And another @ribalondon Award!
The Brentford Project for @ballymore — delivered alongside @ahmmarchitects , @maccreanorlavington and @grantassocs — has helped reconnect Brentford’s High Street with its waterfront through new homes, walkable public routes and spaces shaped by the area’s working river heritage.
Judges described the scheme as "a transformative landscape-led masterplan".
Thank you again to our client, collaborators and project team for bringing this new place to life.
Link in bio for more.
#RIBAAwards #Brentford
@ribalondon Award for Wembley Gardens!
UNCLE Wembley Gardens for @_hubliving_ brings affordable homes for rent to the heart of Wembley through a pair of elegant towers informed by the area’s Metroland heritage. Defined by horizontal brick banding, ribbon glazing and generous views across London, the project contributes to the wider transformation of Wembley’s town centre.
Judges described the project as "understated excellence".
Thank you to our client, collaborators and project team for bringing this place to life.
Link in bio for more.
#WembleyGardens @uncle_living #RIBAAwards
Thank you to everyone who came along and helped us celebrate our 35 years in style last week!
Founding Partner Glenn Howells summarised: "I am often asked what the highlight of the last 35 years of Howells was. Well, it's not just the legacy of projects and places, but equally relationships and experiences. This journey has been incredible."
Thank you to the #Howells family, to EH Smith Architectural Solutions for allowing us to use your wonderful home and Bread Productions, Premier Productions, the Old Crown Digbeth and Zindiya Streetery for making the celebration happen!
📸 by @ocuk
Eden Dock has received a 2026 Civic Trust Award — one of 21 projects recognised this year.
At Canary Wharf, the historic Middle Dock has been reimagined as a new kind of public space. Floating gardens, walkways and places to pause bring people to the water’s edge for the first time, while creating habitats and supporting biodiversity.
A project shaped through close collaboration with Canary Wharf Group and the wider team — part of a broader shift towards a greener, more civic and inclusive urban landscape.
The Civic Trust judges praised the project “As both a destination and a testbed for innovation, Eden Dock points towards new possibilities for urban water spaces, where ecology, access and experience are brought together in service of a more resilient and engaging city.”
#CivicTrustAwards #EdenDock #CanaryWharf #PublicRealm #LandscapeArchitecture #UrbanDesign #Biodiversity #London #Architecture #Placemaking
Tea Factory, in progress
With an opening set for mid-2027, the BBC’s Tea Factory will be a world-class, net-zero workplace and broadcasting hub in Birmingham city centre.
Exterior works are nearing completion of this full renovation of the 100-year-old industrial Typhoo Tea Building, just a stone’s throw away from the HS2 terminal at Curzon Street.
Our design retains the solid bones of an Art Deco building, enhancing its industrial character of brickwork piers, deep-punched windows and distinctive blue-brick façade to Bordesley Street.
The entire building, along with the transformed surrounding public realm, is conceived as a backdrop to broadcasting, with the buzz and activity of news and entertainment programming visible for all to see.
We look forward to seeing how the fit-out develops over the coming year!
#TyphooWharf #TeaFactory #BBC #Digbeth
The Brentford Project has been shortlisted for a @ribalondon and a @thepineapplesuk
The masterplan rejuvenates the High Street by reconnecting the town centre with the waterfront and restoring lost links to the River Brent and its inland waterways, using a new street pattern that echoes the area’s historic working yards.
The scheme regenerates a 12-acre site in the heart of Brentford into a vibrant destination with homes, retail, restaurants, cafés and leisure. Delivered for @ballymore , this emerging quarter brings industry and landscape together in a distinctive waterside setting.
Hollandbury House stands out within the new neighbourhood. The building's distinctive cantilevered, red-oxide balconies offer residents immersive views over the abundant tree canopies of West London landmarks, Syon Park and Kew Gardens.
Congratulations to @ahmmarchitects , @maccreanorlavington , @grantassocs and the wider project team.
#RIBA #RIBAAwards #PineappleAwards #landscape #regeneration #Brentford #placemaking #neighbourhood
Solihull's town centre revival
Howells has secured unanimous planning approval from Solihull Council Planning Committee for Mell Square, a seven-hectare masterplan in #Solihull.
Developed for Muse, the scheme proposes transforming a mid-20th-century town centre into a mixed-use neighbourhood, responding to changes in retail, housing demand, and town centre use patterns.
Working in collaboration with @museplaces and Solihull Council, Howells’ brief was to redefine Mell Square as a resilient town centre that builds on Solihull’s existing retail offer and independent business culture.
Continue reading via link in bio.
#HolbechePlace #MellSquare #placemaking #WestMidlands
Under the Table: Episode Two, Glenn Howells of @howells_makes
Under the Table: is an interview series with leading architects and designers exploring the ideas, influences, and idiosyncrasies that shape contemporary practice.
Watch the full episode on our website, via the link in our bio.
Film and photography: @superbeam.agency
Thames Road, London – approved!
Our 1,600-home masterplan for client @ballymore , Thames Road, was last night approved by Newham Council.
Thames Road is more than redevelopment; it’s a reconnection. A place where homes, jobs, learning and landscape come together to shape a resilient new community for East London’s riverside.
Team: Daniel Mulligan, George Richardson, Zamira Bushaj, Will Downes.
Find out more via link in bio.
#LondonNeighbourhood #watersideliving #community #architecture #London #Newham #royaldocks
Celebrating our new London Workshop
Last week, we celebrated the opening of our new #workshop in Chapel Market, Islington. Our new space provides us with space to explore and share ideas, curate exhibitions and host events.
The evening was an opportunity to celebrate 25 years in #London and to acknowledge the people who have shaped that journey. Especially our clients and our own team. Together, we have grown a studio that is #collaborative, committed and driven by the belief that the best #design begins with powerful #ideas.
The Octagon’s façade is a study in efficiency, elegance and craft.
By using an octagonal floorplate, the tower cuts façade area by 18%—saving over 1,000 sqm of elevation—and optimises every metre of material. A lightweight, folded aluminium system, built using DfMA principles, reduced embodied carbon while speeding construction to under three years.
Its crystalline geometry isn’t just sculptural: the 600mm folds add strength, provide natural shading and cast deep shadows that shift throughout the day. Horizontal windows maximise daylight and panoramic views while supporting privacy and flexible living.
Finished in a two-tone mica coating, each facet reflects sunrise and sunset differently—giving the tower a constantly changing presence on the city’s skyline.
#TheOctagon #FacadeDesign #BirminghamArchitecture #crafted #skyscraper #architecture
A library of bricks
The EH Smith Design Centre is home to the world’s largest accessible commercial brick display and the most extensive showcase of its kind in Europe.
With over 1,500 types organised by tone, the #brick display acts as a library for #architects, #designers and those in the #builtenvironment to come together throughout the design process.
Ceramic specialists @solusceramics also share the space, bringing their expertise to #Digbeth and the region.
Find out more via link in bio.
