We are architects who believe in a new way of working rooted in collaboration and well-being
We specialise in designing from first concepts to post-planning detailed design
We then collaborate with specialist delivery designers and manufacturers while staying at our clients’ side through construction
We believe in the power of specialism and collaboration, well-being and sustainability
New Homes in New Ways at The Building Centre
New-works co-founder Tom Lewith will be talking about how we have engaged with Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) in the past - the opportunities and flexibility it can offer, and how that influenced our early work on The Phoenix. Tom will be joining Human Nature’s Andy Tugby for the talk, hosted by the Building Centre. Link here to book.
LSA Good Growth in Practice programme
New-works co-founder Tom Lewith is joining an industry roundtable at the London School of Architecture in November as part of their research for the Good Growth in Practice programme. The programme is an initiative funded by the GLA and the Crown Estate to empower underrepresented practice owners by dismantling procurement barriers and tackling systemic inequity.
RIBA Guerilla Tactics Conference, 2024
New-works co-founders Tom Lewith and Doug Hodgson will be talking at the RIBA in the 2024 Guerilla Tactics Conference about our founding principles: wellbeing, specialism and collaboration. Link here to book.
Pecha Kucha in the pub – The Future of Housing
New-works co-founder Tom Lewith is joining the panel for Pecha Kucha in the pub on 16th October to contribute our views on the subject of The Future of Housing. The event is being hosted by the Architech Network in partnership with Facit Homes. Doors open at 6pm, at the Never For Ever in Kentish Town. Tickets here.
Mental Health and Wellbeing in architecture
New-works co-founder Doug Hodgson was invited on to Jon Clayton’s podcast The Architecture Business Club to discuss mental health and wellbeing in architecture. Link to Episode 1 here.
The important discussion covers two episodes, and covers: collaboration and specialism, practice working hours and the profession's over reliance on low paid young people, the role of eduction in normalising this behaviour and the impact of this on mental health within the profession.
World Mental Health Day
The 10th October is World Mental Health Day, which this year focuses on the theme of mental health in the workplace.
At New-works we see a silent mental health crisis in the profession, and feel passionately that the culture around architectural practice needs to change.
We believe in a new way of working for architects, which prioritises mental health and wellbeing.
New-works at Retrofit 24
The recording of the Retrofit Meets: ESG panel event at the Building Centre is available at this link.
New-works co-founder Tom Lewith presented our Great Suffolk Yard and Low Line arches projects on a panel chaired by Smith Mordak of UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), alongside Darcy Arnold-Jones of MarksBarfield Architects, Jan Kattein of Jan Kattein Architects, and Ed Wealend of Longevity Partners.
Great Suffolk Yard hosts the launch of Open House Festival 2024
Open City recently took over the central courtyard of our Great Suffok Yard project to launch this year’s Open House Festival to industry and press, taking full advantage of a warm, sunny summer evening.
Great Suffolk Yard prioritises retrofit, shared histories, an historic yard, accessible terraces, natural ventilation and multi aspect spaces to explore the potential for post-Covid workspace.
RIBA London Practice of the Month
We are delighted that RIBA London have named New-works as Practice of the Month. More here.
Architecture Business Club podcast
Jon Clayton recently invited New-works co-founder Tom Lewith on to his podcast, the Architecture Business Club. They discussed the changes we are advocating small architecture practices take to address the significant challenges facing the profession. You can listen to the episode here.
Work Experience at New-works
Karina joined New-works for the second of our summer Work Experience placements. Her work included an exceptionally detailed sectional drawing through our the most recent design iteration of the Low Line arches studios. The design has evolved through each implementation to be lower tech, using more easily accessible, regenerative materials. Karina spent the other half of her week looking into why those materials are proposed, researching and proposing possible alternatives.
New-works presenting at the Building Centre as part of Retrofit 24
New-works co-founder Tom Lewith will be on the Retrofit Meets: ESG panel at the Building Centre on Thursday 18th July, 6-7.30pm.
Tom will present our Great Suffolk Yard and Low Line arches projects on a panel chaired by Smith Mordak of UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), alongside Darcy Arnold-Jones of MarksBarfield Architects, Jan Kattein of Jan Kattein Architects, and Ed Wealend of Longevity Partners.
Retrofit Meets is an in person series of panel events at The Building Centre bringing together experts in the built environment.
Open House Festival 2024 launch to be held at Great Suffolk Yard
We are excited to announce that the ever popular Open House Festival will be holding their press and industry launch party at our Great Suffolk Yard project. The event will be in the reception and yard spaces of our 80,000 sqft retrofit and new build scheme for TLS in Borough. New-works Co-founder Doug Hodgson will be giving an introductory speech. There is more about the project here.
Work experience at New-works
Earlier in June we had our first of two summer GCSE work experience placements at New-works. Rodrigo joined us to learn about the importance of regnerative materials and opportunities for using them. His section drawing through our Coombe Street project roof shows a real attention to the material qualities of the roof build up, which incorporates cork, sheeps wool and recycled cellulose.
London Festival of Architecture
Join New-works co-founder Tom on 13th June, 5:30-7:30pm for FACE Forward: A sustainable journey through Southwark, part of the London Festival of Architecture, 2024. The event will take visitors on a tour celebrating Flexible, Adaptable, Commercial and Equitable buildings, ending at our Low Line arches project.
Pride month, June 2024
At New-works we are proud that more than half our team identify as from the LGTBQ+ community.
We believe that being able to be open and true to your unique self in the workplace is fundamental to well-being.
New-works is actively engaging and collaborating to progress inclusion and equality in the Construction industry. We see that the LGBTQ+ community can be a powerful voice at the forefront of the conversation helping to drive that change.
AA Diploma Unit 14 final Jury
Thank you Pierre and Pereen d’Avoine for inviting Doug and Tom to be on the panel for Diploma Unit 14 final Jury, preceding the Unit's final Table reviews in a few weeks time. Each student had numerous outstanding pieces of work and articulated their proposals with clarity and passion to the panel. A truly enjoyable, restorative and creatively inspiring day.
Great Suffolk Yard
“A contemporary idiom of originality and consequence”
Great Suffolk Yard was commissioned by our longstanding client and collaborator, Tailored Living Solutions
Clerkenwell Design Week
Our ‘Reform’ commission for CDW 2018 explored the potential of recycled polystyrene - the design emerged from our collaboration with client Max Fraser, editorial director of Dezeen, and fabricators Bakers Patterns
Forest Pond House
Forest Pond House was self-built with love, food and extra labour provided by our clients
FAB house
FAB house - our volumetric modular housing scheme for Urban Splash - where the success of the design lay in deep collaboration with the factory design team
Jubilee Parade
Elevation studies on a constrained site that made up part of a site assembly opportunity we explored with developers Town and U+I
Kennington Road
Plaster cast exploring volumetric relationships around the site
Pandora
Pandora is a 250,000 sqft Central London workplace and cultural scheme.
Elevational sketch development through gradual layering of hand drawings along an unfolded street frontage. Archival and plaster cast context and precedent studies.
Stoneyfields
Shaded drawings combined with precision 3D prints allowed us to collaborate closely with our client to arrive at our proposals for retrofitting and extending this significant 1968 modernist masterpiece by architect George Buzuk, and introduce multi-generational living
Typology Research
Typology research into successful, historic Southwark yards. We use shaded drawings to balance simplicity and detail in early stage diagrammatic drawings
Forest Pond House
Ben Blossom’s beautiful light and materials time-lapse study of the Forest Pond House