Expansion prompts SGP London office relocation to Shoreditch

Stephen George + Partners LLP (SGP) is excited to be moving its existing London office to new premises in Shoreditch. Prompted by the AJ100 practice’s expanding workload in the capital and south-east, SGP is taking premises at 87 Worship Street, London, building on an established track record of innovation and pragmatic problem solving in logistics, healthcare and commercial sectors, as well as developing new areas such as data centres and biomedical projects.

Michael Barker, Senior Partner at SGP, explains: “The practicality of remote working and video meetings has been proven by the pandemic, but we feel it’s still important to have a physical base from which to work, bringing together our team experience and sharing knowledge. Here we can draw upon the creative energy of London to evolve and push the boundaries across all SGP’s services, including BIM applications, master planning and interior design.”

Directors Muhammad Khan and Kevin Kelly lead the London studio with a focus on supporting existing clients as well as developing key new sectors and driving sector-focused innovation.

Says Muhammad: “London and the south-east is an extremely competitive market and the development of SGP’s London office is a mark of our complete commitment to the area. I’ve been supporting established sectors such as logistics and, drawing on the experience and knowledge from across the business, have been able to access growth sectors, such as science and biomedical projects, as well as data centre design and delivery, which has seen demand rise hugely with the increased need for IT during the pandemic.”

At a time when digital design is accelerating towards new ideas and applications, the London office will benefit from SGP’s independent in-house BIM strategic team, to deliver quality assured openBIM outputs. It will also include an established interiors division, which will be collaborating with the architectural team to develop bespoke fit-out solutions across all sectors.

Drawing on his experience working on landmark London healthcare schemes, such as a new signature building for Great Ormond Street Hospital and the military field hospital NHS Nightingale, Kevin reflects on the practice’s embrace of digital tools and software and their ability to increase efficiency and accuracy in project delivery: “The pandemic has changed a lot of things, including highlighting the importance of having the right healthcare facilities in the right place at the right time. Digitisation, automation and modern methods of construction will be key to delivering the healthcare infrastructure that society needs now and in the future. At SGP we have not only embraced the digital realm but have been exploring emerging manufacturing and construction techniques to promote sophisticated approaches to problem solving that will benefit both design team and client.”

SGP places great value on mentoring young architectural students and investing in future talent. In addition to long-standing collaborations with universities across the UK, including mentoring students from LSBU and Kingston University in London, the practice maintains further strong links with UCL and UCA Canterbury, where Kevin lectures and examines.

SGP’s full London contact details are available at: https://www.stephengeorge.co.uk/contact/london/