History
The practice was formed by Malcolm Booth, Richard Slawson and Walter Thomson, who met as teachers at the Birmingham School of Architecture in the 1960s. At that time the School undertook live projects and the founders were encouraged to set up a part time practice, employing students to undertake the work with appropriate management. The work was soon supplemented with private commissions and the move of the School from Aston University prompted the partners to commit to full time practice in 1973.
The practice name was conceived as having a life beyond the founders, its name Associated Architects chosen deliberately not to include their surnames. The early workload of housing, industrial buildings and offices expanded and the practice relocated in 1976 to St. Paul’s Square, which it used as a base for the regeneration of the Jewellery Quarter. It developed skills in urban regeneration, with listed buildings and in urban housing, anticipating the city living movement by a decade.
Paul Lister joined the practice in 1976, becoming a partner in 1984: Ian Standing joined in 1985 and became a partner in 1989. At this time the practice undertook its first projects with independent schools, developing this into a broad education workload. It won its first RIBA Awards and with the Property Services Agency undertook commissions for Law Courts at Stafford and Worcester, opening a Cyprus office to deliver projects for the Ministry of Defence. University work developed at this time with projects including the Birmingham School of Jewellery and the restoration of the Grade I listed Birmingham School of Art.
As the National Lottery made funds available for Arts projects in the 1990s, the practice won national competitions for projects including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Centre (with Sir Simon Rattle), the Water Hall Gallery and the rebuilding of the Birmingham Hippodrome. Following its work on the first mixed use building at 9 Brindleyplace it built numerous offices and subsequently delivered the largest mixed use building in the UK: the Mailbox.
Matthew Goer joined in 1990 and became a partner in 2001. The founders retired between 1996 and 2002, Paul Lister in 2006. Warren Jukes and Adam Wardle joined in 1996 and with Matthew Goer and Ian Standing became directors of the Limited Liability Partnership in 2003. During 2012 James Hall was promoted from Associate Director to Director.
Associated Architects retains its close relationship with the School of Architecture and has strong links with the cultural and business communities in the city. Although based in Birmingham and deriving much of its work from the region, it also works nationally and internationally with projects in Abu Dhabi, Africa, Cyprus and Poland.
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