Open House Festival is a two-week celebration of London’s homes, architecture and neighbourhoods. On the weekend of 16th and 17th September we will give short tours at our A3 Design District building for the public. Come join us!

We are delighted to share the news that the works on Tower Court at the head of Clapton Common have been completed! Tower Court will provide 132 homes for social rent, shared ownership and sale. It provides units of high standard, inclusive design and addresses the cultural needs of the Haredi families.

We celebrated 50th anniversary of the Community play project, Plot 10, at Central Somers Town this weekend! Plot 10 has delivered wraparound childcare and an exuberant spirit of adventure for 4-11 year olds since 1973 and is a pillar of the community in Somers Town. They run breakfast clubs and after school clubs, holiday play schemes and a girls club for 9-14 year olds. Thanks Sally and team for your great work, it’s always been amazing working with you on the Central Somers Town project.

It is exciting to visit site with Etude to see the Custom House sites coming out of the ground and the construction of the thermally broken foundations details, which are helping the buildings achieve passivhaus standards.

This project is the First phase of the Custom House Masterplan with Hill, for London Borough of Newham. The buildings are being built to passivhaus standard, using ‘fabric first’ approach for high energy performance and a focus on reducing energy costs to meet Newham’s ambitious Low Energy Housing Design standards.

Team includes Hill, Etude, East, Robinson Associates, Walker Associates, Haworth Tompkins

We were delighted to hear the news that Central Somers Town has received a RIBA National Award! It’s been fantastic to work with a great team to deliver the project.

London Borough of Camden

Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects

LUC Landscape Architects

Max Fordham

Price & Myers

Turley

Currie & Brown

Both of our submitted projects, Custom House Kickstart and Central Somers Town have been shortlisted for this years’ Housing Design Awards. Winners will be announced in September.

The winners of the 2023 Civic Trust Awards have been revealed, and we are delighted that our project Central Somers Town Community Facilities and Chalton Street Housing has been successful. The awards recognise projects, that demonstrate excellence in architecture or design, whilst being sustainable, accessible and provide a positive civic contribution.

Thanks to the fantastic team:

London Borough of Camden

Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects

LUC Landscape Architects

Max Fordham

Price & Myers

Turley

Currie & Brown

We are delighted to lead a team to develop the vision for these key Council-owned sites. Our work begins by careful site analysis and community engagement to underpin the development of briefs which achieve the visionary changes that Hackney want to see, including how to nourish, protect and provide Community & Cultural spaces and deliver truly affordable housing.

The full design team includes:

Adam Khan Architects: architect

muf architecture/art: public realm and landscape

Apparata: collaborating architect

Freehaus: collaborating architect

JA Project: collaborating architect

Landolt + Brown: rail specialist architect

Daisy Froud: community engagement

Authentic Future – Heritage Consultants

Tibbalds - Planning Consultants

Velocity – Transport Consultants

Webb Yates – Structure/Civil Engineering

OFR – Fire Engineers

The Barbican organised a series of talks and debates around ideas and issues that impact architecture and urbanism today. Next guest of the series will be Adam Khan presenting the practice’s current works including competition-winning scheme for Ellebo Garden Room, the regeneration of 260 social housing units in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Plot 10 at Central Somers Town opened its doors to the public this weekend as part of Open House Festival 2022.

Following last week’s first meeting with the new 42 strong cohort of Mayor’s Design Advocates, Adam is excited to get stuck in his role of as a MDA to help the Mayor support London’s growth programme, promoting quality and inclusion within the built environment. The Newly appointed 42 Mayor’s Design Advocates (MDAs) are independent experts who will ensure quality buildings and public spaces that benefit Londoners are at the heart of the capital’s recovery from the pandemic.

A new cinebar - marking the first phase of an ambitious transformation of Rich Mix is now open to the public.

Adam Khan Architects together with dRMM and JA projects have been granted planning permission by Southwark council for Phase 1 of the Tustin Estate. As part of a masterplan led by dRMM, Adam Khan Architects were responsible for designing a building providing 73 new affordable homes. Following close residents engagement, design principles were established such as ensuring that mature trees were maintained. It was a fantastic opportunity to work with a great team lead by DRMM including the London borough of Southwark and the local residents.

We have recently submitted planning for the London Borough of Newham for 66 new 100% affordable homes. The site come forward as one of 2 kickstart sites as part of a larger masterplan for custom house we have been designing with East and Haworth Thompkins. Our project provides a sequence of new public, private and communal spaces. The buildings form a new south facing Neighbourhood square provides doorstop play and high quality public space accessible to the wider neighbourhood. The site come forward as one of 2 kickstart sites as part of a larger masterplan for custom house. The new homes have been designed to passivhaus standards and provide a mix family housing typologies including ground floor maisonettes and large 3 bed + family flats. Starting on site spring 2023.

Ellebo Garden Room, a project comprising the regeneration of 260 social housing flats, has been shortlisted for the Danish Renovation Award 'Renoverprisen 2022'.

We welcomed Isabelle Priest from the RIBA Journal and showed her around the office and our recently completed Somers Town project. We talked about ideas behind the office and the wide range of projects we have completed since setting up in 2006.

View article

Hannah Summers presents Somerstown at an evening PechaKucha: 'Design for Learning: Primary Schools Newest Projects' hosted by New London Architecture.

Presentation available to view here.

Building A3 of Greenwich Penisula's Design District is now complete and open to the public.

Read more

Featuring voices from both Antwerp and London, this discussion between architects and architectural historians addresses the presence of the Jewish communities in both cities. Speakers include Adam Teilelbaum who discusses the evolution of Antwerp's Diamond Quarter; Adam Khan and Tom Stebbing who are designing buildings for the Hassidic Jewish community in North London and Kaat Verdickt, an architectural historian who is researching the work Jewish architects in Antwerp in the early twentieth century. The talk is chaired by architectural historian Helen Thomas, and forms part of a series of films focussing on the Belgian city of Antwerp, in partnership with Brickworks Vande Moortel.

Watch here.

Adam talks to the Young Ambassadors of the The Earth Project about the role of architecture in building a better future for people and the planet. 27.05.21 at 1pm.

Details here: https://theearthproject.world/international-young-ambassadors-program/

Mayor of London's Recovery Roundtables: 10 Calls to Action report brings together the findings of the 7 roundtable sessions with over 100 experts, including Mayor's Design Advocate, Adam Khan.

Join livestream Virtual Summit to find out more about London's recovery programme
Date: 16.03.2021
Time: 14:30-15:45

Read Adam Khan's thought starter here

This GLA report is part of Good Growth by Design’s united programme of work to enhance the design of buildings and neighbourhoods for all Londoners.

See full report at london.gov.uk here

The project for two semi detached homes in the conservation area of Belsize Park starts on site.

View project.

Baugruppe Finkenau has been awarded BDA Hamburg Architecture Prize 2020: Second Prize. The new street of houses and maisonettes was a collaboration between Adam Khan Architects, Kraus Schönberg Architekten, DFZ Architekten and APB Architekten for a Baugruppe in Hamburg.

Team: Adam Khan, Camille Sineau, Loukia Lhomme, Emrys James, Patrick Heymann.

Award details here.

Adam Khan and Juliette Scalbert will give a lecture as part of the Register series at Kingston School of Art on Wednesday, 18.30 BST to present recent work at Central Somers Town and Custom House under the title ‘A Sociable City of Palaces and Gardens’. 

Poster image by David Grandorge of Central Somers Town.

Adam Khan will give a lecture for Bernd Schmutz's studio at Leibniz University in Hannover on Wednesday, 19.00 CET to present several projects and recent work under the title ‘Le Cru et le Cuit’. 

Stream here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1LEjBTj71AZ-xb_N8cUguQ

Photo by Lewis Khan of Hillside Gardens.

Central Somers Town features in The Guardian.

Rowan Moore review ‘An Object Lesson in Child’s Play‘ is accompanied with photography by David Grandorge and Lewis Khan as the project opens for the young people of Camden.

View article

Central Somers Town features in the July Issue of l'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui – 'Fabulous Britain!’.

Adam Khan’s text ‘Little Palace’ is accompanied with photography by David Grandorge as the project prepares to open for the young people of Camden.

Publication details here.

Adam Khan in discussion with Massimo Curzi as part of the Casabella webinar series.

More details and sign up link here. Non-Italians enter n/a for ‘Codice Fiscale’.

Adam Khan Architects have been selected for the new LHC and Southwark Council Architect Design Services framework to work directly with public sector organisations on delivering new housing projects within London.

We always endeavour to design and deliver places that are inclusive, sustainable, beautiful and for all Londoners.

Details here.

New Horizon Youth Centre by Lewis Khan screens as part of Women in Architecture's event series - Three Colours: Blue White Red. This third and final event Red explores home, homelessness and celebrates the importance and diversity of what Home means to individuals.

Date: 20.11.19
TIme: 18:00 - 20:00
Location: RIBA The Forum, 76 Portland Place, London W1B 1NT

Tickets available here.

Seizure Gallery is featured in Economy of Means exhibition curated by Éric Lapierre.

Date: 04.10.19 - 13.01.20
TIme: Monday - Sunday, 11:00 - 19:00
Location: MAAT Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, Av. Brasília, Central Tejo, 1300-598 Lisbon

Festival of Architecture, Flanders - Colloquium: Architecture Connects features Adam Khan and Peggy Totté discussing different types of living.

Date: 26.09.19
Time: 11:15
Location: Theaterzaal, Vooruit, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 23, 9000 Ghent

Event details here.

Tower Court, Clapton Common starts on site!

Amazing energy at the groundbreaking ceremony with Liza Fior, muf architecture/art; Adam Khan, Christiane Felber, Adam Khan Architects; Motty Friesel, Hatzola; Andy Fancy, Countryside; and Philip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney

Marian Court, Homerton - a collaboration between Adam Khan Architects and muf architecture/art for Hackney Council is Housing Design Awards 2019, Project Winner!

Award details here.

Carlton & Granville, South Kilburn is Unbuilt Winner in the category of Mixed-Use for New London Awards 2019

Award details here.

New Horizon Youth Centre by Lewis Khan screens at ASPECT:Cinema's DESIGN ME HAPPY - a short film screening series and panel-led discussion that explores how our architectural environments can affect our mental health and well-being.

Event details here.

Architectural Association building visit to Waterlow Court designed by Baillie Scott, will be led by Adam Khan in conversation with Alvaro Velasco, AA PhD candidate.

Tickets available here.

NLA's Public Housing: a London renaissance exhibition features both Tower Court, Clapton Common and Marian Court, Homerton, our collaborations with muf architecture/art for Hackney Council.

Details here.

Piling starts for Building A3 with concrete being poured.

On site for our new project, Sydenham Road with client, Peabody Construction.

Visitor centre for the listed building and garden in Buckow, Germany
Competition Award: Honourable Mention

Collaborators: Bernd Schmutz Architekten, Lossen Ingenieure, Valerio Calavetta

Due for completion Spring 2019

Public consultation event at The Granville

On site with Hayhurst and Co reviewing Edith Neville Primary School and Central Somers Town community facilities and new homes. Both Camden projects due for completion 2019.

Site workshop for Rue Delaunoy in Brussels. A collaboration with Laure Prouvost & Nick Aikens. 

Ibi Femiola, Lucy Norfield, Nuzha Noukri and Ruzna Noukri being filmed by Vincent Kelsey at The Stephen Lawrence Centre – on how to better engage young Londoners in regeneration projects.

Adam Khan Architects and Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust are partnering to develop youth led consultation events, as part of Brent Council’s Carlton and Granville project.

Adam Khan presents Betwixt and Between, a guest lecture for studio Krucker Bates at TUM.

Date: 10.07.2018
Time: 18:30
Location: Room 2730, Technische Universität München, Department of Architecture, Arcisstrasse 21, 80333 München

Adam Khan Architects is awarded Unbuilt Winner in the category of Housing for Vaughan Road, a pilot PRS project for Harrow Council.

Awards details here.

A collaborative, design-led approach established with Hackney Council, muf architecture/art, the full design team and the local community is delivering radically inclusive urban renewal and placemaking.

AJ article here.

Adam Khan joins a panel debate at London Festival of Architecture and presents Tower Court, our collaboration with muf architecture/art, Daisy Froud and Tom Stebbing.

This event is hosted by White Arkitekter, supported by the Mayor of London, and asks how can the city become more inclusive, equal and attractive to everyone?

Details here.

Tower Court, our collaboration with muf architecture/art for Hackney Council, is on display at Royal Academy of Arts: 250th Summer Exhibition, Architecture Room curated by Piers Gough.

Juliette Scalbert discusses with Sally on Kilburn Herald Show, the importance of local young people being part of the design and future of South Kilburn’s Carlton and Granville community facilities.

Adam Khan Architects has been appointed by Brent Council to develop and transform the Carlton and Granville Site in collaboration with local stakeholders for the second phase of this ambitious project. Our multi-disciplinary team includes Practice Architecture, Daisy Froud, Structure Workshop and Ritchie + Daffin.

AJ article here

Adam Khan presents Tower Court, Hackney and Ellebo Garden Room, Copenhagen at Transforming Social Housing – Stories from Europe Symposium at Center for Architecture, New York.

Date: 17.02.2018
Time: 13:00 – 16:00
Location: 536 LaGuardia Place, New York, NY 10012

Details here

As part of The Architecture Foundation London City Crits, Adam Khan leads a walking tour, which explores the architectural history of social housing in Somers Town.

Date: 24.04.2018
Time: 14:00 – 16:00

Photography: David Grandorge

Tower Court, Hackney, our collaboration with muf architecture/art, will feature in Social Housing - New European Projects exhibition and symposium at Center for Architecture, New York.

Curated by Karakusevic Carson Architects featuring projects and contributions by:

Adam Khan Architects (UK), Assemble (UK), Avenier & Cornejo Architectes (France), Chartier Dalix (France), Hans van der Heijden (The Netherlands), Einszueins (Austria), Hawkins\Brown (UK), Haworth Tompkins Architects (UK), Karakusevic Carson Architects (UK), Lacaton & Vassal (France), LAN architecture (France), Mae (UK), Mecanoo (The Netherlands), Mikhail Riches Architects (UK), Mole (UK), muf architecture/art (UK), Niall McLaughlin Architects (UK), s333 architecture + Urbanism (UK), Sergison Bates architects (UK & CH), TVK (France), Witherford Watson Mann (UK) and zanderroth architeckten (Germany). The exhibition was first shown at the Royal Institution of British Architects in London from 18 April to 28 May 2017.

Details here.

Plot 10 moves into temporary home.

Tower Court awarded Project Winner at Housing Design Awards 2017

Adam Khan has been appointed as a Mayor’s Design Advocate. From over 200 applications, 50 Design Advocates have been chosen to assist the Mayor of London’s Good Growth by Design programme.

Adam will be joining a team that includes members of the Housing Design Award-winning Tower Court project team: Hackney Council’s Rachel Bagenal, Liza Fior of muf architecture, and Daisy Froud.

Read the Mayor of London's announcement here.

Listen to Good Growth by Design – A Vision for London here.

Central Somers Town, Camden, has been Highly Commended for New London Awards 2017: Mayor's Prize

The Mayor’s Prize is awarded in association with the Mayor of London to the project that best reflects the Mayor’s ambition for ‘good growth’ as expressed in A City for All Londoners.

Adam Khan Architects are participating in the Global Architectural Political Event – a discussion that will continue the investigation about the political re-engagement of the discipline, as analysed in Alejandro Zaera-Polo’s essay “Well into the 21st Century” and the “Global Architectural Compass”.

Date: 02.06.2017
Time: 18:00 – 21:00
Location: AA Lecture Hall, 36 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3ES

More details here

Adam Khan Architects presents Central Somers Town Community Facilities at PechaKucha London Vol. 14 as part of Clerkenwell Design Week.

Date: 24.05.2017
Time: 19:30 – 20:30
Location: Spa Fields Park, Skinner Street, London, EC1

More details here.

Watch online here.

The NLA’s London: Design Capital which explores the global reach of London’s built environment industries, features Ellebo Garden Room, Copenhagen.

Date: 17.05.2017 – 07.07.2017
Opening hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 18:00, Saturday 10:00 – 17:00
Location: The Building Centre, 27 Store Street, London WC1E 7BT

Download London: Design Capital - Buildings/Places/Cities here.

Construction has begun on Ellebo Garden Room, Copenhagen.

Delivery Team:
Adam Khan Architects (Main Consultant & Design Lead)
Ramboll
Kristine Jensen Tegnestue

Anticipated completion date: 2018

Watch Nordic Innovation’s video here

Adam Khan presents A Society of Rooms for The Poetic Dimension in Architecture lecture series curated by Florian Beigel and Philip Christou at The CASS.

Date: 26.04.2017
Time: 18:30 – 20:00
Location: Central House, 1st floor, Room CE1-16

More details here

Social Housing - Definitions and Design Exemplars features Ellebo Garden Room, Copenhagen and Tower Court, Hackney.

Across the UK and Europe a new generation of practices are transforming public housing. Responding to continued high demand, new funding methods and a reinvigorated public sector, architects are re-addressing how homes are delivered at larger scales, piloting new methods to achieve new high standards of design.

Date: 18.04.2017 – 28.05.2017
Opening hours: Monday – Sunday, 10:00 – 17:00, Tuesday 10:00 – 20:00
Location: The Practice Space, RIBA, 66 Portland Place, London, W1B 1AD

Pensthorpe Play Barn, Norfolk, is one of 31 buildings shortlisted for a RIBA East award.

The winning submissions will be announced on 18.05.2017

The Rural and Industrial Design and Building Association (RIDBA) has selected the Play Barn as the recipient of their award in the recreation and leisure category.

Formerly known as the Farming and Agricultural Buildings Awards (FAB Awards), the award recognises innovation and excellence in the industrial and agricultural building industry.

Designed in collaboration with muf architecture/art, Tower Court is part of Hackney’s Estate Regeneration Programme and will be delivered directly by the Council. It will offer 132 high-quality, modern homes for social rent, shared ownership and outright sale, and a new ambulance depot.

The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe has selected Pensthorpe Play Barn, Fakenham as a nominee for the 2017 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award.

The prize is awarded biennially, and the Play Barn is named among 19 UK schemes. This is the second project by Adam Khan Architects to be nominated for the prize. Brockholes Visitor Centre was nominated and shortlisted in 2013.

For more details on the nomination, visit here.

Reminiscence, which features an article by Adam Khan, is launching on 17 December in Munich.

Edited by Benedict Esche & Benedikt Hartl and published by Edition Architektur, it offers a collection of more than 100 international architects looking back and reminiscing about a particular building.

Date: 17.12.2016
Time: 12:00
Location: Architekturgalerie München, Türkenstrasse 30

Flipping through the book

Website takeover & associated print by Fraser Muggeridge studio

Adam Khan is a speaker at ‘Future Estates’ at the Royal Academy.

“Following a previous debate exploring the changing status of Britain’s post-war housing estates, this event looks at estate regeneration and the range of alternatives that exist to the growing threat of demolition."

Date: 28.11.2016
Time: 18:30 – 20:00
Location: Geological Society, Piccadilly, W1

Other speakers include:

Geraldine Dening – Architect and founder, Architects for Social Housing
John Lewis – Executive Director Thamesmead, Peabody
Oliver Wainwright – Architecture critic, The Guardian (chair)
Sarah Wigglesworth – Architect, director of Sarah Wigglesworth Architects

More details here

Following a studio visit in September 2016, the November issue of Baumeister features a profile of Adam Khan Architects. The article offers a snapshot of various built projects, from Brockholes Visitor Centre to Seizure Gallery, as well as future plans for residential projects in London.

Words: Erik Wegerhoff

Photography: David Grandorge, Lewis Khan, Ioana Marinescu & Ed Tyler

The North Norfolk District Council has selected AKA’s Play Barn as the recipient of the Graham Allen Award for Conservation & Design.

Create London, along with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, have shortlisted Adam Khan Architects for an Artists Housing design competition.

Our publication ‘Seven Up’, a visual exploration of the studio’s output, is available at a number of specialist architecture bookshops, now including DomusHaus Buchhandlung für Architektur und Design, Basel.

Adam Khan Architects have recently completed the restoration of the Grade 2 listed Five Cottages at Pensthorpe Wildlife & Gardens including the building of new rear and side extensions. The new building includes offices as well as a conference room and a well-being centre.

Location: Norfolk, Pensthorpe
Client: Pensthorpe Wildlife and Gardens

Photo credit: Lewis Khan

Adam Khan Architects have received an Honourable Mention for their submission to the Kunststilo art museum and culture quarter design competition in Kristiansand, Norway.

The new art museum will house 1,100 works donated by Nicolai Tangen, which constitute what experts have called the most important collection of Norwegian art from the 1930s to the 1970s.

The submission will be exhibited at Sørlandets Art museum until 18 September.

Details on the competition can be found here.

Adam Khan Architects are among 8 practices to be shortlisted for the Qatar Art Mill design competition.

Nearly 500 practices from 56 different countries entered the three-stage contest, and we are the only British firm to reach the final eight in the contest for the 93 000 m² gallery project on Doha’s waterfront.

More information on the competition website.

Adam Khan spoke to the year 9’s of Sedgehill Secondary School about the educational journey of the architect. 

Other inspirational speakers included Maria Murtagh, Tammy Reed and Sade Banks. Thank you very much to the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust for organising the Career Pathway Programme. 

New Architects 3, which features a selection of Adam Khan Architects' work, is launching on 24 March.

“New Architects 3 is the Architecture Foundation’s landmark guide to the best architectural practices set up in the UK in the past decade. To coincide with its publication, join us for an afternoon of talks and conversations about the conditions shaping British architecture both today and in the future at The Barbican.”

Date: 24.03.2016
Time: 14:00
Location: Frobisher Auditorium 1, Barbican Centre, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS

Please join us at the Architectural Association Bookshop for the launch of the second edition of ‘Building Upon Building’, Edited by J. Engels & M. Grootveld.

The book will be introduced by Adam Khan, followed by a talk from the Editors.

“Architecture as evolution, rather than revolution. How can the views that underlie the historical city be interwoven with the stories of the present? This question is answered in 45 projects and four essays.”

Date: 23.03.2016
Time: 18:30
Location: AA Bookshop, 32 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3ES

Brockholes Visitor Centre has been praised by CIBSE Journal for its ability to handle flooding.

“A pioneering nature reserve has risen about the floodwaters that drenched the North West, proving an example to architects and engineers. The floating visitor village, which won new build project of the year at the 2012 CIBSE Building Performance Awards, is sited on the Meadow Lake at Brockholes, and has been designed to rise and fall with the water level.”

Play Barn at Pensthorpe Wildlife and Gardens has been featured in Wallpaper* magazine’s January issue.

Adam Khan will be delivering a lecture ‘What Makes a Good Room?’ at the Danish Academy of Arts tomorrow, organised by Spatial Design, Perception and Detail 1 Semester.

Date: 09.12.2015
Time: 16:00
Location: KADK Danish Academy of Arts, auditorium 5

Adam Khan Architects has been long-listed to submit a design for the international competition for the Art Mill in Doha, Qatar. Adam Khan Architects' application was chosen as one of 26 out of a total of 489 entries for the 93 000 m² project, which envisions the redevelopment of a historic waterfront site in the centre of Doha.

More information on the competition website.

‘Housing and Welfare – Homes Ensembles City’ exhibition opens tomorrow at KADK Copenhagen, and will feature Adam Khan Architects’ Ellebo Garden Room.

“What will Copenhagen look like in 5, 10 and 15 years’ time? What is the future of the city as a residential city according to the projects that architectural firms are designing right now? And what role does housing play in a city and a welfare society that are undergoing change?”

Date: 19.03.2015 – 14.05.2015
Time: 11:00 – 18:00
Location: Exhibition Hall, KADK, Danneskiold-Samsøes Allé 51, 1436 København