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.

Works have been progressing on site in Kerasia where we designed a private family retreat on a steep hillside plot. The house construction is progressing with the first of three roofs now complete in the guesthouse. Locally reclaimed tiles have been used externally and the whitewashed timber rafters and boards have been left exposed inside. Meanwhile, the concrete pergola structure on the main terrace is now finished with the last of the structural work expected to be wrapped up over the coming weeks.

Unity Place in South Kilburn won best Residential project at the Brent Design Awards 2023, which celebrates excellence in great buildings and places, within the culturally diverse borough of Brent. It has been a pleasure celebrate the win and share the stage at the Great Hall of the Brent Civic Centre with Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios and Alison Brooks Architects.

“It seems like a long time since we sat down to sketch out our initial ideas for the project together with FCB and Alison Brooks Architects. The realisation of the concept came down to many years of hard work from those in the design and construction teams and this driving from the council. The many co-design workshops with the residents were a key part of the design journey” Jay Gort, Director.

Unity Place, a social housing scheme delivered in collaboration with Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Alison Brooks Architects, was commissioned by Brent Council, to design a residential-led masterplan as part of the South Kilburn Estate Regeneration Programme.

Gort Scott and WSP have been selected by Homes England to join the Development and Regeneration Technical Services Framework, as part of Lot 1 – Multidisciplinary which provides access to multi-disciplinary expertise in support of Homes England’s mission to deliver much-needed, high-quality housing for communities across the UK.

Gort Scott brings knowledge in housing, complex masterplanning, integrated urban and landscape spaces, and pioneering research in high streets and town centres.

Gort Scott is looking forward to collaborating with the rest of the team delivering and promoting through the framework inclusion and diversity, social value, circular economy principles and Net Zero strategies.

Gort Scott have secured planning consent on behalf of the City of London Corporation for the retrofit and extension of a 1980s commercial building at 15-17 Eldon Street, opposite Liverpool Street station in London.

The mixed-use scheme designed by Gort Scott prioritises circular design principles, retaining as much of the original building as possible while creating an enhanced, flexible and sustainable commercial and retail space that also improves the streetscape in a key City location with a new, elegant facade. The scheme is on course to achieve BREEAM Excellent.

Director Jay Gort said: “We’re delighted that close cooperation with the City of London Corporation has brought us a step closer to revitalising this underperforming asset. Our retrofit strategy will promote sustainability and wellbeing while increasing internal area by some 75%. The new building will work better, will feel better, and will have real character - something individual yet contextual”.

The project will be breaking ground in Summer.

Unity Place has been shortlisted for the Brent Design Awards 2023 under the Residential category.

The Brent Design Awards celebrates excellence in buildings and places within the borough of Brent, supporting the value of high-quality design and how this can improve local people’s quality of life.

Gort Scott were commissioned by Brent Council back in 2013, with Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Alison Brooks Architects, to design a residential-led masterplan as part of the South Kilburn Estate Regeneration Programme.

Winners will be announced at Brent Civic Centre on 12^th May 2023.

We are excited to collaborate with Walthamstow-based artist Adriana Jaroslavsky on the design of two murals for Forest Road residential building.

Hive Curates in partnership with housing developer Pocket Living, hosted a competition amongst local artists based in Waltham Forest to design the two murals.

Associate Andrew Tam said: “We’re delighted that Adriana has been selected for the murals at Forest Road. Her proposal’s connection to both the natural and social landscape of Walthamstow stood out to us, linking to the local area’s Arts and Crafts heritage with forms that create a dialogue with our building’s curved precast concrete features”.

The two murals will be uncovered at the Forest Road development in 2024.