Design Case: Feilden Clegg Bradley

Design case: Making a strategy of synergy

Over more than 30 years of experience in architecture and urgan design, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has developed some clear values. One is the importance of collaboration.

Senior Partner Peter Clegg, who co-founded the design company with Richard Feilden in 1978, says:

‍"We believe we always have something to contribute internationally and something to learn. Collaboration is part of the DNA of our practice. In particular, we believe, along with other UK-based designers, that we can bring our expertise in sustainability to different countries and climates around the world and we enjoy dealing with new environmental challenges."

With a staff of 141 (including partners) and offices in London, Bath and Belfast, the company has completed projects for clients in Spain, Cyprus, Uganda and the US with ongoing work in Canada, Russia, Singapore, China, Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh.

The team's work has been widely recognised. It has received 37 RIBA Awards including the Stirling Prize in 2008, four RIBA Sustainability Awards and 22 Civic Trust Awards. It won the international Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) Award for Broadcasting Place in Leeds, voted the Best Tall Building in the World 2010.

Clegg adds:

"Having experienced working as an architect in many areas of the world I feel that the UK is the best place to work because design is valued very highly for the contribution it can make to both economy and society.

"We train people in arts architecture and design even though they may not end up working in those fields. So our clients appreciate us. There is also at best a really collaborative working environment which values synergy, and makes our professional lives more fun."

The Bath office was established in 1978, and the firm opened a London office in 1999 due to increased workload in the City. The Belfast office was opened in 2011 when FCB Studios was appointed to work on The University of Ulster’s Greater Belfast Development.

Asked to nominate an innovative UK designer, the studio chooses Andrew Grant of Grant Associates who is "leading the world in innovative, sustainable landscape architecture and urban design".

For more information, visit http://fcbstudios.com/