Burwell Architects

13/11/2025

At UCL’s Royal Free Hospital campus, Burwell Architects transformed a previously underused corner into something far more meaningful, a warm, welcoming student hub that prioritises calm, connection, and wellbeing.

The new Royal Free Hub was designed to support a wide range of student activities and moods.

A mix of high-backed sofas creates quiet focus zones, while large shared tables and a window-side bar offer spaces for collaboration or solo work in natural light. A softly separated kitchen area introduces a domestic sensibility, encouraging students to relax, socialise, and take a breather between sessions.

Outside, new planting and generous balcony furniture bring nature and fresh air into the daily student experience.

At its heart, this project is about recognising the power of small, thoughtful interventions. By reimagining a forgotten space, we’ve created somewhere that feels just as nurturing as it is practical, a space to study, recharge, and feel at home.

30/10/2025

🏛️ Heritage buildings are living, breathing contributors and collaborators in shaping the future of our cities, with structure, soul, and stories to tell.

We approach these buildings as if they’re speaking to us, and we listen closely. What is this place saying? And what does it need to say next?

At Charles Clore House for the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, a Grade II* listed brutalist landmark has been retrofitted to meet modern research needs while preserving its material richness and spatial clarity.

From complex reuse projects like Empire House in Piccadilly to the reinterpretation of civic landmarks such as Kent House, our work is not only about preservation. It’s about shaping the future with care and intention — co-authoring the next chapter in the life of these buildings.

🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/dZsHZH2U

hashtag

03/10/2025

Team bonding level: Strike! (aka: We invited the women… they wisely declined.)

Fun was had, drinks were poured, egos were bruised (some of us really thought we were good at bowling). We may not be pro bowlers, but we’re definitely pros at laughing at ourselves.

PS: Ladies, you missed a spectacle. Join us next time?

25/09/2025

🌍 Reimagining academic spaces at UCL
Burwell Architects were commissioned to carry out a feasibility study for the Department of Geography at University College London, exploring how new teaching, research, and social spaces could be integrated into the historic heart of its Bloomsbury campus, enhancing both the department’s identity and the day-to-day experience of students and staff.

Our approach was to integrate new teaching, research, and social spaces into the historic core of the building, prioritising natural light, intuitive circulation, and spatial clarity.

🧭 Refurbished lecture and seminar rooms
🔬 Upgraded research and academic spaces
💬 New breakout and social areas
🌞 Improved daylighting and spatial flow

The study offered a valuable framework for how sensitive interventions can support academic excellence, wellbeing, and a strong sense of place, all while respecting UCL’s historic context.

🔗 Learn more: https://bit.ly/4eiRgQ9

Burwell conducted a feasibility study into the possible collocation for UCL's Department of Geography. The department is currently spread across two separate locations, which has a negative impact on collaboration and cohesion. The intention it to provide a single, unified home for the Department wi...

18/09/2025

💺 Connect™: Reinventing the Lecture Theatre
From Loughborough to Imperial, Leeds to Queen’s Belfast, Burwell Architects’ Connect™ seating has transformed lecture theatres across the UK.

Originally designed in 2011, Connect™ was developed to support the evolving needs of higher education by blending didactic teaching with collaborative learning in a single, integrated environment.

Unlike fixed seating or loose furniture, Connect™ strikes a balance:
• Continuous benches that encourage peer interaction
• Shared tables with integrated digital infrastructure
• Designed for comfort, accessibility, and long-term flexibility

Connect™ has been installed in:
• Loughborough University Design School
• Imperial College London, South Kensington
• University of Leeds (Worsley, Robert Stevens and Mech Eng buildings)
• Queen's University Belfast
• ICE Student Chapter Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus

Whether retrofitting existing auditoria or designing new spaces, Connect™ helps universities create high-performance teaching environments that prioritise interaction, inclusivity and adaptability.

Find out more: https://bit.ly/4lX08xi

11/09/2025

Heritage-led retrofit, elevated for the modern workplace.
Kent House demonstrates our ongoing commitment to repositioning historic buildings for a new era of work.

Working with Great Portland Estates, we transformed this 1930s Art Deco landmark in Fitzrovia with a deep retrofit strategy that preserves original character while unlocking new opportunities for collaboration, flexibility, and wellbeing.

From reimagining the rooftop plant level into panoramic amenity space to carefully refurbishing circulation areas, bathrooms, and showers, the design respects every detail while meeting the expectations of a post-pandemic workplace.

🔗 Find out more: https://bit.ly/3I2u39k

21/08/2025

Fords Park Road [4/4]
Housing that stands the test of time
Built using traditional construction techniques with robust, contemporary detailing, the project delivers clarity and quality within a modest budget.

It’s an example of how affordable housing can be enduring, grounded in place, and architecturally ambitious.

20/08/2025

Fords Park Road [3/4]
A place to live and belong
Homes are designed with residents in mind, featuring dual or triple aspect layouts, generous floor-to-ceiling heights, and a strong connection to green space.

The scheme forms a subtle edge to Fords Park, fostering community while supporting individual comfort and wellbeing.

19/08/2025

Fords Park Road [2/4]
Materiality with purpose
The buildings use a red multi-stock brick that references the local Victorian context. Deep-set window reveals, projecting balconies, and crisp aluminium details bring depth and rhythm to the façades while supporting longevity and low maintenance.

18/08/2025

Fords Park Road [1/4]
Affordable homes with identity and dignity
Designed for One Housing Group, this scheme delivers 30 affordable homes across two carefully scaled blocks.

The massing responds to its neighbourhood context with strong, simple brick forms and clean detailing that balances privacy, openness, and identity.