Evolved and variously settled over time, urban settings have a unique history and underlying spatial order.
Through analysis of a place’s strengths and constraints, we develop frameworks that organise space and activity, supporting coherent and deliverable development.
Careful urban design strengthens local character while accommodating change, aligning the needs of existing communities with those of new users. This creates places that are coherent, active and resilient over time.
London New Great Estates
Placemaking is the hallmark of our service.
Great places can only emerge through conviction - an unwavering belief that we can challenge standard models to elevate quality.
Shaping successful places
Our integrated approach to architecture, landscape and urban design develops frameworks that structure and deliver coherent places. Through analysis of site, brief and viability, we create design responses that add value for clients while strengthening the public realm.
We believe architecture should be clear and purposeful, defined by use and enriched through materiality, craft, light and landscape. In residential and mixed-use projects, this balance underpins long-term economic, social and environmental value.
A piece of city
In a transitioning city like London, connectivity is key to building resilience. Our urban design and landscape strategies are designed to create immediate connections to adjacent neighbourhoods to increase urban mobility, as well as embedding connectivity as the wider area evolves. We establish a carefully considered hierarchy of streets, squares, and gardens; the constituent parts of London’s most successful neighbourhoods. These diverse spaces are defined by the arrangement of site-specific building typologies that interact with the public realm to create a series of flexible and evolving settings for life.
The remembered journey
On a human scale, we design places where people from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds can live, work and learn. At the urban scale, we structure a hierarchy of public spaces that strengthens the city fabric and supports a more inclusive environment.
We consider design at every level, from the approach to a building and the threshold of the front door to the quality of shared internal and external spaces.
Courtyards and gardens provide a framework for shared and individual experience, while carefully considered details such as doors, handrails and thresholds create moments of everyday recognition and care. Together, these elements shape a coherent journey from street to home and a lasting sense of belonging.
Patel Taylor don’t just think about the buildings; they think about the community and the right landscape – and that sits well with me as I have a lot of regard for placemaking. And I love the panache and flair that they bring to schemes like London Dock and White City.
Tony Pidgley CBE, Chairman, Berkeley Homes
City scale
Our approach to design is to create new spaces where none existed before. Contextual and connected spaces.
Genius loci - spirit of the place
Places must be grounded in their topographic, historical and spatial context, connecting communities physically, visually and socially. These principles guide the creation of cohesive and humane urban environments.
We identify key connections between the site and its wider urban fabric to anchor new development within the existing grain.
From this, we develop a hierarchy of landscape-led public spaces connected by movement routes and structured to support a clear distribution of uses, with active ground floors along key routes and more residential edges where appropriate.
Townscape and identity
The next step is to introduce key moments within the masterplan. Spatial touchpoints that aid orientation and create a coherent townscape. Successful urban environments rely on a clear hierarchy of foreground and background buildings. Building scale, massing and character are defined in relation to context, public space and movement.
We then develop typology, massing and materiality to create a considered composition that responds to landscape and reinforces a coherent and connected place.
Urban scale
We integrate architecture, landscape and urban design to create coherent urban environments across large-scale projects.
We question design at every level. What does the approach to the front door look like? Are the homes beautifully detailed, indoors and out? How do shared areas work for this specific community?
By structuring development around connected public spaces, gardens and courtyards, we create frameworks that support both collective and individual use. Carefully considered details and touchstones reinforce legibility and contribute to a sense of continuity across the wider urban environment.
Estate regeneration
Our urban design and architecture shapes places where people from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds can call home.
We approach estate regeneration through a detailed understanding of local context, including vernacular character, spatial structure and community needs. Engagement with residents and stakeholders informs design decisions and helps shape places that are relevant and enduring. Our objective is to create sustainable and functional neighbourhoods that evolve over time, combining new homes with a range of uses, amenities and high-quality public space.
Our approach is landscape-led, establishing a spatial framework of parks, gardens, streets and squares that restructures existing estates into connected and inclusive neighbourhoods. This supports a mix of family homes, workspaces and local facilities within a coherent public realm.
Our process is iterative. At each stage, we develop a deeper understanding of the project, testing early assumptions and embedding insights into the evolving design. Before design development begins, we consider a range of factors that inform the brief and establish the foundations for the architectural response. This approach can be summarised through six interconnected principles.
People. Pedigree. Potential. Place. Practicality. Price
