Ken Shuttleworth's firm admits headcount has been reduced by 30
Make Architects, the firm set up by Lord Foster's former right-hand man, Ken Shuttleworth, is to close its office in Edinburgh.
In a statement the practice said that its remaining work will be consolidated into its London and Birmingham studios due to the “current economic conditions”.
Make admitted its headcount had been reduced from 130 in the summer to 100 today, though it did not say that it had been forced to make redundancies.
The statement said: “Our strategy for the coming years is to build on our existing work in the UK public and private sectors while actively pursuing a range of projects and opportunities globally including in Asia and the Middle East.”
The admission follows speculation that Shuttleworth's firm has been suffering disproportionately from the fallout of the credit crunch.
Much of the practice's work is in the commercial sector, and some of its high-profile schemes, including Noho Square – which the firm designed for Candy & Candy – have been put on hold in recent months.
Architects in general are being forced to scale down operations as the recession begins to bite and private sector development dries up.
Among the firms known to have made headcount reductions since the summer are 3D Reid, Assael, BDP, Chapman Taylor, Grimshaw and Kohn Pederson Fox.
No comments yet