OverviewOur architectural servicesHow we helpProjectsHow we workOur expertsFAQs

At WSP, architecture transcends the construction of buildings – our vision is to create striking and warm spaces that truly matter to the people they support.

We draw on ESA’s century‑long design heritage, combining imaginative thinking with technical rigour to create places that push boundaries and are adaptable for an ever-changing world.

Our integrated team, spanning architecture, engineering, sustainability, digital expertise and other specialists, works as one to deliver resilient, high‑performing spaces shaped by data‑driven insight, clear client goals and strong sustainability principles.

Working across public and private sectors, we collaborate closely with long‑standing architectural partners and clients from concept to completion. Our global experience and cross‑sector lens helps you realise your ambitions and create places that perform today while supporting a more sustainable built environment.

Design professionals
150+
Studios across the UK
7
Years of design heritage
110+

Our architectural services

Whether it’s designing a new development or reimagining an existing one, we create places at every scale that feel connected, perform strongly and are ready for what comes next.

We work with clients and architectural partners to shape future-focused places from concept to completion. By bringing Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) into the process from day one, we give you greater certainty on programme and create solutions that are efficient, resilient and Future Ready®. 

Our services include:

  • Full‑service design: Our end to end architecture capability across all RIBA stages blends strategic insight, technical expertise and sustainable thinking to deliver buildings that perform, endure and minimise risk.

  • Concept design and architecture visualisation: We develop bold early-stage ideas and use advanced architecture 3D models for site analysis to help clients uncover the potential of their project to make confident decisions from the outset.

Our approach focuses on unlocking the hidden potential of existing buildings through intelligent, sustainable transformation. By working with what already exists, we minimise carbon impact while maximising design value, performance and user experience. 

We are experienced in:

Our reinvention of projects such as Weston House in Holborn and Strata in Staines shows how our extensive experience of deep refurbishment can extend the life of a building and create long-term impact and value for owners, occupants and communities.

We design welcoming and wellbeing-centric environments shaped around the needs of the people and organisations they serve.

Our services include:

  • Interior design: Crafted to reflect identity and atmosphere, our interiors balance materials, layout and user experience to support comfort and purpose.

  • Workplace design: We create workplaces that inspire productivity and support wellbeing, drawing on deep experience in commercial building design.

We plan and shape communities with a long‑term view, considering context, infrastructure, movement and social needs. Our strategies create connected, resilient places that evolve with the people who use them and can feed into broader growth plans for Local Government Authorities.

Our experts work across multiple sectors, including commercial office and workplace design, urban regeneration, transport, defence, aviation and data centre sectors. This experience means we can bring cross-sector learnings and insights into every project.

One of the biggest challenges faced by our clients is navigating a fast-evolving world. We focus on making this journey easier by unlocking the synergies of architecture and engineering, helping clients design resilient, people-centric spaces. Our architectural experts dovetail seamlessly with our broader interdisciplinary specialists to design and deliver high-performing, future-focused places fit for today and tomorrow’s landscape.

How we help

Inspire through design

Our creative, design‑led approach helps clients turn complex challenges into places that connect with people and create long lasting value. We shape concepts that resonate emotionally and perform practically, giving stakeholders a clear vision they can believe in. This commitment to thoughtful, expressive design is evident in projects such as the Wales Millennium Centre, Oriana London and YMCA Tottenham Court Road, where we have created spaces with strong identity and enduring purpose.

Project image: Oriana, London, UK

Inspire through design (1)
Elevating with technical excellence (1)

Elevate technical excellence

Our co-design approach brings architects, engineers and specialists together from the start. By grounding the creative process in engineering insight, we ensure that concepts are visually striking, structurally sound, energy efficient and technologically advanced. This close collaboration sparks new ideas early, helping us test, refine and push solutions further. Working as one team means every decision is coordinated and every detail is buildable. This joined‑up approach gives clients a single, accountable partner who reduces risk and maintains momentum of complex projects.

Project image: 40 Brighton Road, Sutton, UK

Shape sustainable design

We are passionate about designing places that enrich people’s lives and positively impact communities and ecosystems. Our guidance and delivery draw on deep expertise in sustainability and regenerative practices, helping create buildings that can adapt to shifting environmental and economic conditions. By combining architectural and engineering capabilities, we help you explore new ideas and use proven, cutting‑edge solutions to meet, and where appropriate, exceed current sustainability standards and expectations.

Project image: Strata, Staines, UK

Sustainable building design (1)
Drive smarter innovation v2 10 april 2026

Drive smarter innovation

Smart. Adaptive. Industrialised. By introducing in-house cutting-edge approaches such as our AI-driven design tool (Daisy), CLT-Steel Composite Floor System and kit-of-parts approach, we give clients clearer certainty around programme timelines and create designs that are efficient, resilient and ready for the future. We use interactive visualisations to bring to life designs clearly and support data-driven collaboration. This reduces risk, improves efficiency and reflects our passion to deliver high-performing places that support healthy environments.

Our pioneering projects

How we work

We bring bold thinking, Future Ready® insight and deep client partnership to every stage of your journey.

01

Integrated offer

Our interdisciplinary capability means we can support you across the whole journey and maximise value for your assets.

02

Future Ready®

Future Ready is our global innovation programme, challenging and inspiring all our people to advise and design outcomes better suited for the future as well as today.

03

Client focus

Our relationships are built on openness, clarity and a deep understanding of your needs, enabling us to find solutions that align with your ambitions.

04

Sector and global breadth

With a network of experts across the UK and globe, we bring learnings from cross-sector projects to optimise outcomes on others.

Key contacts

With studios in London, Cardiff, Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham, we support clients nationally and internationally with local insight and global best practice.

Kevin Wylde
Kevin Wylde
Head of Architecture, UK and Ireland
United Kingdom
Daniel Fisher
Daniel Fisher
Regional Director - London and the South East, Architecture
United Kingdom
Simon Brambles
Simon Brambles
Regional Director - Birmingham and the Midlands, Architecture
United Kingdom
Stuart Creedon 1
Stuart Creedon
Head of Regions, UK and Ireland
United Kingdom
silhouette - Website People Headshot
David Shaw
Regional Director - Glasgow and Scotland, Architecture
United Kingdom
Debbie Saunders
Debbie Saunders
Regional Director - Wales and the South West, Architecture
United Kingdom
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FAQs

Since WSP acquired ESA Architects, our UK capability has expanded to delivering design-led, engineering-driven architecture across every sector and scale. Our services include concept design, technical delivery, adaptive reuse and sustainable transformation – all integrated with world-class engineering expertise.

This enhanced expertise means we can deliver even more value to our clients and architectural partners, using our unique co-design approach to maximise project outcomes.

Our architectural designers work across commercial, residential, transport, healthcare and more. From city landmarks to infrastructure, we bring creative vision and technical rigour to projects nationwide.

Sustainable architecture can mean many different things. Our designs and advice address contemporary challenges, whether environmental, social and/or economic to realise the best outcomes and enable opportunities for significantly better buildings and places right across the project lifecycle. 

Project opportunities and challenges vary considerably, and we can help address every issue and challenge to better inform decision making whether regarding development potential, design development, technical delivery or operational aspects such as energy and adaptation, comfort and wellbeing through to circular economy considerations or reinvention potential.

We have developed numerous digital tools in-house to enhance the design and delivery of projects, which includes but is not limited to: 

  • Daisy: Our building design tool combines advanced computational capabilities with human insight to test and uncover optimal design options at concept stage to support high-performing assets.

  • Our Kit-of-parts approach: This enables us to combine customised offsite manufacturing solutions within a Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) workflow, and to scale up the benefits across programmes (multiple projects).

  • Steel reuse tool: Our digital section-matching software helps our teams match pre-used steel sections with structural designs for new buildings, helping clients significantly reduce embodied carbon on projects.

We also have dedicated digital experts across information management, smart places and beyond to stretch what is possible for our clients and architectural partners to meet their ambitious goals.

Future Ready® is our global innovation programme, challenging and inspiring all our people to advise and design outcomes better suited for the future as well as today.

To do this, we explore major future trends through four lenses: climate, society, technology and resources. This gives us a clear, evidence‑based view of what our designs will need to achieve in the years ahead. By applying these insights early on in projects, our designers help clients make confident decisions and create solutions built to perform well into the future.

Lead and grow

What if you could build a career that’s as unique as you? With us you can.

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