Architects in Greenwich: heritage, sustainability and contemporary design
Greenwich is unlike any other London borough to work in as an architect. The weight of its history is extraordinary: a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the most significant collections of classical architecture in Britain, conservation areas that cover large swathes of the borough, and a planning environment that takes the relationship between old and new with great seriousness. And yet Greenwich is also a borough of rapid change, with new homes, new cultural venues and a growing community demanding architecture that is genuinely of its time.
New Makers Bureau is an award-winning RIBA Chartered architecture practice with experience working in heritage-sensitive contexts across south and east London. We understand what it means to design in Greenwich: the care required, the rigour, and the creative possibilities that come with working within demanding constraints.
Our Weston Street project, retrofitting two Victorian warehouse buildings
What working in Greenwich demands of an architect
The World Heritage Site designation affects how planning applications in Greenwich are assessed. The buffer zone extends across much of the central and riverside parts of the borough, and any development that might affect the Outstanding Universal Value of the site is subject to additional scrutiny. That does not mean good contemporary architecture is unwelcome, it means it must be genuinely good and must make a positive case for itself.
Royal Borough of Greenwich planning officers are experienced and thorough. They expect to see properly argued design and access statements, clear material justifications and a genuine engagement with the heritage context. New Makers Bureau prepares planning applications that make a substantive case for the design, not just a description of it.
New Makers Bureau's approach to heritage-sensitive sustainable design
The best sustainable materials for Greenwich's Victorian and Edwardian housing stock are also the best heritage materials. Reclaimed brick, lime mortar, natural timber and breathable construction are sympathetic to the historic fabric of the borough and consistent with its character. They also happen to be the low carbon choices.
This is not a coincidence. The buildings that have survived in Greenwich for a hundred years or more were built from durable, repairable, breathable materials. The principles of traditional construction and the principles of sustainable construction are much more closely aligned than is sometimes assumed.
Project types in Greenwich
New Makers Bureau works on a range of project types across Greenwich and the surrounding area.
Home extensions in Greenwich's terraced streets, designed to be sympathetic to the conservation context and low in embodied carbon
Whole-house retrofit projects, improving the energy performance of Victorian and Edwardian homes while preserving their character
Commercial and workspace fit-outs, transforming underused buildings into productive and attractive workspaces
Cultural and community buildings, serving the borough's active arts and community sector
Recent work near Greenwich
Our Weston Street office refurbishment project, in nearby London Bridge on the Southwark and Greenwich border, transformed two tired warehouse office spaces into a flexible, characterful workspace with a clear identity. The project demonstrates our approach to commercial retrofit: finding what is genuinely good in an existing building and making it the foundation of the new design.
Talk to us about your Greenwich project
Home Extensions in Greenwich
Retrofit in Royal Greenwich
Workspace Architecture in Greenwich
