We’re architects who like to make things, with our own hands or in partnership with others; from a coat-hook to a city block.

We’re excited by variety and we delight in craft, approaching each project with the same curiosity, rigour and ambition regardless of its scale or function. We strive to make the most of modest budgets, pursuing an architecture characterised by expressive gestures of generosity, the marks left by making things by hand, careful detailing, and rich yet robust material palettes.

Collaboration is at the heart of what we do: we enjoy our collaborations with clients, communities, contractors and our students, and believe that architecture should make a positive difference to end-users and local communities alike.

We are proud that our projects and ethos have received numerous awards, including an RIBA London Award, a Housing Design Award, and the BD Young Architect of the Year Award in 2019, an annual award recognising the most promising emerging practice in the European Union.

  • Richard Gatti

    Richard studied at the London Metropolitan School of Art, Architecture and Design and has worked at a number of practices in the UK and Australia on civic, community and play projects. He has taught at London Met at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, and in conjunction with the RIBA runs their ‘Part 3 equivalent’ course for architects who have qualified outside of the UK.

    Richard makes furniture and sculpture, for the practice, for friends and for our clients, and he has a particular interest in exploring the aesthetic potential of a combined handmade and precision-machined approach. In his free time, he supports organisations working with prisoners and refugees, and is on the board of two small housing charities. Richard is a member of SPAB, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. He is also a certified Passive House designer and pushes the practice to be more environmentally and ecologically aware.

  • Tom Routh

    Tom studied at the London Metropolitan School of Art, Architecture and Design and has 15 years experience in practice working on a diverse range of cultural and commercial projects. These include a new research facility for Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Stonehenge Visitor Centre. Prior to training as an architect, Tom received a degree in Art History from the University of East Anglia, and the confluence between visual culture and architecture are central to his approach to practice.

    Tom has been a studio tutor at the London Met and co-ran the Practice in the UK course with Richard. Tom is a member of CADAP, a review panel providing independent and professional design and conservation advice to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on development proposals.