About

Founded in 2007 by Jay Gort and Fiona Scott, Gort Scott is an architecture and urban design practice with a focus on how buildings and places create healthy environments for better connections between people, now and for the future.
We are committed to reducing our industry’s contribution to the dual crises of climate and biodiversity, working collaboratively to realise clients’ ambitions for regenerative, circular, and low carbon designs. We are attuned to working and thinking at different scales, from one-off houses to planning pieces of city, drawing out social and sustainable opportunities in each.
We work on commercial, education, cultural and residential buildings as well as public realm and urban masterplans. We are recognised for our urban research, which informs the practice’s design work.
Gort Scott brings a tenacity to the development of clear concepts under conditions of complexity. We are skilled at negotiating with multiple stakeholders for complex client bodies and working with a wide range of specialists to deliver our projects. Our design process draws on in-depth consultation – finding richness in existing contexts to develop characterful and innovative responses – coupled with a commitment to direct and lasting relationships with clients.
We strive to make highly sustainable buildings and plans that will support the circular economy and evolve with future ways of living, working and learning. We prioritise the retrofit of existing buildings and have a deep care for historic fabric, learning from its layout and construction.
We recognise the link between equality and quality, both in our practice and in the projects that we design. We focus our actions on issues of under-representation in our profession. At our self-built Bermondsey studio, we have grown to an international and gender-diverse community of over 30 members. We are members of the London Practice Forum, Architects Declare and Londonon, collectives for collaboration, research, and knowledge-exchange.
People
Director
MA Dip Arch RIBA ARB
Jay co-founded Gort Scott in 2007. He is passionate about the role of design across different scales and typologies. He places great value on the quality of experience of spatial sequences and materials in the context of surrounding landscapes and cityscapes.
His directorial role is in design direction. He also manages new business and relationships, as well as overseeing major building projects.
Jay studied at Stockport College and Cambridge University and is a registered Architect, having earlier studied sculpture.
After graduating he worked at 5th Studio architects, where he became a director.
Jay taught at Cambridge University as a Design Fellow from 2007-2012. He is co-Chair of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea quality review panel, is on the Redbridge design review panel. He regularly crits at schools across the UK and is an external examiner for London Metropolitan University.

Director
MArch RIBA ARB
Fiona co-founded Gort Scott in 2007. She places great value on strategic design thinking from the earliest stages of a project. She is known for her pioneering research involving high streets and town centres and the geography of London’s economy.
Her directorial role is in the integration of wider architectural, societal, cultural, environmental and policy influences in the focus and trajectory of the practice, as well as accountability. She also oversees research and development, and special projects.
She studied at Central St Martins, Cambridge University and the Royal College of Art and is a registered Architect. She was also a research associate at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for inclusive design. She advocates for a more inclusive industry, recognising there is far to go.
After graduating she worked at MVRDV, living in Rotterdam at a time of creativity in Dutch practice, she was influenced by Dutch urbanism and housing. She then worked at Adjaye Associates, on Denver Museum of Contemporary Art, Skolkovo business school and a number of private art galleries.
Fiona is one of the Mayor’s Design Advocates, working with City Hall to help support London’s evolution. She is on the HS2 Independent Design Panel. She was shortlisted for Emerging Woman Architect of the Year in 2013. She is an external examiner at Cambridge University.

Technical Director
BSc(Hons) DipArch RIBA ARB
Chris joined us in 2017 bringing over 18 years of professional experience delivering critically acclaimed projects of a wide variety of scales and types and at all RIBA Work Stages.
Prior to Gort Scott, he was at Duggan Morris Architects (now Morris+Company), Tony Fretton Architects, and Simon Conder Associates.
In recent years, Chris has led teams on complex multi-faceted projects, from inception to completion. He has considerable insight into the varied issues surrounding project delivery, including a keen understanding of developing details with embodied rigour and robustness.
Associate Director
MA MArch RIBA ARB
Susie joined Gort Scott in 2013 and while working on a wide variety of projects has developed expertise in strategic masterplans and research, delivery of mixed-use and commercial buildings, adaptive reuse of listed buildings, and public realm and market design. She passionately believes that innovative design enriches people’s lives and grows out of its particular context and a positive, collaborative design process.
Susie has worked at other design-led practices including Long and Kentish, Duggan Morris Architects, Walters and Cohen, Turner Castle, De Matos Ryan, and Ian Ritchie Architects. She has worked on refurbishment and new-build projects at all RIBA design stages in a wide variety of different sectors including Galleries, High-end residential, Housing, Social Housing, Transport, and Education projects.
Susie trained as an architect at Cambridge University and the Bartlett (UCL), qualifying in 2006. She has acted in an advisory capacity for the GLA and on the Townscape Heritage Panel in Brixton.

Associate
MA MArch ARB
Alan is focused on strategic public sector projects in London. He currently leads our Pudding Mill Lane masterplan for over 900 homes, 36,000m2 of workspace, community and retail space for the London Legacy Development Corporation.
Previously he led our new-build scheme to consolidate Harrow Council’s headquarters and improve public facilities, unlocking their existing inefficient campus for new housing.
Prior to joining Gort Scott in 2014, Alan was a core team member for the 2015 RIBA Stirling Prize-winning Burntwood School at Allford Hall Monaghan Morris. At SMWM in San Francisco, he worked on the adaptive re-use of historically significant buildings, notably at UC Berkeley.

Associate
MA, AADipl ARB
Andrew joined Gort Scott in 2013 and has been involved in many of the practice’s key projects, from public realm and civic masterplans to the singular Rock residence in Whistler. With a keen interest in socially engaged, thoughtfully crafted design that makes lasting contributions to communities, he finds as much enjoyment in city-scale strategic thinking as the finer details of buildings.
A member of Gort Scott’s social value, sustainability, and design standards working groups, Andrew has overseen the implementation of the practice’s BIM strategy.
Driven to make architecture more inclusive at all levels, he enjoys mentoring at the school level, is a RIBA Part 3 examiner, and an invited design critic at several UK universities.
Andrew volunteers for the Social Mobility Foundation.
Projects

Associate
BArch HDip Arch ARB
Since joining Gort Scott in 2014 Joe has developed valuable technical and delivery experience on projects including adaptive reuse of listed buildings, high-end residential, commercial, and mixed-use buildings. Most notably, he was responsible for the delivery of The Rock, a private residence in Canada, where his keen interest in the thoughtful crafting and careful detailing of buildings proved invaluable. Within the practice, he is a member of the social value and health and wellbeing working groups.
Prior to joining Gort Scott, Joe trained as an architect at Dublin School of Architecture and at University College Dublin where he gained his Part III.
He has previously worked at other design-led practices including Maccreanor Lavington Architects where he was the project architect for Garden Halls. Before moving to London in 2012 he worked at Aughey O’Flaherty Architects in Dublin where he delivered a number of award-winning projects, including House on Mount Anville.

Associate — Environmental Action Group Lead
BA(Hons) DipArch ARB
Jonathan joined Gort Scott in 2020 and is currently a member of the Environmental Action and CDM groups. He is a Certified Passive House Designer, with long-held interests in inclusive, accessible, and sustainable design. Jonathan also leads or helps others lead a number of projects, including prestigious office developments for Stanhope and the City of London, and two housing schemes for Harrow Council’s Regeneration Unit.
He brings a wealth of experience from numerous schools, universities, cultural, and housing projects. He has previously worked for Levitt Bernstein and Allies and Morrison.
Jonathan volunteers for the Social Mobility Foundation.
Projects

Associate — Heritage conservation lead
BA(Hons) DipArch MArch RIBA(CA)
Since starting at Gort Scott in 2020, Sela has worked on St Catharine’s College and residential projects in Walthamstow.
She brings a wealth of experience delivering high-quality projects in historical contexts.
Prior to joining, Sela trained at the Glasgow School of Art and was a partner at Wright & Wright. Sela has also been a visiting critic for the Architectural Association, a member of the Building Control Standards Advisory Group, and a volunteer for Stonewall.
Sela has an interest in historic buildings, is a RIBA registered conservation architect, and has run her own consultancy business.
Projects

Architect
MA ARB
Alison trained at Cambridge University and was awarded the Barbara Bodichon Scholarship and the Cambridge Architects Association Prize, subsequently gaining her Master’s in Architecture at the Royal College of Art where her dissertation was awarded a distinction.
Alison qualified as an architect in 2012 whilst working at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios on Aston University Engineering Academy (RIBA Award 2013). Since then, she has focused on residential projects, leading design and delivery of the façade for Orchard Gardens, a mixed-use scheme in Central London.
At Gort Scott, she has worked on the 207-home development at Nine Elms Park and the masterplan for a new mixed-use neighbourhood including 900 homes at Pudding Mill Lane.
Projects

Architect
BA(Hons) MArch ARB
Amy joined Gort Scott in 2017 after completing her postgraduate studies at The Bartlett, UCL.
She has primarily worked post-planning on all aspects of our project currently under construction at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, as well as being involved in London housing projects at Nine Elms Park during pre-planning stages and the delivery of Gainsford Road in Walthamstow.
Experienced in developing projects from the technical stages through to construction, she is currently working on the major remodelling of St Catharine’s College, Cambridge.

Practice Manager
MAHons
Annabel joined Gort Scott in 2019 following 14 years with international architecture practice Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners where she was responsible for managing the office and wellbeing of 200 employees.
In addition to her master’s in Geography, Annabel studied History of Architecture for two years whilst at the University of Edinburgh, which combined to form a lifelong interest in urban planning and architecture. She is constantly inspired by the passion of her colleagues and the potential positive impact architecture can have on social and physical environments.
Annabel is particularly interested in raising opportunities for young people, supporting staff personal development and issues around mental health.

Architect
BSc BAHons DipArch ARB
Barnaby joined Gort Scott in 2020 and has been working on upcoming housing projects in Walthamstow and Colliers Wood, drawing on previous experience and personal interests.
Before joining Gort Scott, he worked at Maccreanor Lavington for over 8 years on projects ranging from individual homes to large-scale developments; and at Adams & Sutherland on public realm projects and small-scale public buildings. He is part of competition-winning team Nine, selected from 166 entries for a public pavilion in Tottenham.
Barnaby teaches a 3rd-year design studio at the Welsh School of Architecture and has been a guest critic at London Metropolitan University, where he also studied.

Studio Assistant
BA(Hons)
Daisy joined Gort Scott in 2021 following several years working in Front of House Management roles.
She gained her Diploma in BA Fine Art at UAL Central Saint Martins in 2019. Throughout her degree Daisy explored bodily and emotional relation to domestic structures, pursuing how interventions within given space might be used to alter the reactional state of the occupier.
Daisy is particularly interested in Passivhaus development and also works alongside our Social Value team to bring workshops and development opportunities to local students.

Architect
BA(Hons) Dip Arch ARB
Dominic graduated with distinction from The Cass at London Metropolitan University in 2014 and has worked with a number of award-winning practices in London on a broad selection of both refurbishment and new-build projects.
Since joining Gort Scott in 2017, he has worked extensively on the technical design and on-site delivery of important new development for St.Hilda’s College at the University of Oxford, transforming their unique riverside site.
Prior to joining Gort Scott, Dominic worked for Henley Halebrown and Allford Hall Monaghan Morris in London. He worked on a range of projects across all RIBA stages, including proposals for a new children’s home and the phased refurbishment of a listed theatre.
Projects

Communications and Bid Manager
MScArch
Eleonora joined Gort Scott in 2021. She received her Diploma in Master of Science in Architecture at the Polytechnic of Turin in 2011. During her university years, she studied in Madrid and Santiago de Chile, where she developed her Master’s thesis.
She has held positions in the editorial teams of Architectural Review, Port Magazine, and Edilportale. She continued her communications career as Communication and Marketing Manager at ACME, Maccreanor Lavington, and Studio Seilern.
Eleonora is a member of the ArchRace Forum and she volunteers for the Social Mobility Foundation.

Architect
BA, BEng, MA, MArch, Pg Dip
Ewa joined Gort Scott in 2021. With a master’s degree in both architecture and urbanism, Ewa has a particular interest in public spaces, and their importance to the quality of life and sense of belonging in urban areas.
He has experience working on masterplans and feasibility studies and has been involved in projects at a variety of scales and all RIBA Work Stages.
Ewa was also part of the Architecture Foundation’s New Architecture Writers which sought to create more equity within the domain of architectural journalism and has a recurring role as a visiting critic at the Manchester School of Architecture.

Architect
BA(Hons) DipArch ARB
Fraser joined Gort Scott in 2016 and has since worked on a wide range of projects within the office, including Harrow Civic Centre and the residential development at Central Parade in Walthamstow. He is currently part of the team delivering a commercial office refurbishment and extension of 15-17 Eldon Street in the heart of the City of London.
Over the years Fraser has been a key part of numerous competitions won for the practice, such as Pudding Mill Lane, St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, and the Epic Iran exhibition for the V&A.
Prior to joining Gort Scott Fraser worked at Fosters+Partners and Squire and Partners, developing his experience across a variety of sectors such as education, workspace, leisure, and masterplanning. Fraser is a mentor for young people and is part of the RIBA mentorship scheme for the University of East London.
Projects

Architectural Assistant
BA(Hons) DipArch
Since joining Gort Scott in 2019, Florence has worked on a number of projects including a development strategy for Liverpool’s New Ferry area as part of a Forgotten Spaces charette where she co-presented the concept alongside Jay Gort.
Re-use of existing building stock to revive under-invested town centres as a civic offering was a focus of her final postgraduate thesis at the London Metropolitan University. She is currently working on the characterful refurbishment of 15-17 Eldon Street for the City of London.
Away from the office, Florence is a tour guide for the Architecture Foundation, freelance illustrator, and model maker.
Projects

Architect
BArch(Hons) DipArch
Hattie joined Gort Scott in 2019 and has worked on numerous projects including new housing at Walthamstow Central Parade, the Pudding Mill Lane masterplan, and the Epic Iran exhibition for the V&A. She is currently leading the design of the commercial office refurbishment and extension of 15-17 Eldon Street in the heart of the City of London.
Hattie has valuable experience across a variety of sectors, having previously worked on healthcare, workspace, education, places of worship, and heritage projects.
Prior to joining Gort Scott, she worked at Cottrell & Vermeulen Architecture on complex educational projects at a range of scales and budgets.
Hattie volunteers for the Social Mobility Foundation, mentoring secondary school pupils who want to study architecture but would otherwise have a limited professional support network.

Architectural Assistant and Sustainable Design Coordinator
MA
James joined Gort Scott in 2015. He has experience working on a range of projects at various scales, most recently, an efficient new office building for Stanhope in west London.
He is a key member of Gort Scott’s Environmental Action group and is working to embed the sustainable best practices in the studio. He is also a passionate advocate for positive change in the wider profession, through his role as an Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN) Coordinator.
James studied at the University of Cambridge and the Royal College of Art. Alongside his work at Gort Scott, James co-founded the collective Feral Partnerships in 2019, which explores architectural responses to the ecological crisis through academic research, curation, and education.
Projects

Architect
BA(Hons) DipArch ARB
Joe joined Gort Scott in 2015 after completing his postgraduate diploma at the London Metropolitan University.
Joe has been part of the cross-disciplinary team on the Pudding Mill Lane masterplan and has worked on the St Hilda’s College project from the competition stage through to construction. Joe has been involved in a series of international projects, leading the Kerasia House project on the Greek island of Corfu.
Projects

Architect
BSc MSc ARB
Michele joined Gort Scott in 2020. He previously worked for architectural practices in Italy, Germany, and the UK, gaining extensive experience in the design and delivery of various projects within the private and public sectors.
Michele has a keen interest in the relationship between architecture, art, and culture and enjoys working across different disciplines at all scales to deliver sustainable and tailored solutions.
Projects

Architectural Assistant
BA (Hons),MArch
Ned joined Gort Scott in 2021 after studying at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio and the London Metropolitan University.
Re-use of existing building stock was the focus of his post graduate thesis and underpinned much of his previous work at Lynch Architects.
Before studying architecture Ned designed furniture with a deep belief in the value of thoughtful craft and construction.

Architect
BA(Hons) MArch
Oliver has been working at Gort Scott since 2019. He has been involved in the design of the mixed-use redevelopment of the Aylesham Centre in Peckham and residential projects with council-owned housing developers Brick by Brick.
At London Metropolitan University, Oliver’s final year master’s project was nominated for the RIBA Silver Medal. He is particularly interested in natural building systems and was one of a group to receive the AJ Small Projects Sustainability Award for a hempcrete studio completed in Cambridgeshire.
Oliver is also a tour guide and writer with the Architecture Foundation looking at Lambeth’s social housing.
Projects

Architect
BIntDes BA(Hons) DipArch ARB
Joining Gort Scott in 2015, Pamela brings diverse experience to our team spanning research and analysis, interiors, residential, community, cultural and mixed-use projects, having worked with both private clients and local authorities.
Pamela has a specialist interest in wider urban strategies stemming from her postgraduate studies, where her work considered how the non-residential activities of high streets and industrial areas could be conscientiously strengthened and intensified for a growing economy.
At Gort Scott, she has helped to deliver Corringham Road, One Hoe Street and High Streets – Adaptive Strategies, our recent guidance document for the Mayor of London’s Regeneration team.
Projects

Architect and Sustainable Design Leader
BArch(Hons) MArch ARB
Since joining Gort Scott in 2016, Paul has developed a specialist understanding of civic projects, working with both Walthamstow and Harrow Council on a variety of public buildings to help enhance and regenerate the wider Borough. In addition to this, he has led the design and community consultation for several new housing schemes within constrained sites across London. Paul is an active member of Gort Scott’s Environmental Action Group and is a Certified Passive House Designer.
Prior to joining Gort Scott, Paul was involved with a variety of award-winning commercial, residential, and mixed-use buildings at several design-led practices, including Piercy & Co.
Paul recently completed a Diploma in Journalism. He is an active mentor for both the RIBA and the Social Mobility Foundation and has been a guest critic at Oxford Brooks and The Canterbury School of Architecture.

Architectural Assistant
BA(Hons) MArch
Rohullah has been at Gort Scott since 2019. He has worked on a range of projects from the 90-home development at Forest Road in Walthamstow, to the upcoming Epic Iran exhibition for the V&A.
As a skilled maker with a strong passion for craft, he is the practice’s workshop coordinator and a co-founder of modelmaking and furniture studio Model Platform.
He received his master’s in architecture from London Metropolitan University and previously worked at Jonathan Tuckey Design.
Projects

Architectural Assistant
BA(Hons) MArch
Having joined Gort Scott at the beginning of 2019, Thom has worked on a variety of projects, ranging from bids and competitions to residential developments for Pocket Living and Brick by Brick. He has assisted with the redevelopment of St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, and the Epic Iran exhibition for the V&A.
Prior to joining, he worked at Carmody Groarke.
Thom graduated from Kingston School of Art in 2018 and is currently studying for his Part II qualification. With an avid interest in the representation of the built environment and spatial conditions, Thom also pursues photography in his spare time.
Clients
- Acne Studios
- Anthropologie
- Better Bankside
- BlackRock
- Brick by Brick
- Cambridge Cat Clinic
- Cambridge City Council
- City of London Corporation
- Countryside
- Criterion Capital
- Design for London
- Dorrington
- Gleeds
- Goodrich Community Primary School
- Greater London Authority
- Hadley Property Group
- Jesus College, Cambridge
- KIN
- Landsec
- Lendlease
- LLDC
- London Borough of Barnet
- London Borough of Brent
- London Borough of Ealing
- London Borough of Haringey
- London Borough of Harrow
- London Borough of Lambeth
- London Borough of Merton
- London Borough of Southwark
- London Borough of Waltham Forest
- London Development Agency
- London Square
- Mayor of London
- Moda
- New College, Oxford
- One Housing
- OPDC
- Oxford City Council
- Paragon Asra
- Peabody
- Pocket Living
- Quintain
- Resam HbV
- RIBA
- Royal Academy of Arts
- Royal Mail Group
- St Catharine’s College, Cambridge
- St Hilda’s College, Oxford
- St William
- Stanhope
- The Knight Pub Company
- The London Cat Clinic
- Transport for London
- URS
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Wallpaper* magazine
- Workspace
Awards
2022
The Rock
General
2021
Gainsford Road
St Hilda’s Oxford
- Oxford Preservation Trust (OPT) New Building Award
Waltham Forest Town Hall & Assembly Hall
- AJ Retrofit Awards, Listed Building £5M and over
- Waltham Forest Design Awards, Winner
General
2020
The Rock
General
2019
51 Hills Road
Gainsford Road
- Brick Awards, Shortlisted
- New London Awards Mayor’s Prize, Shortlisted
- New London Awards Housing, Shortlisted
- RICS London Awards, Shortlisted
The Magistrates
- RICS London Awards, Shortlisted
- RIBA London Awards, Shortlisted
- RIBAJ MacEwen Award, Shortlisted
General
- New London Awards Public Spaces, Shortlisted
- New London Awards Mixed-Use, Shortlisted
2018
Central Parade (Phase 1)
Connecting Colliers Wood
- NLA Public Spaces, 2018, Commendation
Gainsford Road
- AJ Housing Project of the Year, Shortlisted
General
- New London Awards Public Spaces, Commendation
2017
51 Hills Road
Brixton Market
Central Parade (Phase 1)
- New London Awards Mayor’s Prize, Winner
- New London Awards Meanwhile, Commendation
- Waltham Forest Design Awards, Winner
The London Cat Clinic
General
- New London Awards Public Spaces, Shortlisted
2016
51 Hills Road
- Brick Awards, Winner
- RICS National Awards, Commendation
- BCO National Awards, Commendation
- BCO Regional Awards, Winner
- RIBA National Awards, Winner
- RICS East of England Awards, Winner
- RIBA East Awards, Winner
- Cambridge Design and Construction Awards, Commendation
General
- BD Masterplanning and Public Realm Architect of the Year, Shortlisted
- BD Sustainability Architect of the Year, Shortlisted
- BD Young Architect of the Year, Shortlisted
2013
General
- BD Emerging Architect of the Year, Winner
- AJ Emerging Woman Architect of the Year, Shortlisted
Publications
- Gort Scott wins go-ahead for Pocket Living social housing in Bermondsey
- High density, low rise: Unity Place housing in South Kilburn (January 2022)
- Making a landmark: Gort Scott’s new face for St Hilda’s College Oxford (7 December 2021)
- Buildings this good should be available everywhere: Oxford unveils two new quads (26 November 2021)
- ‘Dreaming of spires: Gort Scott designs new figurehead for Oxford’s skyline’ (18 November 2021)
- ‘Building Study: St Hilda’s College, Oxford by Gort Scott’ (16 November 2021)
- ‘Jay Gort talks to architect and academic Matthew Barac about The Rock’ (18 October 2021)
- ‘Concrete house by Gort Scott hugs rocky crag in Whistler’ (29 July 2021)
- ‘BBC Secrets of the Museum — Epic Iran’ (21 July 2021)
- ‘Work starts on Gort Scott’s £12m White City office scheme’ (1 June 2021)
- ‘Gort Scott designs scenography for Epic Iran exhibition at V&A’ (28 May 2021)
- ‘Five thousand years of mystical magnificence: Epic Iran at the V&A – review’ (26 May 2021)
- ‘Rock Formation’, House & Garden (30 November 2020)
- ‘Tailored to fit’, Architects’ Journal (16 January 2020)
- ‘A Whistler House Grows from the Landscape’, Azure (22 July 2019)
- ‘Terracotta-coloured concrete accents Pocket Living apartment block by Gort Scott’, Architects’ Journal (4 June 2019)
- ‘Gort Scott showcases London starter homes’, Building Design (9 May 2019)
- ‘Gort Scott to replace disused London office block with micro apartments’, Dezeen (12 October 2016)
- ‘Gort Scott transforms 1960s block in London to create co-working and maker spaces’, Dezeen (29 August 2016)
- ‘Gort Scott unwraps Walthamstow parade revamp’, Architects’ Journal (23 August 2016)
- ‘Gort Scott Architects creates a hub for Walthamstow’s burgeoning creative community’, Wallpaper (23 August 2016)
- ‘Gort Scott completes creative enterprise hub in North-East London’, Designboom (20 August 2016)
- ’51 Hills Road, Jesus College by Gort Scott’, Architects’ Journal (10 March 2016)
- ‘High Street Productivity’ in ‘Suburban Urbanities’ (2015)