Gort Scott and Allies and Morrison are hosting a series of walking tours of Gateway West and Gateway Central during the Open House Festival 2023 on Wednesday 6 September and Sunday 10 September.

See inside the newest low energy workspace buildings in White City Place, an established creative and life sciences hub of London. Not ordinarily open to the public, these tours present a unique opportunity to see two complementary approaches to workplaces and amenities. The tours given by architects from both practices will offer their valuable insights into design and construction, and the surrounding area.

Project architects from Allies and Morrison and Gort Scott will lead the tour giving first-hand insight into the concept, design process and inspiration behind both projects. There will be a chance for the tour attendees to ask questions to further tap into this expert knowledge.

Book your free tickets here.

Technical Director Chis Neve is attending the RIBA Oxfordshire networking event hosted at
St Hilda’s College in Oxford on the 15^th of September.

Chris has been St Hilda’s College project lead and will be joining the building tour and talking about the process of creating a more connected and inclusive space for the college.

The event will take place on Friday 15^th September and tickets are available here.

Gort Scott have been shortlisted for Refurbishment Architect of the Year category in the Architect of the Year Awards. We are proud to have been shortlisted alongside many friends and aspirational practices.

Our commitment to refurbishment, retrofitting, and extension work is long-standing. We prioritize these practices not only to reduce embodied carbon, wastage, and energy consumption but also because they provide social benefits for occupants, the community, and our shared heritage.

Winners to be announced 17th October at the Awards ceremony at The Brewery in London.

Jay Gort and Fiona Scott have been invited by the Oxford Preservation Trust (OPT) to deliver the annual RIBA Lecture on the 5th September. With previous RIBA Lectures having been given by Alison Brooks, Jim Eyre and Niall McLaughlin; we are looking forward to becoming part of an ongoing discussion.

The lecture, “Resonance”, will include Gort Scott’s work for St Hilda’s College as well as other projects in Oxford, London and internationally.

We will present insight into how we find resonances with place and context, and respond to new ways of living, working and learning. We will discuss how we work with the boundaries of what is existing and constantly evolving, and what is new, to make the settings for everyday spatial and social experiences.

Last month, Gort Scott welcomed Lan Milne as a new BIM coordinator. As a qualified architect with experience working in architectural and MEP BIM environments, Lan will be a key member of the Integrated Technology Action Group. Having a dedicated tech-focused member of staff will allow the practice to proactively research new technological tools and integrates those within the practice’s design processes.

The Integrated Technology Action Group is looking at a wide range of innovative digital tools, such as artificial intelligence, generative design, and embodied carbon calculators. The wide range of digital tools will support the design team, inform better collaboration, and improve the integration of environmental design across all work stages.

“ I am passionate about integrating traditional collaborative design methods and the latest building information modelling technology in order optimise not only the process but also how this has an impact on delivering ambitious sustainable projects” Lan Milne - BIM coordinator.

Gort Scott took on 3 students this Summer for a one-week work experience placement in the practice. The students from Social Mobility Foundation and Old Oak West PlaceLab workshop, between 16-18 years old, are planning to apply for Architecture study at University and were keen to gain a better understanding of the industry. The students have been involved first-hand reviewing projects and attending design team meetings supported by mentors Oliver Carter, Florence Father and Megan Thacker-Brooks.

“Work experience at Gort Scott was extremely innovative and enjoyable, I was able to learn how to use many programs that I hadn’t used before such as SketchUp etc and witness the daily lifestyle of architects such as the participation in competitions, reviewing projects during meetings and much more. Overall, I really liked my time at Gort Scott and find their work extremely interesting as well as unique.” - Fatima Gohar, Social Mobility Foundation student

We are honoured with the visit by Sadiq Khan to Three Mills Studios today, where Gort Scott were appointed as lead architects alongside Freehaus, Knight Frank, OR Consulting and Momentum Engineering by the London Legacy Development Corporation, thanks to grant funding from MHCLG (DLUHC), the GLA, and the LLDC.

Working in collaboration with partner architects Freehaus, the wider project team, and the contractors Gilbert Ash; Gort Scott helped to deliver a number of essential projects which creatively repurpose important but largely disused heritage buildings, supporting the activities of 3 Mills Studios, one of London’s most iconic film and television production studios, and the wider creative industries in London.

Three Mills island is a unique remnant of historic London and is the city’s oldest still-surviving industrial centre. The new creative spaces will encourage the establishment of new businesses and employment opportunities by contributing to the economy of the Bromley-by-Bow area and providing a significant investment into the cultural sector, whilst supporting the growing TV and film industry in East London.

The Mayor unveiled the completed £6m development encompassing several of the site’s historic buildings and the creation of over 10,000sqft of creative workspace, boosting the environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and economic viability of these important heritage assets.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London is a global hub for film and television and 3 Mills has been pivotal in the success of the industry. The restoration of these historic buildings not only offers much-needed space for more industry production to take place in the capital, but also supports over a thousand jobs in the heart of east London. It will enable the studios to play a major role as the capital’s film and TV industries support our economy and we build a better London for everyone.”

Associate Andrew Tam has been appointed a member of the London Borough of Haringey’s Quality Review Panel as part of Frame Projects’ panel refresh initiative. Frame Projects is a design focused, project management consultancy which manages several design review panels on behalf of planning authorities and public sector clients.

Haringey is typical of what makes London so special – a borough that includes hugely diverse communities reflected in distinct identities that shift along its three main arterial high streets. You will also find sharp contrasts in social mobility and equity, from the affluent neighbourhoods to the south and west of the borough to some of the most deprived wards in London towards the northeast. When riots erupted across the city in 2011, Tottenham was the epicentre. In response, Gort Scott created a Public Room on the site of a disused yard on the High Road as a place facilitating the exchange of skills to empower and bring the local community together.

Some of London’s greatest industries and skilled makers are based in Tottenham, with the Lea Valley a centre for technological innovation in the 20^th Century. Around the same time as the Tottenham Public Room, Gort Scott was commissioned by the GLA with Haringey Council to survey the ecosystem of local industrial estates. A staggering diversity of trades were unearthed, from craft brewers and cheesemakers to leatherworkers and pleaters, window glaziers to makers of thousand-pound shoes sold at Harrods. These businesses were mapped and compiled in a directory with samples of their products displayed at an exhibition called ‘From Around Here’, which took place on the ground floor of 639 High Road next to the Public Room, a historic building now a community-oriented centre for enterprise and creativity. It is currently being refreshed by Freehaus, who we collaborated with at Three Mills Studios.

Associate Andrew Tam said: “Having been on the other side of the table through numerous similar panels, I look forward to bringing my experience of leading a wide variety of projects at Gort Scott, ranging from public realm strategies and meanwhile affordable work/retail space to city-scale masterplans. While being both a resident of North and East London boroughs and an architect operating in these areas for more than a decade, I hope to use this opportunity to assist Haringey Council with championing the high environmental and social sustainability standards that come with good design and placemaking as part of the planning process for major development proposals that will define Haringey’s future.”

Associate Andrew Tam will be a part of a panel at ‘Roots, Shoots and Fruits’, a discussion hosted by Better Bankside as part of the London Festival of Architecture with JA Projects about the ambitious transformation of Bankside’s public realm. The event provides an opportunity to learn about the Bankside Urban Forest strategy (now more than a decade since its inception) and the Lowline from various designers and experts who have collectively contributed to the success of these initiatives.

Gort Scott’s public realm strategy for Bankside includes Keppel Row, a pedestrian and cycle-friendly street with sustainable urban drainage, one of the projects that will be discussed during the panel.

“Keppel Row was a back alley that felt unsafe to pass through. The success of this project is in creating an urban intervention that makes a place that feels like it has always been there. Keppel Row’s raingardens are tended to as part of a community gardening initiative. Working with Better Bankside and Southwark Council, our strategy for improving Bankside’s public realm to create new walking and cycling routes, playing on the area’s rich history, reimagined this alley as a SuDS pocket park.” Andrew Tam, Associate.

Roots, Shoots and Fruits is free to attend and takes place at Better Bankside Arch on Thursday 29 June between 18:00-20:00. Book here for tickets.

We need a planning system that delivers net zero and nature restoration. That’s why Gort Scott has signed UKGBC’s letter to government alongside 100+ other business leaders calling for the planning system to be brought in line with the Climate Change and Environment Acts.

The current system is not providing a consistent approach to handling climate change and environmental considerations – creating delays, costs, and legal challenges. With limited time left to amend the Levelling Up Bill, our window of opportunity is closing.

The built environment sector needs a reliable and consistent planning system to enable sustainable development without delay.
Learn more about the letter and our fellow signatories here.

The NLA’s London Centre recently opened to the public, showcasing its giant model of Central London. The model includes Old Oak and Park Royal.

Gort Scott is leading a team of talented consultants, commissioned by the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), to explore with the local community how the exciting opportunity for regeneration at Old Oak West could take shape.

Visit the model for free at The London Centre, Guildhall, 3 Aldermanbury London EC2V 7HH, open from Tuesday to Saturday between 11:00-17:00.

Gort Scott has been presenting at the Architecture Future’s Day online event for the Social Mobility Foundation, that took place on Monday 5th of June.

The Social Mobility Foundation is a national charity which aims to make a practical improvement in social mobility for high-achieving young people from low-income backgrounds with the help of professionals and firms.

The Futures Day event is being supported by Gort Scott and Gardner Stewart Architects who will help students understand routes into their sector, available career options, the skills needed to succeed and provide an insight into sustainability in the sector.

Precious Ndukuba, Architectural Assistant, presented on Entry Routes and Requirements into Architecture, followed by Paul Wild, Architect and Sustainable Design Lead, who talked about Sustainability within Architecture.

Gort Scott staff regularly support the Social Mobility Foundation as part of the office EDI initiatives.

Director Fiona Scott will be speaking at the Glue event during the London Festival of Architecture on 19th June.

Rachel Birchmore is co-hosting the Glue event with Louise Rodgers and Emma Keyte, with an outstanding line-up of speakers from Be First Regeneration Limited, Studio Egret West, Gbolade Design Studio, LDA Design, Gibson Thornley, Human Nature, Buckley Gray Yeoman and HUB Residential.

During the event the guests will be discussing the reason behind founding their companies, what brings colleagues together around a collective identity, and what shapes their team.
And once assembled, what’s the glue that continues to bind them together?

Glue event takes place on 19th June at 6 pm at Shoreditch Arts Club, 6 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DD. Tickets are available here.

Gort Scott is pleased to have won a RIBA South Award for St.Hilda’s College last night. This transformative project has provided St.Hilda’s with a new entrance, offices, much needed student accommodation, spectacular roof terrace and a riverside event space, all set within a reimagined landscape along the banks of the River Cherwell.

Two new buildings help to connect the College site and maximise its cherished riverside setting. The Anniversary Building creates a strong sense of enclosure to the College’s tranquil gardens, whilst the jewel-like Pavilion nestles against the water’s edge and offers expansive views of the surrounding landscape.

Last night marked a significant milestone in our project for Pocket Living at Forest Road in central Walthamstow: the topping out of the concrete frame structure which was celebrated with a wonderful ceremony on the fourth-floor terrace, organised by Legendre UK. It was great to catch-up with all the talented people that have been involved in the project from Pocket Living, WT Partnership, XCO2, Whitby Wood and Legendre, and reflect on this momentous stage in the building’s evolution. The project is already looking beautiful, thanks to the careful execution by Legendre UK and we are all so excited to see the fruition of everyone’s hard work as the scheme approaches completion in 2024.