A London and Manchester placemaking practice, employee-owned since 2020, that combines architecture, urban design and landscape to shape neighbourhoods.
Studio Egret West is a placemaking practice that combines architecture, strategic urban design and landscape design. Instead of designing one building at a time, it looks at how streets, parks, buildings and people work together. Its completed projects include Clapham Library, the regeneration of Park Hill in Sheffield (shortlisted for the Stirling Prize), The Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes, Bath Western Riverside, Plus X in Brighton, Balfron Tower, Stratford Shoal and Mayfield Park in Manchester, which won an Architizer Vision Award in 2026 according to the practice's site.
The practice says its mission is to design and curate places with strong identities that grow out of their setting, support sustainable communities, enhance nature and the public realm, and change over time. It was founded in 2004 by Christophe Egret and David West, who met while working with architect Will Alsop. A 2024 news item says Egret stepped down as a director after 20 years, while West stays on as co-founder alongside a senior leadership team that includes Lucas Lawrence, Vincent Lin, Allie Piehn and Duncan Paybody.
Studio Egret West has offices in London (Clerkenwell) and Manchester, and many of its projects are around the UK, from Sheffield and Bath to Brighton and east London. The practice describes itself as a chartered practice in both architecture and landscape. It has become more rooted in the north of England through the Mayfield regeneration in Manchester, one of the city's biggest new city-centre parks and neighbourhoods.
The practice became an Employee Ownership Trust in 2020, which means the staff collectively own it. Its site describes a team of about 65 people, while a 2024 news item says over 80, so the current figure is somewhere in that range. It lists urban designers, architects, landscape architects, graphic designers, model makers and filmmakers. The 2024 article describes a collaborative practice that tries to empower all staff, which is the company's own account of its culture.
Because of this mix, the roles are varied: architects, urban designers, landscape architects, designers who make drawings and graphics, model makers, filmmakers and the project and studio staff who hold it together. If you like the idea of drawing a whole neighbourhood rather than a single building, or you like art, geography and design, it shows the range of careers inside one architecture practice. Current openings are listed on the practice's own website.
Website: studioegretwest.com
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