Astudio

Astudio Astudio is an award-winning research-led practice committed to delivering high-quality innovative architecture in a wide range of sectors.

Astudio is an award-winning design-led practice committed to delivering high-quality innovative architecture in a wide range of sectors – characterised by strong conceptual thinking, enduring and sustainable design and collaborative working. Our design and development process is highly inclusive, and we strongly encourage the engagement of clients, stakeholders, consultants and experts from other

industries. Astudio projects range from large regeneration developments to new built and refurbishing works for schools, youth centres, libraries, residential and mixed use. Currently, we are involved in a zero-carbon residential scheme for East Wick and Sweetwater adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, several high-profile education projects, and two large-scale mixed-use urban developments in Central and South London. Our pursuit of new ways to reduce carbon and change behaviours gained us the coveted title of Architectural Practice of the Year in 2012. Sustainability is firmly embedded in all our work, with our in-house environmental engineer steering and guiding our concepts from the start, ensuring the inclusion of sustainable design measures, features and fabric. We established our Astudio Research and Development group to investigate new ways of seeing and thinking about the challenges we face in the industry. With this group, we explore visionary concepts that enable us to consider how we may cross boundaries taking us out of architecture and work with different fields of expertise that can help us solve sustainable construction in new ways. We look to the future to propose buildable solutions today. One result of our research and development initiatives is the recent establishment of a new enterprise, 63000Homes, to produce and install low-cost high-quality homes using off-site construction technology.

This Earth Day, we’re examining how buildings can achieve greater efficiency. 🌎Using ISOMAT™, we’re exploring how therma...
24/04/2026

This Earth Day, we’re examining how buildings can achieve greater efficiency. 🌎

Using ISOMAT™, we’re exploring how thermal energy can be captured during the day and released at night, reducing reliance on active systems and pressure on the planet’s natural resources.

This product is part of a much bigger shift towards passive, energy-efficient design.

Feel free to get in touch if you would like to find out more!


engineering

02/04/2026

To conclude our Sketch to Site series, we are highlighting the multiple award-winning regeneration of Ebury Bridge Estate for Westminster City Council.

The masterplan delivers 781 homes (56% affordable), making it Westminster’s largest council-led estate regeneration. Phase 1 (2025) delivered 226 homes, alongside new public realm and podium-level amenity space.

Green terracotta cladding creates a distinctive façade, with balcony balustrades carefully detailed to reflect the wider masterplan design.

Our tenure-blind approach ensured consistent design quality across the development, while new public spaces create a safer, more connected neighbourhood.

Threw off-site manufacturing and low-carbon technologies, the scheme achieves a 90% reduction in operational carbon and a BREEAM Communities Outstanding rating.

Ebury Bridge balances the needs of an existing community with high-quality, sustainable design, creating a future-focused estate residents are proud to call home.


24/03/2026

For this week’s Sketch to Site, we’re focusing on the education sector by reflecting on a project astudio was appointed to design and deliver as a fit-out for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Located at One Bartholomew Close in the City of London, the campus supports the MBA Europe Program, providing 43,000 sqft of teaching and support space across three floors.

The scheme brings together a range of functions, including classrooms for up to 100 Executive MBA students, alongside meeting rooms, hospitality, and administrative spaces, creating a flexible and comfortable environment for both students and staff. In designing the lecture theatres, we worked to maximise capacity, sightlines, and proximity to the teaching wall.

The staggered internal staircase forms a beautiful key architectural feature, allowing natural light to flow through the building while visually connecting each level. An alumni wall ties the spaces together, celebrating the school’s legacy while inspiring future cohorts.

The material palette blends raw dark steel with matte, naturally oiled walnut, creating a contemporary expression that responds to the institution’s heritage.

The design balances architectural ambition with performance, delivering a flexible and carefully considered learning environment that supports collaboration and focused study.



12/03/2026

For this week’s Sketch to Site, we’re focusing on the health sector by reflecting on an early project that astudio was commissioned to design by Circle Health.

Estuary View Medical Centre, Whitstable, completed in 2009, was conceived around a unique and forward-thinking brief: to bring together both private and public healthcare facilities within a single building.

The design is formed of two interlocking blocks, creating a new public space and shared entrance that serves both functions.

A continuous timber façade wraps around the perimeter of the building, combining a traditional material approach with a contemporary architectural expression.

Vertical timber fins were carefully designed to minimise solar gain, providing shading throughout the day while shaping the building’s distinctive character.

The timber cladding draws inspiration from Whitstable’s coastal setting, reflecting the aesthetic of nearby beach groyne sea defences and beach huts, connecting the health centre to its surrounding natural environment.

Happy International Women’s Day! Today we marked International Women’s Day, celebrating the women who shape our architec...
09/03/2026

Happy International Women’s Day!

Today we marked International Women’s Day, celebrating the women who shape our architecture practise. With 64% of our team made up of women, we’re proud to be part of a shift in an industry where female representation has historically been low.

Here’s to supporting, mentoring, and championing women in architecture!

As it’s National Careers Week, we’re excited to reflect on how we continue to inspire future architects through the work...
05/03/2026

As it’s National Careers Week, we’re excited to reflect on how we continue to inspire future architects through the work experience opportunities we offer at astudio.

We are proud that our placements allow the next generation to explore what a career in architecture is really like during their time with us. From developing concepts through sketching and model-making to documenting their ideas through photography, they build creativity, innovative thinking, and problem-solving skills along the way. Students also shadow members of our team in DTM’s and join site visits, giving them the opportunity to see how these skills are applied on live projects.

Our longstanding relationship with Harris Academy Sutton enables us to attend their careers events, where we speak with Year 9 students about the pathway into architecture, what studying the subject is like, and how subjects across the national curriculum can contribute to a future career in architecture.

We’re also committed to giving students opportunities to connect with our team. By hosting school activity carousels in our studio, larger groups can experience Virtual Reality in modern architecture, try hands-on model-making by converting drawings into physical form, and take part in a maths workshop that demonstrates how mathematical thinking is used throughout the architectural design process.

We really believe these opportunities make a difference and are always delighted to hear when students who have spent time with us go on to pursue careers in architecture!



27/02/2026

This week’s Sketch to Site focuses on Eastwick and Sweetwater, situated on the western edge of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. In Phase 1, completed in 2021, we collaborated with Places for People and Balfour Beatty to deliver over 100 apartments and townhouses, alongside vibrant mixed-use and community spaces at ground level, contributing to the development of inclusive and affordable homes for Londoners.

Using advanced 3D CAD modelling, our zero-carbon homes respond to the architectural character of local warehouses around Hackney Wick, featuring large windows to maximise daylight, exposed raw materials, and carefully modelled internal spaces.

Our masterplan respects the views across the park, which are visible from the living spaces of these homes.

Every resident benefits from private outdoor space and shared amenities, while ‘liveable streets’ extend front gardens into playful thresholds that encourage community interaction.

&Sweetwater

19/02/2026

For this week’s Sketch to Site, we revisit the retrofit of 70 Wilson, a modern low-carbon co-working office space in Shoreditch, completed in 2016. In 2018, the project was recognised for its innovative design approach, receiving a RIBA London award in the commercial category.

The existing 1980s office building and adjacent Grade II listed buildings were refurbished and extended in collaboration with Low Carbon Workplace and to create a future-proofed workspace. The project achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating, underpinned by low-carbon design principles.

Working within the constraints of the existing structure, we increased the net floor area by 25% by rationalising the floorplates and introducing a steel-framed, two-storey rooftop extension. Patinated copper cladding gives the building a distinctive contemporary warehouse character, while remaining in keeping with the surrounding red brick context.



12/02/2026

At astudio, we are committed to supporting education through thoughtful and inclusive design. This week, we read with welcomed interest the Department for Education’s announcement of its 10-year plan to transform the education estate by ensuring more children and young people across the country will be learning in brilliant classrooms that are fit for the future, resilient to climate change and have access to dedicated ‘inclusion bases’ for children to access SEN support.

For this week’s Sketch to Site feature, we are highlighting St Paul’s Way Trust School in Tower Hamlets, built in 2010.

This school had previously been placed in special measures, but within two years of the new school being completed, Ofsted rated the school Outstanding, citing the building design as a significant contributor to its educational success.

Throughout the design process the students’ voices were heard, allowing them to play an active role in shaping their school environment and developing an understanding of the architectural design process. Through top lit atriums and multiple types of teaching spaces - traditional classrooms through to open spaces, the design allowed for a number of different teaching styles to be used to engage the students.

The school sits proudly and engages openly with the street, with no fencing separating it from the public realm, giving it a clear sense of place within its community. Through a clear design strategy and low-energy design principles, including natural ventilation and high thermal mass, the building has reduced its carbon use by 60% compared to a typical school.



04/02/2026

As part of the Government’s National Youth Strategy, published in December 2025, £500 million will be invested over the next four years to deliver 250 new or refurbished youth centres, 50 Young Futures Hubs across England, and enhanced support for youth workers. This renewed investment highlights the enduring importance of youth-focused civic spaces and has prompted us to reflect on a youth centre we designed 13 years ago.

This week’s Sketch to Site highlights Spotlight, a youth centre in Tower Hamlets built for .harca and completed in 2013. Delivered as part of the Government’s MyPlace programme, the project was shaped by the voices of over 7,500 young people, making Spotlight a true example of co-creation.

The building has a strong focus on the creative industries, with music and performance spaces sitting alongside the re-provision of the Lansbury Boxing Gym. A defining feature is the boxing ring on the top floor, visible through a large façade window overlooking the park, transforming the boxing into a theatrical spectacle for the wider community.

Our vision was to merge three functions: sixth form, boxing club and youth space, into one inclusive building. Two interlocking cubes form a central triple-height performance space at its heart, with circulation wrapping around it so the building itself becomes a piece of theatre. The constantly changing façade, clad in dichroic painted embossed metal, reflects the individuality of the young people it serves.

.harca

28/01/2026

We’re revealing the dynamic design journey behind our projects—starting with Uncommon Holborn. ✍️

Through considered additions and infills, the design has increased the internal area by 16%, transforming Templar House into a modern, flexible workplace. Improved internal systems and building fabric support a more sustainable building, while integrated biophilia improves air quality and maximises natural light.

Uncommon Holborn has achieved BREEAM Excellent, reflecting the sustainable and impactful approach behind the design.

Follow along as we share the design journeys behind more of our projects.



Address

4th Floor, 30 Millbank, Millbank
London
SW1P4DU

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Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm

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+442074014100

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