Archio Ltd

Archio has won a commission for a new social housing development at Collinson Court in Southwark, London, on land owned by the @cityoflondoncorp . The appointment has been made through the Greater London Authority and Transport for London Architecture and Urbanism (A+U) Framework, and will deliver 20–25 new homes for social rent, alongside new porter’s facilities and improvements to the landscape and existing estate.   Our challenge is to add new homes to an existing estate without losing the qualities that make a place work for the people already living there. This challenge is one of the reasons estate infill matters so much. Done well, it can create genuinely affordable homes in places with strong connections, established communities and everyday infrastructure already in place.   To read more about it, check out the AJ link in our bio 🔗

There’s nothing like a study trip, and so what a joy for the Archio team, as we all travelled to Brussels and Antwerp to explore some of the region’s recent housing projects.   First up was the Tours and Taxis development, a 93,000 m2 new residential quarter which includes 18 buildings providing 900 homes, and is being designed in collaboration by AWG, Sergison Bates and noaArchitecten.   The urban form is characterized by a blend of restored, massive 20th-century industrial buildings (like the Gare Maritime) and new dense, human-scale, mixed-use construction. We all enjoyed some nerdy analysis of street-facing balconies, raised-ground floors, thresholds, scale, materiality, accessibility and connection to greenery.   In Antwerp the Cadix district in Antwerp provided a contrast of approaches of large-scale masterplans on this former industrial and dockland site, offering a different perspectives on density and urban strategy. Again, we indulged ourselves in measuring courtyard widths, analysis brick pattern making, ground floor through flats in courtyard blocks, and generally oohed and aahed over the very high quality of housing and construction.   There’s a real value that lies in stepping outside the UK context to observe first hand how other European cities approach housing delivery. Experiencing different approaches to scale, material, and neighbourhood-building challenges our own assumptions and pushes us to expand our thinking on the work we deliver back home.   Thinking about how we build naturally led us to look closer at what we build with, making our eye-opening tour with BC Materials another standout moment for the team. Getting hands-on with their circular earth building materials prompted deep conversations about the future of sustainable design and retrofit. The Belgian authorities are so forward-thinking in their approach to passport-ing reclaimed materials for future use.   And of course, no trip to Belgium would be complete without properly testing out the local frites and waffles along the way!

Archio Directors Kyle and Mellis are going to be at UKREiiF this year on the 19th and 20th of May. The very fun “Public Housing Pub Quiz” is taking a fallow year, but if you’re planning to be there too and want to connect to talk all things housing delivery, affordable housing, housing retrofit, engagement… then please send us a message!

Lewisham Shopping Centre has taken home the Future Place award (under 20ha) at this year’s Pineapple Awards – so many congratulations to lead designer, masterplanner and landscape architect Studio Egret West, and client Landsec. A project like this only succeeds when the client genuinely believes in the vision. Landsec U+I have shown real ambition and commitment throughout, pushing for a scheme that doesn’t just regenerate a town centre, but creates a place people will be proud to call their own. Working alongside Studio Egret West has been a genuine privilege. Their masterplan for Lewisham holds together the Victorian-Edwardian character of the High Street with the contemporary ambition of a new neighbourhood. Thank you to everyone involved: @landsec_uandi @studioegretwest , @maearchitects , @studiomulti_arch , and @quodplanning Thanks also to Cristine Murray and @thedeveloperuk for a fantastic, eccentric, curious and inspiring celebration at the Pineapple Awards last night!

The UK’s housing challenge isn’t just about building more homes – it’s about building better ones. For decades, volume delivery has been dominated by low-density, standardised suburban models that prioritise short-term profit over efficient land use and lasting places. That approach is no longer viable. Architect-led housing offers a proven alternative. Far from being a luxury, good design is a practical tool that enables higher density without sacrificing quality. It enables higher density, better land use and creates places people actually want to live in. In partnership with Architects’ Action for Affordable Housing, the AJ has launched Good Homes for All 2.0, building on the success of the first edition, and Temple Gardens has been included as a featured project. The guide explores healthier living environments, lower long-term public costs, reduced energy bills and carbon emissions and more durable, adaptable homes. The takeaway? Intelligent density can deliver better streets, stronger communities and more sustainable outcomes. The real question is no longer whether we can afford to prioritise design – but whether we can afford not to.

19 social rent homes. A council-led Passivhaus scheme in Hackney. A landscape co-designed with the community. And a huge slide! We’re delighted to share that Morris Blitz Court has been shortlisted for a Housing Design Award 2026. Designed for London Borough of Hackney the project transforms a disused housing office in Stoke Newington into 19 100% social rent homes.  See the full project via the link in our bio.

We are proud to see Citizens House on the cover and inside as a case study of the latest Future of London report, Homes for the Future. As the report states: “London’s housing challenge is often framed in terms of numbers: how many homes can be delivered, and how quickly. Targets alone will not shape the kind of places London needs. Homes must be safe, affordable and well-designed in neighbourhoods where people can connect, find good jobs and grow businesses. Rising viability challenges are making housing delivery increasingly difficult today, but our research looked beyond immediate pressures to the next decade. Through stakeholder workshops and field trips, industry leaders helped us develop the five themes of this report – relevant, sociable, equitable, sustainable and safe – that are essential qualities of the homes and neighbourhoods of the future.“ You can read the full report and explore these ideas via the link in our bio.

When we designed Angel Yard in Norwich, we spent a lot of time thinking about how to honour the city’s unique architectural fabric while delivering a totally new type of urban living. By arranging the homes around a central courtyard, we drew directly on the historic ‘yards’ that formerly occupied the site, while our air source heat pump enclosures were expressed as modern 'chimneys' to reference the neighbouring Georgian street. It was this blend of historical sensitivity and modern housing delivery that led to the project winning a Housing Design Award for Innovation. We believe that a city’s past should define its future. Norwich has such a layered, rich heritage—from its medieval streets to its monumental industrial architecture. Working here has shown us that historic, brownfield sites offer the most incredible foundations for bold, distinctive placemaking that brings new life, and new people, to the city.

At Home with Archio! Last week we celebrated our brand relaunch with our amazing community, centered around one core belief: talking to people makes design better. Thank you to everyone who came, and to our incredible speakers: Jacob Willson, Alpa Depani, Will Greatrex, Jo McCafferty, and Peter Murray OBE, as well as our amazing Archio team. Check the link in our bio to explore our new website and brand and let us know what you think.

We are delighted to welcome Matt Murphy to the Archio team as our new Associate Director. Matt was previously an Associate Director at Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, where he spent the last fifteen years leading the design and delivery of a broad range of schemes across housing, commercial, education, public realm and retail sectors. He brings extensive experience in managing, designing and delivering complex, mixed-use urban regeneration projects, and his expertise spans the full project life-cycle, focusing on efficient use of resources in design, construction and operation. Across his career Matt has been committed to delivering robust, buildable, and delightful design solutions, leveraging the reach and scale of commercially driven development to promote positive social and environmental outcomes. Matt has joined Archio to use this experience to support the continued growth of the business, and most importantly to design and deliver housing developments for and with the people that will use them. Please join us in giving Matt a very warm welcome to the practice!

In January the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government released their new design guidance for consultation, and we are proud that Temple Gardens features as the cover image. The report highlights the project as a case study for local identity, noting how restoring a vacant Grade II listed pub alongside new homes protects local character and allows people to connect to their heritage. The guidance seems is a holistic view of good design and creating high-quality places. Please let us know what are your thoughts on the content? Links to the report and our website are in our bio.

Archio is seeking an experienced Architect to join our team in London. Archio is a practice focussed on housing and community-led projects, often working directly with end users and community groups. Our ethos is to deliver positive social impact through our processes as well as our built work. We have been named in the “Top 50 Social Housing Architects in the World” and have won multiple awards for our co-design and affordable housing projects, including two National RIBA Awards in 2025. This is an exciting opportunity to work on housing, community, retrofit and collaborative-design projects. Our team is committed to the positive benefits that our design can bring, and this role would really suit a candidate who is passionate about the process of design, as well as the output.
  🔗 Check the link in our bio to see how to apply! 🔗