & Theobald, Evolve Digital Workplaces and Kate McLaren Design, along with Leeds-based practice Re-form Landscape Architecture and Civic Engineers.

Festival of the Future 2025 19.03.25

On Saturday 15 March the AHMM partnerships education group supported the RIBA Learning X Beyond the Box Festival of the Future at 66 Portland Place.

Held over two days, the festival welcomed more than 2,000 people through the doors and brought together 20+ organisations with the aim to inspire the next generation of city makers through a creative and practical program for all backgrounds.

Children, young people and adults had the opportunity to pick from a range of events including everything from AI in architecture workshops and industry debates to carpentry workshops and ground design tasks to meeting with careers, funding, and work experience support providers to explore different routes to becoming an architect.

The AHMM workshop showcased our annual AHMM summer school inviting festival visitors to contribute to a collaborative drawing exploring play spaces of the future, co-organised with four Summer School Alumni.

AHMM were also Festival sponsors, providing financial support for the event.

Cavell Street receives planning 13.03.25

On Wednesday 12 March Tower Hamlets Council approved proposals for a major new life sciences building adjacent to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, London.

Developed for Lateral, the new 10,200 square meter building on Cavell Street will provide market-leading, flexible lab space that aims to be an exemplar for London, with subdivisible, reconfigurable floorplates and generous ceiling heights that will cater for a range of tenants demands and ensure the buildings longevity.

Driven by a contextual response to the lower rise buildings of the Ford Square and Sidney Square Conservation Area and the emerging cluster of taller buildings immediately to the east and west of the site, the building is formed of two volumes, creating varied terraces providing external amenity to upper levels.

An enhanced public realm creates a new public connection through the site, increasing local permeability and linking the public highway on Cavell Street to the west with Red Lion Row the wider Silk District development to the east. This route will also serve as the main entrance to the building, the knowledge centre, and provides a visual connection to the incubator space putting science on display to local residents and visitors.

The project has high ambitions for sustainable design, health and well-being and low carbon design solutions. The building will target BREEAM Excellent and an EPC rating of A as well as significantly reducing embodied and operational carbon through the refinement of key building components.

The building will be occupied by Queen Mary University of London, Barts Life Sciences and Barts Health NHS Trust as the new Queen Mary BioEnterprises Innovation Centre, delivering 40,000 square feet of flagship incubator space as part of the new Whitechapel Life Sciences District. 

William Sutton Prize Scholarship 2025 12.03.25

AHMM are sponsoring one of the scholarships in Clarion Housing Group’s new scholarship programme as part of the William Sutton Prize to mark the organisation’s 125th anniversary.

The new initiative has been developed to increase diversity in architecture and sustainability, providing funding to support students from low-income households and social housing backgrounds through their degree courses.

Working with the London Neighbourhood Scholarship Trust, Clarion will offer three William Sutton Prize Scholarships to students of architecture from underrepresented backgrounds living in London. AHMM hopes that by sponsoring one of these scholarships the new programme will help increase diversity and level the playing field for young people entering the profession.

In addition to funding, scholars will also benefit from a tailored package of career support, including mentorship, internships and work experience opportunities facilitated by jobs and training experts within Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group.

The scholarships sit alongside the prestigious William Sutton Prize which seeks innovative and bold solutions to tackle some of society’s most urgent challenges.

To find out more about The William Sutton Prize or to apply for one of the scholarships please visit here.

AHMM are working with Latimer, the development arm of Clarion Housing Group to deliver new homes at Twyford Abbey and the Former London Chest Hospital.

Education programmes for young people 10.03.25

In February half term secondary students from schools across London came to our Morelands office to take part in three education programmes AHMM supports.

As part of their year-long programme with Open City’s Accelerate, five students attended three days of architecture workshops exploring and developing their own designs for the Smithfield Market site. Run by Open City, a charity which empowers communities to learn about, feel connected to, and have a role in shaping places where they live, the programme spans an academic year and gives an opportunity to students who are keen to explore whether a potential career in the built environment sector would be right for them.

Eight students attended a design development day to progress their ideas for a pavilion to be built this summer in the grounds of the William Morris Galley as part of Beyond the Box’s People’s Pavilion. Beyond the Box is a London based creative practice working with communities across the UK to co-produce creative and cultural experiences, to better understand their needs, and lived experiences, helping them find their voice and actively participate in shaping their future.

We also ran, for the second time, a three-day work experience programme as part of the new RIBA EDI national work experience programme and also attended as social value commitments for our Cricklewood and One Victoria Street projects.

Southwark OSD receives planning permission 07.03.25

On Wednesday 05 March, Southwark Council approved proposals for the Southwark Over Station Development on the corner of Blackfriars and The Cut in Southwark, London.

Developed for Helical and Places for London, the scheme includes the provision of 429 student bedrooms above the existing Southwark Tube station, and a separate affordable housing building providing 44 affordable apartments, on the other side of Joan Street.

The existing station entrance will be carefully integrated at the base of the new building, flanked by new retail spaces, and improved landscape to the public realm. The two buildings share an architectural language of contrasting horizontal and vertical expression, with a consistent tonal palette and curved corners, which reinforces their connection whilst preserving their individual identities.

The scheme will deliver a significant new building in a landmark location, offering a vibrant and exciting environment for students and local residents to live, learn and socialise.

One Knightsbridge Green receives planning 06.03.25

On Tuesday 04 March Westminster Council granted planning for the redevelopment of One Knightsbridge Green, the site of an underutilised 1950’s modernist office building located on a highly prominent site in The City of Westminster, London.

Developed for Berkeley Estate Asset Management the scheme retains over 50% of the existing post war office structure and offers two types of office spaces, each with its own unique character. The scheme also seeks to re-use over 80% of the existing materials on site in the new development as part of our Circular Economy approach and Westminster’s emerging Sustainability policies.

The Raphael Street office, retrofitted into the existing structure with a new facade, will provide smaller scale, shallow-plan office space suitable for smaller businesses and start -ups. The façade of this building takes inspiration from the mid-century modernist architecture of the existing structure.

A new building facing Knightsbridge Green, built over an existing basement, will offer larger floorplates and flexible open-plan workspace. This building responds more directly to the conservation context of Brompton Road and its neighbour Harrods. The proposals also aim to repair the townscape with the new building creating a continuous street frontage along Brompton Road and a new frontage addressing Knightsbridge Green designed with a hierarchical projecting bay structure, clad in glazed terracotta.

Both buildings will attract a wide variety of occupants, helping to diversify the office market in Knightsbridge and contribute to the wider business and international shopping district.

New retail at ground level will promote a better street front to Brompton Rd whilst a retained public house, restaurant and post office function will enhance and activate Raphael Street. New public realm including a new pocket park sitting between the two offices on Raphael Street will provide a neighbourhood atmosphere for the local community and visitors alike.

Angel Square Tops Out 03.03.25

On Thursday 27 February the team for the Angel Square celebrated the topping out of the building at a ceremony on site with the client, Tishman Speyer, the contractor, McLaren and the wider project team.

Reinventing a prominent corner site in Islington, the mixed-use office led development incorporates new active frontages, builds over an existing underground station and repositions a public house while retaining 80% of the existing early 90s postmodern concrete structure. The existing internal structural grid also informs the facade design with articulated solid columns and ledges, supplemented by profiled metal spandrel panels and glazed terracotta and pre-cast concrete elements at ground floor.

The scheme is due to complete in November 2025.

Plot 6 Deptford Landings Tops Out 27.02.25

Yesterday, Wednesday 26 February, the team for Plot 6, Deptford Landings celebrated the topping out of the scheme at a ceremony on site with the Mayor of Lewisham, the client, Peabody, main contractor Higgins Partnerships and wider project team.

Providing 189 low-energy affordable homes for local people, Plot 6 Deptford Landings is part of the ongoing regeneration of the former industrial site in southeast London, led by Lendlease.

The fully affordable development, designed by AHMM, will include 130 homes for social rent and 59 homes for shared ownership, providing housing opportunities for local people, including those on the council’s waiting list. Residents will enjoy carefully designed living spaces across three eight-storey buildings, complete with private balconies, a landscaped courtyard, and large roof terraces.

The development is AHMM’s first Passivhaus residential project, providing energy-efficient homes for residents, with drastically reduced energy bills, improved comfort, and enhanced air quality.

The scheme is due to complete in summer 2026

RIBA 2025 South West Awards Shortlist 26.02.25

One Portwall Square has been shortlisted for an RIBA 2025 South West Award.

A simple yet sophisticated, highly energy-efficient office development, One Portwall Square sets a new benchmark for commercial offices in Bristol. The scheme replaces a disused building, originally part of 100 Temple Street designed by John Wells-Thorpe, with a new six storey freestanding office set back from Portwall Lane by a lively pocket square.

Responding to the latest Grade A office standards, the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to maximise occupant comfort and amenity for staff attraction and retention, the building delivers new levels of innovation, sustainability and office design, combining modern and flexible floorplates with generous light and space.

The outcome is an exemplary commercial building that puts people, place, design and sustainability first. In 2022 it became the new base for the AHMM Bristol office, with the practice letting the ground and first floor of the building.

All shortlisted projects will be visited by the judges over the next month, with regional award winners announced in May. Regional award winners will then be considered for a national award.

RIBA 2025 London Awards Shortlist 13.02.25

Four AHMM projects has been shortlisted for an RIBA 2025 London Award.

Tower Hamlets Town Hall encompasses the restoration of the Grade II listed former Royal London Hospital building with the addition of a new build extension as the new home for London Borough of Tower Hamlets, consolidating several of the council’s offices into one, more accessible location in Whitechapel. Responding to key eras of the existing building’s development, between 1757 and 1906, the design utilises architectural characteristics inherent in each to enrich the new internal environment. The Georgian formality of the external facades has been retained, the restored brickwork creating a backdrop to the council’s activities within the new extension.

10 Lewis Cubitt Square is a mixed-use building and a key piece of King’s Cross Central, completing an area of the developing King’s Cross Central neighbourhood and complementing an established public realm. As such, it has an important role as a civic ‘backdrop’ and sits next to the primary retail offering at Coal Drops Yard and residential neighbours in the Gasholder Triplets. To the north, Handyside Street separates Lewis Cubitt Square which sits against the new building.

Soho Place is a vast urban jigsaw that builds on the arrival of the Elizabeth Line to bolster the regeneration of Oxford Street. It comprises two mixed-use buildings framing a new civic plaza, Soho Place. The north building, 1 Soho Place, is a ten-storey, two tier building housing 33,000 sqft of retail space across three floors and 192,000 sqft of office accommodation across ten floors. The south building, 2 & 4 Soho Place, is a nine-storey building, the lower volume containing the first new-build West End theatre to open in 50 years, with 18,000 sqft of independent office space.

1 Berkeley Street creates a vibrant 210,000 sqft mixed-use development with offices, retail and the first 1 Hotel outside north America. Located opposite The Ritz Hotel on Piccadilly, the project involves reusing two 1970s buildings, retaining 81% of the existing frame and façade elements along the two main elevations while expanding them with three new extensions: a two-storey rooftop extension, a new pavilion at the corner of Dover Street, and an annex building in Dover Yard. The extension at the corner of Piccadilly and Dover Street reinstates the historic building line and provides an identity to this prominent corner while giving the current buildings much-needed enhancements to both the performance and aesthetics.

All shortlisted projects will be visited by the judges over the next month, with regional award winners announced in May. Regional award winners will then be considered for a national award.

Urbanest Battersea certified as UK’s largest Passivhaus building 10.02.25

Urbanest Battersea, developed for leading central London student accommodation provider urbanest, has successfully achieved Passivhaus standard accreditation. The certification from the Passivhaus institute makes it the largest Passivhaus building in the UK and the eighth largest in the world, which stands as a testament to the exceptional collaboration and combined expertise of the core project team of urbanest, AHMM, Mace and Henriksen Studio.

Situated close to the iconic Battersea Power Station, urbanest Battersea provides purpose-built, carefully designed, energy efficient accommodation for 853 students. This achievement also establishes it as the largest student dormitory / university building designed to Passivhaus standards in Europe, and the third largest in the world after UTSC in Canada and the Cornell Tower in New York.

Situated at the northern edge of the Battersea Design and Tech Quarter masterplan, the four-block development steps up in height from 11 to 19 storeys, serving as a gateway into the site. Its glazed terracotta facades in a vibrant colour palette of red, green and blue also reflect the site’s industrial heritage. Opened to students last September, urbanest Battersea features ensuite and studio accommodation and boasts a cinema room, gym and roof terraces with views across the city.

Rendering conventional heating systems unnecessary, the low-energy construction concept makes efficient use of the sun, internal heat sources and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. This allows for space heating and cooling related energy savings of up to 90% compared with typical buildings and over 75% compared to average new builds.

Having undergone stringent airtightness testing, the building was also designed with great attention to all relevant construction detail thus reducing thermal bridges as much as possible. High-performance opaque and transparent façade elements have been used in order to assure a comfortable interior environment. The building was also delivered to BREEAM 2018 Outstanding standard.

Morland Community Hub receives planning 07.02.25

A new community building and associated landscape located in Highbridge for Sedgemoor Community Partnerships (SCP) has received planning permission from Burnham-On-Sea & Highbridge Town Council.

The Morland Community Hub comprises a community hall which is used by several community groups including the Food Bank, Luncheon Club, Brownies, Youth clubs, wellbeing clubs and many more for club meetings, events, workshops and various community projects. A separate workshop accommodates the wood working activities of SHED, based on the successful national Men’s Shed model where members come together to socialise and do practical work. The buildings that accommodate these various activities have become in constant need of repair and are no longer fit for purpose. Replacing these decaying structures with a new multi-use building will secure for the community, the long-term benefit that Morland Community Hub provides.

The SCP Trustees have a mission to create an accessible community focal point that provides a comfortable and welcoming venue for all with a much-needed programme of use. The new community building will meet the needs of the current users but will be flexible enough to accommodate a myriad of future user groups.

The building design places emphasis on sustainable design and construction, renewable energy and being contextually responsive. The external appearance of the building is presented as three (connected) buildings, expressed by their pitched roofs, clad in charred timber. Colour and natural timber will be used to accent particular features on the elevations, around window frame and entrance door reveals. To animate the elevations facing the street and approach, spaces for artwork will take the place of window openings.

In support of the Sedgemoor Community Partnership’s vision for the Morland Community Hub, AHMM along with Avalon, Arup, HT Ecology, Advanced Arboriculture and SLR have developed and prepared the planning application pro bono.

BCO Awards 2025 Finalists 31.01.25

Four AHMM projects have been selected as finalists for the 2025 British Council of Offices (BCO) Awards. Providing public recognition for design quality and a benchmark for excellence in workplaces, these awards acknowledge innovation and focus external attention on examples of best practice.

Norton Folgate, a finalist in the Refurbished / Recycled Workplace category, comprises three urban blocks occupying a prominent position on the City Fringe with the retention of a significant number of historic buildings, creation of six new buildings, and new public realm. Delivered by British Land and an architect team led by AHMM, the masterplan employs a building-by-building approach to the retained existing buildings using restoration, refurbishment, extension, remodelling and façade retention. It sets new standards for retrofit, refurbishment, and redevelopment in central London, and acts as a blueprint for reusing building fabric, which is a necessity in the built environment industry’s approach to tackling the climate crisis.

Assembly Bristol, a finalist in the Commercial Workplace category, transforms a long vacant site adjacent to Bristol city’s inner circuit road and William Jessop’s Floating Harbour. Anchored around a waterfront park, the Assembly Bristol campus creates a new urban place that positively engages with the city, brings colour to the skyline, and links the waterside with a restored historic street, Cheese Lane. Three buildings unify the campus while each possessing a character of its own. Building A, now the Bristol headquarters of BT, is long and narrow, holding the street edge. Building B is the smaller of the trio, enjoying a gentle waterside setting, while Building C brings sculptural height over the public realm.

2 Ruskin Square, a finalist in the Corporate Workplace category, is a ten-storey office development in East Croydon, part of the Stanhope and Schroders masterplan which connects East Croydon station to the town centre. As the new HQ for the Home Office, the building brings together three offices currently spread across Croydon to one location. The project has achieved ambitious environmental and social goals which are being collaboratively addressed with the tenants. It has been designed for adaptability and re-use, and sought to minimise embodied carbon and resource use both in construction and operational energy as a Design for Performance (NABERS UK) pioneer project.

80 Goswell Road, a finalist in the Fit Out category, is a four storey office building set within the creative heart of Clerkenwell, London. As part of this full-service interior refurbishment project, AHMM provided workplace planning strategy, interior architecture, colour, material and finishes design, and FF&E selection. Organising the interior spaces around the idea of an “Architectural Ribbon”, utilitarian functions such as the phonebooths, kitchenette, and printer alcove have been consolidated into a single monolithic volume within the floorplate, resulting in an extraordinary amount of open, flexible floorspace in an otherwise compact site footprint.

Regional judging will take place across January and February with judges visiting the finalist projects, followed by regional award winners being announced during the spring

The Galleries receives planning 30.01.25

Proposals to redevelop The Galleries Shopping Centre to create a residential and commercial led mixed-use development received planning permission from Bristol City Council.

Developed for Deeley Freed with La Salle, the scheme has seen the formation of a vibrant mixed set of uses, including retail, leisure, 450 new homes, office space and purpose built student accommodation for up to 750 students, all set against the backdrop of a new and active public realm.

The scheme has been shaped by a number of significant existing physical constraints. These include the retention of the existing basement and structure, through to incorporation and celebration of heritage assets within, and surrounding the site. These factors, together with Bristol City Council policy, and the contextually rich setting of the site, has helped to inform mass and scale to form a diverse masterplan, one that sets a benchmark for future development within the City.

Stephen Taylor, Director at AHMM said “A unanimous vote at planning committee is a fantastic endorsement for The Galleries redevelopment project. This decision illustrates the city’s support for the much-needed redevelopment of the Broadmead area and sends a positive message that Bristol is open for business.

The existing multistorey car park and inward facing shopping centre was inflexibly designed for single use and is therefore unable to support the radical change that is needed to create a new neighbourhood. We have retained the ground floor, basement and sub-structure to make carbon savings where possible, and from that we have created a new, truly mixed-use scheme, that will revitalise the area and bring long term benefits to the city.”

Norton Folgate shortlisted for a 2025 Pineapple Award 23.01.25

Norton Folgate has been shortlisted in the Creative Retrofit category in this year’s Pineapple Awards.

Comprising three urban blocks, the project sits within the Elder Street Conservation Area and occupies a prominent position within the City Fringe between the City of London and Shoreditch. Rather than applying a blanket strategy, the masterplan employs a building-by- building approach to the retained existing buildings, utilising restoration, refurbishment, extension, remodelling, and façade retention to bring vacant or under used buildings back into use while reconnecting and enhancing the public realm.

Given the variegated character of Norton Folgate, four different architectural practices were brought together to diversify the architectural approach and style. AHMM was appointed as masterplanner and designed three buildings, Blossom Yard and Studios, Nicholls and Clarke, and Loom Court. Stanton Williams, Morris + Company, and DSDHA designed Elder Yard and Studios, 15 Norton Folgate, and 16 Blossom Street respectively, with East leading the public realm strategy.

Across the six buildings, a range of office types have been created with the aim of attracting a wide range of tenants, from start-ups and SMEs to mature organisations, whilst also appealing to the local tech and creative industries. All the buildings provide retail units, again of varying sizes and use classes at ground level to activate the street frontages. The public realm design enhances the tight network of existing streets and creates three new yard spaces that draw on the character of the surrounding historic blocks.

Shortlisted projects will be presented to judges at the Festival of Place at the end of February, with award winners announced in April.

The AHMM OKC office moves into The Citizen 14.01.25

The AHMM OKC office has moved into the 9th office floor in The Citizen, a recently completed mixed-use scheme in downtown Oklahoma City.

From its inception the project has aimed to promote civic discourse by bringing together disparate groups of people together in this modern-day forum. Sitting across the street from the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the generous ground floor volume set back to extend the urban realm deep into the building, and a banking hall and restaurant engage with the building foyer to further activate and enliven the entrance.

Above, a diverse blend of uses includes co-working space, a members’ club, a hotel, and a tech start-up incubator, culminating in offices at the upper levels.

Review of 2024 08.01.25

We have taken a look back at another year of practice – AHMM’s 35th. The tentative emergence of a more positive outlook in the construction industry, along with a steady year of consolidation for our practice, has given us a renewed sense of stability and cautious optimism.

We’re pleased to have seen continued progress on key projects in the UK and US, with the completion of several, including Urbanest Battersea, our first PassivHaus building; the final phase of Assembly, a trio of office buildings in central Bristol; and the Temple Quarter Enterprise Research Hub, the home for Bristol University’s Digital Futures Institute.

Eighteen recently completed AHMM buildings have won acclaim and pan-industry awards, including from the British Council for Offices, the Civic Trust, and the Housing Design Awards. Meanwhile, twelve exciting new projects have gained planning approval, many of which involve the reuse or redevelopment of existing buildings, from large complex schemes in high profile or sensitive urban locations to those much smaller in scale but significant in different ways.

Read our Review of 2024 here.

Civic Trust Regional Finalist 2025 07.01.25

Arthur Stanley House has been selected as a Regional Finalist in the 2025 Civic Trust Awards and will now be considered for a National Award, with winners announced in April 2025.

Located within the Charlotte Street Conservation Area, this project has reinvented a decaying 1960s block in Fitzrovia, London. It was originally designed by TP Bennett Architects, part of the Middlesex Hospital estate, as a centre specialising in physiotherapy with wards and consultation rooms on the upper floors and a hydrotherapy pool in the basement. The hospital trust relocated in 2005 leaving the building vacant and in decline. The project has reinvented it to provide eight floors of modern office accommodation and a new residential building along Tottenham Mews.

The new scheme, which retains more than 70% of the existing fabric, has refurbished the brickwork, added depth to the façade with generous stone reveals, and replaced the existing windows with new high quality triple glazing meeting modern standards while maintaining slim profiles typical of the Fitzrovia character.

The design of Arthur Stanley House celebrates the original building alongside its 21st century additions and complements the conservation area which in parts is fragmented with post-war and recent large-scale developments interspersed with lower scale, historic terraces.

New and old is left exposed within the floorplates to represent the building’s development over a 60-year period, repurposing it for a new generation by creating a design led space for the next 60 years. Additionally, the characterful floorplates give a uniqueness not normally found in commercial floor space.