Regeneration architect of the year

With projects ranging from the giant Crown Wharf ironworks site in Greenwich to primary schools in Islington, Pollard Thomas Edward Architects is renowned for its success in regeneration projects across a wide-ranging scale. Whether reshaping an entire neighbourhood or designing a single, bespoke building, the practice strives to help knit communities together. PTEA takes a personalised approach to this aim, negotiating with clients and communities to ensure it makes a difference to local life. “They are pushy on quality and that has stood us in good stead with residents, investors and other partners,” says its long-term client Notting Hill Housing Group. “The forced marriages that we often impose on them is with the knowledge that they will always be there for us.” The fruits of such a trusting relationship are well evident on PTEA and NHHG’s Adastral Village South on the old Hendon RAF base. By remodelling open spaces, the architect has dissolved estate boundaries to reconnect the area to the rest of Barnet, and it acts as a model for other schemes in the area.

Pollard Thomas Edwards’ Adastral Village South project was built on the former RAF Hendon base

Runners-up

South-east London architect BPTW is a key player in the regeneration of its local area, as is demonstrated by its socially sustainable design for Hyde Housing Association’s £12m Pepys site in Deptford, a hub of antisocial behaviour and crime. The firm’s commitment to regeneration also extends beyond its architectural and consultancy services, with 1% of the practice’s annual profits being donated to the “Give something back” community initiative.

Chapman Taylor

With schemes in 45 countries, Chapman Taylor has created award-winning urban regeneration projects in the UK and beyond. One of its most recent projects was the redevelopment of Manchester Arndale following the IRA bombing in 1996, praised by client Prudential for overcoming the “monolithic and hostile image” of the previous design. Manchester council seem pretty pleased too: the project frequently crops up in marketing material for the regenerated city.

Cooper Cromar Scottish architect Cooper Cromar prides itself on an ethos of “enthusiasm, empathy and energy”. Which is probably for the best when you consider one of its current projects is the riverside regeneration of Glasgow Harbour, one of the city’s largest derelict docklands sites. It has also recently completed work on the Glasgow Fort in Easterhouse, transforming an isolated post-war housing estate into a vibrant region with a striking shopping park, providing 1200 permanent local jobs.

Gardner Stewart

Garner Stewart Architects’ recent legacy reads like a who’s who of east London architecture, encompassing the Mile End masterplan and the Royal Docks, featuring the Peabody Crescent Block. The practice also has a history of association with the nation’s political faces, with Blair, Brown and Prescott all having used its Ingress Park development at Greenhithe as a backdrop for speeches. Now there’s an endorsement for you.

PRP Architects

PRP’s reputation in the field of local authority estate regeneration is well illustrated by the results of a set of recent ballots in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Local Authority and tenant representatives from six failing estates voted on a shortlist of firms put forward by the borough to mastermind the regeneration of each site. PRP was chosen for all six, and one of the estates, Crossways, has now seen completion of its first phase.