Stride Treglown

Following a period of growth, 2017 was a year of consolidation for Stride Treglown, with a ‘steady’ performance reflected in its static head count of 111 UK architects.

That figure is likely to rise this year, however, as the nine-centre practice looks to grow its Birmingham office, formed through the acquisition of Bournville Architects in 2016, and to add staff in London, Winchester and Manchester.

Major projects for the employee-owned company, which is nearing completion of a refurbishment of its Grade II*-listed Bristol headquarters in its 65th anniversary year, include a £50 million cruise liner terminal for Liverpool. On the back of that appointment the firm is looking at other cruise terminals in Europe and the Middle East, where it hopes to re-enter the market following the closure of its Abu Dhabi office by working with Noon Stride, a local company in which Stride Treglown is a shareholder.

The practice has a ‘varied diet’, according to chairman David Hunter, with universities continuing to provide a rich source of work. Projects completed in 2017 include the £50 million Bristol Business School for the University of West of England. Its £35 million Ysgol Bae Baglan school won the National Eisteddfod of Wales Gold Medal for Architecture.

Hunter says the firm is building on Bournville Architects’ legacy of creating communities and social housing by helping developers with placemaking. It also wants to do more masterplanning; its recent clients in this field include Bristol Airport.

Hunter is ‘cautious’ about business prospects, however. ‘I think we have been in the recent past really quite concerned about how things will work out through 2018,’ he says. ‘As we approach 2019 it will really be very interesting to see how things go and then the transition period beyond that [following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU].’