21 Best Architecture Firms in London

London is a city that has been forced to redevelop constantly. Like many cities, it has accrued layers of history. However, events like the Great Fire and The Blitz have also torn holes in the urban fabric, necessitating moments of reflection and rethinking. Nowawada, Georgian, Regency and Victorian architecture are intermingled with hulking Brutalist structures and curving glass façades. From John Nash’s influential residential and urban plans to Alison and Peter Smithson’s radical housing proposals to the anonymous steel giants of Canary Wharf, the city has always been at the forefront of the latest city design trends.

Nowadays, the city remains home to preeminent architectural schools such as UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture. In addition, London’s galleries and museums nurture a design culture with thought-provoking exhibitions about space and society, including the ever-popular Serpentine Pavilion. Meanwhile, as a global metropolis, the British city’s diversity is one of its great strengths. So it’s no wonder that the city is home to a bevy of heavyweight firms and up-and-coming studios whose names are known locally and abroad.

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in London based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

• The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2022)
• The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2022)
• The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2022)
• The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2022)
• The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2022)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of London architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 21 best architecture firms in London:

21. Sheppard Robson Architects

The practice’s work is underpinned by fully integrating a sustainable design methodology that balances efficiency and performance with form.

In the practice’s 75-year history, Sheppard Robson has designed award-winning architecture, interior design and masterplanning projects around the world, building a strong reputation across numerous typologies – including office, education, residential, healthcare, science and retail projects.

From our head office in London and studios in Manchester, Glasgow and Abu Dhabi, the founding principles of innovation and sustainability continue to shape the work of the practice and its interior design group (ID:SR), reinterpreted and enlivened by the creative talent of our designers.

The work of the practice benefits from an ability to have a constructive dialogue with clients and end-users, as well as collaborating closely with other members of the project team throughout the design and delivery of a project.

Some of Sheppard Robson Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• BBC Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, United Kingdom
• The Avenue, Manchester, United Kingdom
• St Ambrose College, Manchester, United Kingdom
• Waingels College, Wokingham, United Kingdom
• No. 1 Old Jewry, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Sheppard Robson Architects achieve 21st place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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20. John McAslan + Partners

We create architecture that improves people’s lives.We do it like this: we aim for an architecture which is rational and poetic, robust and delightful; we tread carefully and build with conviction; we tackle problems head on and think laterally; we deconstruct a brief and let a design emerge from close examination of the pieces; we don’t necessarily take ‘no’ for an answer; we believe the power of architecture extends much further than the dimensions of individual buildings; we believe architecture is about making life better.We believe that buildings should be underpinned by a powerful idea; that the idea should be an intelligent and logical response to functionality and a sense of place; and the power of that idea should be embedded in the built form.

Some of John McAslan + Partners’s most prominent projects include:

• Void Practice Rooms, London, United Kingdom
• King’s Cross Station, London, United Kingdom
• Library + Student Hub, Ambleside Campus, University of Cumbria, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom
• Lancaster University Engineering Building, England, United Kingdom
• Sacred Heart Cathedral, Kericho, Kenya

The following statistics helped John McAslan + Partners achieve 20th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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19. Jan Kattein Architects

We work to realise the civic and spatial opportunities that architecture presents. Our projects, from High Road Leyton to the Kings Cross Skip Garden and Blue House Yard, are establishing a social and a physical legacy. We achieve this by embracing an open, interactive design process that responds positively to the needs and aspirations of the people we work with. By allowing the process to drive the project, we have built a portfolio of inventive projects, each of which makes the most of the unusual opportunities and particular challenges of its site context.

Our method stimulates innovative design, and always seeks to add benefits through education, economic growth, cultural activity or greater community coherence. We believe that an integrated approach is needed for any place to fulfil its potential. This conviction has led us to work across sectors, including regeneration, housing, economic development, education, public space and planning. In each field, our projects are united by their public purpose.

Some of Jan Kattein Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• Ebury Edge, Ebury Bridge, Greater London, England, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Jan Kattein Architects achieve 19th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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18. Creative Prototyping Unit

Creative Prototyping Unit Limited* is a multidisciplinary design studio based in London. The Studio seeks to develop a trans-disciplinary discourse in the intersection of art, science, technology and culturally conscious research. Working in a wide range of design fields with a holistic design approach, CPU Studio strives to challenge the norms and deliver innovative solutions which offers a profound understanding and interpretation of the full range of creative possibilities. Projects range from small furniture, product design and art installation to medium size spatial and hotel design, to large scale stadium design and cultural tourism masterplan.

Some of Creative Prototyping Unit’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Creative Prototyping Unit achieve 18th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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17. Buckley Gray Yeoman

Formed in 1997, Buckley Gray Yeoman is an award-winning architecture and design practice based in Shoreditch, London. Directed by Matt Yeoman and Paul White, the firm provides pragmatic and deliverable solutions to complex design issues.

Founded on the premise that outstanding results require careful planning and an intuitive approach, Buckley Gray Yeoman’s designs adapt and respond to the context of each project to create intelligent and enduring architecture.

The practice’s work is driven by the needs and ambitions of its clients.

Some of Buckley Gray Yeoman’s most prominent projects include:

• Fred Perry Westfield Stratford City, London, United Kingdom
• The Buckley Building, Clerkenwell Green, London, United Kingdom
• Ambika House, London, United Kingdom
• Education First, Brighton, United Kingdom
• C-Space, City of London, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Buckley Gray Yeoman achieve 17th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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16. Jamie Fobert Architects

Since its inception in 1996, Jamie Fobert Architects has had a reputation for innovative and inspiring architectural design in the residential, retail and arts sectors. The practice has demonstrated a consistent approach to resolving client ambitions and site complexities into a tactile architecture of volume, material and light.

Jamie Fobert Architects has garnered several awards, including the RIBA London Award 2014, the Manser Medal and the RIBA and English Heritage ‘Award for a building in an historic context’. The practice has won three major public commissions for cultural organisations: Kettle’s Yard Gallery; the Charleston Trust; and Tate St Ives.

Some of Jamie Fobert Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• Luker House, London, United Kingdom
• Tate St Ives, St Ives, United Kingdom
• Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, United Kingdom
• House in the Caribbean, Caribbean
• Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly, Greater London, England, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Jamie Fobert Architects achieve 16th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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15. RCKa

RCKa provides an innovative model for young architectural practices operating in a challenging and changing civic and economic landscape. Our active and enterprising approach to enabling and securing projects of relevance to the local community is based upon critical dialogue, and was developed to satisfy the central ambition of the practice, to produce consistently high-quality pioneering and socially responsive architecture.

Formed in 2008 following a successful international housing competition win, RCKa quickly established itself as one of the UK’s most exciting young practices.

Some of RCKa’s most prominent projects include:

• Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, United Kingdom
• De La Rue Technology Centre, Basingstoke, United Kingdom
• Churchley Road Allotment Apartments, London, United Kingdom
• The New Generation Youth Venue (TNG), London, United Kingdom
• Twisted House, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped RCKa achieve 15th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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14. Alex Sutton

Some of Alex Sutton’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Alex Sutton achieve 14th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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13. Eva Sopeoglou | architecture

‘Eva Sopeoglou | architecture’ is a London-based and Greece-based professional practice and research studio.

It offers an expertise at the architectural and urban scale in environmental design and sustainability. It pursues a creative engagement with technology, materials and fabrication.

The work has received national and international acclaim, awards and research grants, and has been published and exhibited internationally.

Some of Eva Sopeoglou | architecture’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Eva Sopeoglou | architecture achieve 13th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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12. Orms

We create an architecture that seeks to elevate the human experience through insight, collaboration, and design integrity. We bring meaningful solutions to urban life, creating modern structures of clarity, beauty and rigour, delivering a real and positive impact on people’s lives. At Orms we believe that true innovation is not only in form, but in method. So, we listen. To clients, to each other and to the individuals that live and work in our buildings. We like to start conversations, to educate and encourage debate, ensuring every voice is heard and this insight informs our process, it is embedded into our designs and realised in our structures.

Some of Orms’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Orms achieve 12th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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11. Studio Egret West

We make memorable places that surprise and delight. We design and curate places with compelling narratives and identities, places that are firmly rooted in their context and grow naturally out of it. Places that cultivate sustainable communities, amplify nature, prioritise the public realm, and evolve over time.

We’re a mix of urban designers, architects, landscape architects, graphic designers, model makers, film makers, and more. So we’re all an expert at something and a novice at something else. That keeps the conversation flowing and the ideas coming. We have a lot in common, but it’s our differences that make our Studio the intensely social, productive place it is.

Some of Studio Egret West’s most prominent projects include:

• Plus X, Brighton, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Studio Egret West achieve 11th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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10. PiM.studio Architects

We are PiM.studio, a London-based team of Architects with a global outlook, fresh ideas and big ambitions. We work on architecture, urban design and beyond.

We go beyond what is expected of us in everything we do. We’ve lived and worked in many different places – Italy, France, Japan, China, the Netherlands, the US, Switzerland, the UK – and this has given us broad horizons and a perspective unhampered by preconceptions. Our minds are open, and we believe that almost anything is possible.

We also feel strongly that the very best buildings sit happily in their context. Place is always our starting point. We love the feeling of arriving at a new site – in a new city or even a new country – and seeing it with fresh eyes.

Some of PiM.studio Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• A Second Life Exhibition, London, London, United Kingdom
• Woodland RA exhibition, Royal Academy, London, London, United Kingdom
• Massimo De Carlo Pièce Unique, Paris, Paris, France
• Spinning Climate Change – Les Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens
• St Paul’s Wild Hanging Garden, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped PiM.studio Architects achieve 10th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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9. FORM studio (previously FORM design architecture)

Architecture has the power to transform environments and quality of life. FORM studio aims to create places that can be inhabited and experienced by people in a natural and instinctive way. Enjoyable places with a tranquil sense of simplicity, which create a supportive and uplifting backdrop for life.

Individual solutions are developed for our clients which are an intelligent, inventive and sustainable response to the complex matrix of issues that shapes each project. Solutions with a lucidity and apparent simplicity which belie their underlying complexity.

Listening, analysis, discussion and clarification are at the heart of an inclusive approach that recognises the fact that some of the best ideas are generated in the space between people rather than by individuals.

Some of FORM studio (previously FORM design architecture)’s most prominent projects include:

• Narrow House, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom
• Flatiron House, London, United Kingdom
• Artillery Mansions, London, United Kingdom
• Bermondsey Wall Duplex Penthouse, Greater London, England, United Kingdom
• Benbow Yard, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped FORM studio (previously FORM design architecture) achieve 9th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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8. Brisac Gonzalez Architects

Brisac Gonzalez is a multi-lingual and multi-national architecture firm established in London in 1999 by Cecile Brisac and Edgar Gonzalez. We are concerned with all things architectural in the broadest sense, be it urban or interior design, cultural, commercial buildings, or sociological matters. We work by collaborating with our clients and challenging the conventional to create outstanding architecture, better places to live and work, and greater value in the built environment.

Instead of producing repetitive designs, our work evolves from rigorous working methods that include collaboration with specialist consultants, comprehensive research of our projects sites, extensive use of three-dimensional studies, and most importantly responding to our client needs.

By working on a variety of building types in numerous locations we continuously enrich the knowledge in our practice and the buildings we produce.

Some of Brisac Gonzalez Architects’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Brisac Gonzalez Architects achieve 8th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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7. bureau de change

Bureau de Change is an award winning architecture practice founded by architects Katerina Dionysopoulou and Billy Mavropoulos. Its work is a direct product of the founders’ upbringing, passions and experiences – combining the pragmatism and formality of their architectural training with a desire to bring a sense of theatre, playfulness and innovation to the design of spaces, products and environments. The result is a studio where rigorous thinking and analysis are brought to life through prototyping, testing and making.

Some of bureau de change’s most prominent projects include:

• The Interlock, London, United Kingdom
• Slab House, London, United Kingdom
• Step House, London, United Kingdom
• Long House, Cirencester, United Kingdom
• Frame House, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped bureau de change achieve 7th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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6. Michaelis Boyd

Michaelis Boyd is a design-led architectural practice with a uniquely creative approach that challenges and develops a client’s brief to create elegant, effective and rewarding solutions. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that each scheme functions in the best possible manner, in terms of flow, light and space.

Some of Michaelis Boyd ‘s most prominent projects include:

• Brewdog Clapham, London, United Kingdom
• Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, North West, Botswana
• The Groucho Club, Dean Street, London, United Kingdom
• Battersea Power Station : Residential Interior Architecture, London, United Kingdom
• Arijiju, Kenya

The following statistics helped Michaelis Boyd achieve 6th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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5. Patel Taylor

Patel Taylor is an award-winning architectural practice, responsible for projects that range in size from city planning to private residences, and everything in between. We have a proven track record in designing exemplary residential, mixed-use and workplace developments, as well as educational and cultural buildings. The practice is currently working on some of the largest urban regeneration schemes in the UK.

Some of Patel Taylor’s most prominent projects include:

• Essex University Silberrad Student Centre, Colchester, United Kingdom
• Athletes’ Village, London, United Kingdom
• Eastside City Park, Birmingham, United Kingdom
• London Dock, London, United Kingdom
• Courtyard Housing, Barking, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Patel Taylor achieve 5th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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4. Bennetts Associates

Bennetts Associates creates sustainable and enduring architecture. As one of the UK’s leading practices, their diverse portfolio has been celebrated with more than 150 awards over 30 years and covers education, cultural and workplace projects in both the public and private sector, ranging from masterplans to small historic buildings. They are an employee-owned trust of 70 people with studios in London, Edinburgh and Manchester, and have recently earned Building Design’s Higher Education Architect of the Year 2019 Award.

Bennetts Associates also leads in their field in sustainability – in April 2019 they became the world’s first architects to secure Science Based Target approval and commit to the UN’s Climate Neutral Now campaign.

Some of Bennetts Associates’s most prominent projects include:

• Bennetts Associates’ London Studio, London, United Kingdom
• London Fruit and Wool Exchange, London, United Kingdom
• Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom
• New Street Square, London, United Kingdom
• Syggrou Office Complex, Athens, Greece

The following statistics helped Bennetts Associates achieve 4th place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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3. Tim Greatrex Architect

Tim Greatrex Architect, founded in 2013, is a design and architecture studio based in London. The practice started from a passion for the unique history of London’s buildings and works sensitively to adapt them to today’s commercial, retail and domestic uses. At the heart of the work is a commitment to addressing the context, history, ambition and timescale of each project to generate a considered and elegant design.

Tim enjoys collaborating with other designers and working closely with clients, consultants and suppliers to achieve the ideal solution. The studio is currently working on a range of projects from residential to exhibition design and commercial / retail commissions. The practice utilises the latest 3D modelling software, Revit Architecture (BIM), providing the highest quality of service through coordinated architectural drawings, 3D visualisations and material quantities, of project information at all stages.

Some of Tim Greatrex Architect’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Tim Greatrex Architect achieve 3rd place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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2. Arup Architecture

Arup Associates is the architecture practice of Arup. Set up in 1963 and underpinned by Ove Arup’s belief that built space will be inspirational when all of its components work in harmony, our holistic design approach integrates expertise from the diverse range of specialists and the amassed body of knowledge across Arup. The practice has repeatedly won awards for our projects on the basis of the exceptional standards that they set.

Some of Arup Architecture’s most prominent projects, where they often collaborated with other firms, include:

The following statistics helped Arup Architecture achieve 2nd place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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1. Heatherwick Studio

Heatherwick Studio is a team of 180 problem solvers dedicated to making the physical world around us better for everyone.
Based out of our combined workshop and design studio in Central London, we create buildings, spaces, master-plans, objects and infrastructure. Focusing on large scale projects in cities all over the world, we prioritise those with the greatest positive social impact.

Working as practical inventors with no signature style, our motivation is to design soulful and interesting places which embrace and celebrate the complexities of the real world. The approach driving everything is to lead from human experience rather than any fixed design dogma. The studio’s completed projects include a number of internationally celebrated buildings, including the award-winning Learning Hub at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and the UK Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010. The studio is currently working on 30 live projects in ten countries.

Some of Heatherwick Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Little Island, New York, NY, United States
• Maggie’s Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
• Toranomon-Azabudai, Tokyo, Japan
• Savarin, Prague, Czechia
• Lantern House, New York, NY, United States

The following statistics helped Heatherwick Studio achieve 1st place in the 21 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “”+”” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

• Project completed within the last 3 years
• A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
• Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
• High quality, in focus photographs
• At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
• Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
• Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.

 

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We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.