Howells

Reviving Kidderminster Town Hall 🧰 Despite its historical and cultural significance, the Grade II listed @kidderminstertownhall was underused for years before its recent refurbishment. Working alongside Speller Metcalfe, our team contributed to sensitive repairs to the historic fabric, the creation of a new enclosed courtyard, a new loading bay, vertical circulation improvements via new lifts, and the installation of modern mechanical and electrical services throughout. In the Music Hall, structural interventions upgraded the historic timber trusses and purlins to support new building services and preserve the structural integrity and heritage value of the space. Alongside these conservation works, a new stage was constructed. For the new courtyard area, we worked closely with @howells_makes to refine the canopy’s design, developing a visually lightweight structure with slender members and concealed connections. Further structural works included the design of a new sculptural stair and viewing platform, and the installation of a new lift above a brick-vaulted basement. The Town Hall is now open and offers a wide range of events. To learn more about the project, check out our link in bio! 📷 credits: 1-4, 6-8: Speller Metcalfe 5, 9-10: @wyreforestdc #KidderminsterTownHall #HeritageRestoration #HistoricBuildings #GradeIIListed #AdaptiveReuse #BuildingConservation #ArchitecturalHeritage #StructuralEngineering #CulturalSpaces #CommunityRevival #UrbanRegeneration #RefurbishmentProject #ConstructionUK #EngineeringDesign #HistoricPreservation #PublicSpaces #MusicHall #CourtyardDesign #ModernMeetsHistoric #BuiltEnvironment #DesignAndBuild #ArchitectureUK #EngineeringExcellence #MannWilliamsProjects

Tuesday lunchtimes at Howells. I teach yoga and meditation to my fellow yogis during their busy work day offering a pause, breath works, movement and relaxation. Wonderful to see you all each week, always a joy to be there. @howells_makes

Next month, we'll be heading to @thepineapplesuk awards ceremony as Millers Quay has been shortlisted for an award! 🍍 The Pineapples celebrate the places, spaces and place-based initiatives that make a positive impact. Millers Quay has been shortlisted in the ‘Building’ category, with winners to be announced at an awards ceremony in London. Congratulations to all involved! 👏

Over the weekend we were pleased to support the @nssariba on a guided tour of Goods Yard, Stoke-on-Trent, a standout example of heritage-led regeneration in action. Huge thanks to Fraser Godfrey and the team at @howells_makes for sharing the thinking behind the scheme, and to @capitalcentric for opening up the site. And of course to NSSA for bringing the profession together. Once an industrial rail depot, Goods Yard is now home to 174 build-to-rent homes, workspace, leisure uses and a revitalised canalside public realm, reconnecting the city to its industrial past while looking firmly forward. At its core is a simple but powerful framework: Unlock — reconnect the site to the wider community. Create — deliver a destination through flexible, imaginative design. Embrace — celebrate Stoke’s heritage through bold, contemporary architecture. Hearing how this philosophy shaped both design and delivery, from façade detailing to low-carbon materials and rapid construction, offered real insight into what it takes to deliver quality at pace. Now 90% fully let, the project speaks to growing confidence in design-led regeneration in the city. What lessons from Goods Yard could unlock other heritage sites across the region? 📷: Arvin Sarroza #GoodsYardStoke #NSSA #RIBAWestMidlands #UrbanRegeneration #AdaptiveReuse #StokeOnTrent #Architecture

🔵 The Outsider 08 Millers Quay at Wirral Waters | @howells_makes Birkenhead, UK Millers Quay is one of the first residential developments within the Wirral Waters master plan, reshaping the Birkenhead waterfront with a contemporary reinterpretation of its industrial dockland heritage. Comprising six buildings and 500 apartments, the project features iridescent metal façades and pitched roof forms inspired by historic port warehouses. Set along the Mersey River, it combines durable, energy-efficient technologies with a strong architectural identity, creating a vibrant waterfront landmark where history, sustainability and urban living meet. ▶️The Outsider 08 - Link in Bio 📷​ Courtesy of Howells ℹ️ Like every issue, the magazine details the most challenging projects @euramaxcoatedproducts has been involved in, supporting architects and designers with its expertise and professionalism. #THEPLANmag #Architecture #TheOutsider

🍍Nominations for this year’s Pineapple Awards... More awards news with two of our projects shortlisted amongst six finalists in the ‘Place of the Year’ category at this year’s Pineapple Awards, which recognise built and future projects that make a positive impact on places and people. The nominated schemes are: - @goodsyardstoke , Stoke (📷1) - @tileyard_north , Wakefield (📷2) These projects demonstrate the high quality of design being harnessed by towns and cities with an ambitious, sustainable and people-first approach to placemaking. Also nominated in the ‘Building’ category are the @manmetuni Science and Engineering building (📷 3) and @millersquay at @wirralwaters .(📷 4) We’re proud to have played our part in shaping these new places which were designed – and created – with the new and existing communities they will serve in mind, right from the start. #pineappleawards #landscapearchitecture #landscapearchitect #placemakingawards

Join the @nssariba for an exclusive guided site tour at Goods Yard, where heritage, craftsmanship, and modern living converge. Once a bustling industrial rail depot, this transformative canalside development now brings together: ✨ 174 build-to-rent homes ✨ A 150-bed hotel ✨ Offices & flexible leisure spaces ✨ Repurposed Victorian basement & Signal Box Fraser Godfrey (Director, @howells_makes ) will share insights into adaptive reuse, material expression, and heritage-led urban regeneration - showing how Stoke-on-Trent’s industrial past is shaping its contemporary city life. 👀 On the tour, you’ll: Explore the architecture & urban design first-hand See historic features integrated with modern construction Discover how craft, materiality, and canalside regeneration define the space Don’t miss this chance to witness heritage-led regeneration in action and gain a unique perspective on how industrial memory informs the future of urban living. Book now via the link in our bio 👆 #GoodsYardStoke #UrbanRegeneration #ArchitecturalHeritage #NSSA #CanalsideRevival

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

Over 1,500 bricks, arranged by tone, make the EH Smith Digbeth Design Centre the largest accessible commercial brick display in Europe. 🧱⁠ ⁠ With @solusceramics alongside us, the space becomes a collaborative material library for architects, designers and makers shaping the built environment.⁠ ⁠ Find us at 312–314 Bradford St, Birmingham B5 6ET⁠ ⁠ Photography by Greg Holmes (g_holmesphoto) on behalf of @howells_makes ⁠ ⁠ #EHSmith #MaterialsLibrary #Brick #Architecture #ArchitectureUK #Birmingham #Digbeth

Eden Dock by @howells_makes

What does it take to turn a vast, empty warehouse into a new focal point for Birmingham’s design and construction community?⁠ ⁠ A shared history, purpose, and a collaboration years in the making. 🏗️⁠ ⁠ Dive into the story with John Cave of EH Smith and Glenn Howells of Howells Architects (@howells_makes ) as they speak to the full transformation of the EH Smith Digbeth Design Centre.⁠ ⁠ Full interview via the link in bio.⁠ ⁠ #EHSmith #Digbeth #Birmingham #BirminghamDesign #ArchitecturalMaterials #ArchitecturalBricks #BuildingMaterials⁠ ⁠ Film produced by @salt_press ⁠ Film by @matt.les

Three years in the making, a shared Birmingham story, and the vision behind a space unlike anything the city has seen before.⁠ ⁠ Hear John Cave of EH Smith and Glenn Howells of Howells Architects (@howells_makes ) reflect on the journey of the new EH Smith Digbeth Design Centre, their partnership, and what this new chapter means for the industry.⁠ ⁠ Watch the full conversation & explore the story via the link in bio.⁠ ⁠ #EHSmith #Digbeth #Birmingham #BirminghamDesign #ArchitecturalMaterials #ArchitecturalBricks #BuildingMaterials⁠ ⁠ Film produced by @salt_press ⁠ Film by @matt.les