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Urbanist Architecture

| ur· ban· ist | \ ˈər-bə-nist
| ar·​chi·​tec·​ture | \ ˈär-kə-ˌtek-chər \

Black marble of the Greenwich, London, office entrance with two team members ready to welcome visitors

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A small RIBA chartered residential architecture practice based in London with projects all over the UK.

Planning consultants discussing architectural drawings for a residential project

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Specialists in delivering creative design solutions and securing difficult planning applications.

Team of architectural designers, interior designers, graphic designer and planning consultants around a shiny wooden table discussing Green Belt project with various designs printed and spread on the table as well as on the tv screen behind them

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Bright, driven and result-oriented residential architects, town planners and interior designers.

Who are we?

Urbanist Architecture is a London-based architecture and planning firm. Over the last 10 years, we have developed a specialism in residential architecture, specifically for extensions, renovations and new-build developments with a construction value of between £200k - £20m.

As an RIBA chartered practice with 10 architects, planning consultants, interior designers, and project managers, we offer multiple services under one roof at a boutique scale to achieve your goals.

When you work with our firm, you will receive large firm experience while being guaranteed the dedication of a small architecture firm. As our client, you will have the support of our entire studio behind you - no matter what.

What are we really passionate about?

⁣In the UK, getting planning permission at the first attempt is rare. Catastrophic technical errors are too common, and what should be straightforward design tasks somehow become wildly overcomplicated. ⁣We don’t think that any of this is inevitable or acceptable.

We are passionate about combining our technical thinking and creative enthusiasm with our distinctive blend of expertise, experience, and imagination to make a real difference in meeting the challenges of building projects.

Oriented towards our founding values, the whole idea of Urbanist Architecture is to put you in a position where you don’t have to experience the frustrations, unnecessary expense and confusion too often associated with trying to build something in the UK.

What does Urbanist Architecture do?

We specialise in extensions, renovations and new-build developments of one-off housing to 100 units and have particular expertise in listed buildings, infill developments and green belt sites.

Thanks to our strong team, the work of our practice continues to receive the highest acclaim with a reputation for unlocking the hidden potential of developments, securing planning permission and delivering imaginative projects on tricky sites.

We are the practice behind projects that are unprecedented and quite exceptional. Projects for which we secured planning permission on sites where there had been several failed attempts before our involvement. Projects for which we formulated creative residential design solutions where there had been failures in getting the design right.

What makes Urbanist Architecture different?

The way you design, plan, manage and build has an impact on the success of your project. Therefore, we see architectural design, town planning and construction as inseparable elements.

Driven by process, we combine the realities of property development with architectural creativity, in-depth planning logic and hands-on construction monitoring to help you build great places.

Taking a methodical approach to building projects is not optional. It is crucial for success. With a strong multidisciplinary team that has an established reputation for excellence in residential architecture, we can provide you with all of the solutions you need through every step of your project.

Why choose Urbanist Architecture?

Small RIBA chartered architecture firm in London

Small enough to care, large enough to deliver extraordinary value

We aren’t a mega-corporation. We are smaller, so close interaction is at the heart of what we do. By dedicating ourselves to a smaller number of clients, we work side by side with you to achieve precise attention to detail. This structure enables us to obtain high-quality and extraordinarily personalised results for you.

Planning Permission Architects

The 6-step proven system to secure planning permission with ease

Our unique six-step sequential model of planning system incorporates safeguards for many of the pitfalls and failings of typical planning applications. Our rigorously tested system allows us to specialise in crafting creative planning application strategies for developments with sensitive planning conditions and restrictions.

Residential Design Architects

Creative residential design solutions to achieve excellence

Grounded in thorough research, rigorous analysis and creative vision, our solutions allow for all the necessities of modern life. This approach enables us to strive for harmony of all elements that animate a building and give it life; we aim to design a space that is as visually impressive as it is efficient.

BIM Architects and Designers

BIM-based interactive collaboration to attain 100% accuracy

We use the latest BIM technology to integrate artistic skills with smart technology. This creates an intuitive design process so your project is almost a prototype before it’s built. You will be able to visualise the layout and quality of your space, annotate the drawings and provide feedback throughout the process.

Agile Project Management in Construction

Agile project management to balance quality, cost and time

A construction project will always involve tricky choices between quality, cost and time. From the beginning, we make sure that we understand what your priorities are, advise you on the best path to achieving them, and keep them in mind as we continue to juggle quality, time and cost on your behalf.

Friendly Architects in London

Fully transparent fee structure to plan with clarity and confidence

Many architecture firms may give you tempting initial quotes only to reveal new charges and extra fees at each stage of the process. We don’t. We are transparent about what we will and won’t charge you for.

Gold drop lighting fixture with grey radiators in the background
Gold drop lighting fixture with grey radiators in the background
We’re large enough to have a breadth of expertise in UK planning law and residential architecture. We’re also small enough for each of our clients to be very important to us.
Signature of Ufuk Bahar, BA(Hons) MA
Managing Director
Ufuk Bahar

BA(Hons) MA
Managing Director

Portrait of Ufuk Bahar, BA(Hons) MA
Managing Director

Frequently asked questions

We are proudly a small architecture firm in London. We think the personal touch is crucial – if you hire us to design your new home or extension or loft conversion or renovation or block of flats or development, you will have our full attention.

At heart, we are residential architects. Urbanist Architecture is passionate about housing design because for us this is the most personalised service we can offer. We love making a difference, no matter how large or small, to people’s lives.

We take into consideration every aspect of residential living, including the interaction of interior and exterior spaces, and the intertwining of private and public life. By paying attention to every little detail, our residential designs are tailored for contemporary lifestyles, yet able to accommodate future developments, as well as adapt to social, economic, and environmental changes.

The residential design projects we focus on range from house extensions and home renovation projects to bespoke one-off dwelling houses and block of flats, which include residential developments and mixed-uses schemes. With professional care and attention, we work across all fields of architecture, town planning, urban design and interior design.

At the heart of our approach to design is a fundamental belief that drives our success: good design requires the balance and integration of people and place, aesthetics and functionality. We design with purpose in mind; we are responsive to who will use the space, and how that space will be used.

Our diverse client base includes homeowners, landowners, local businesses and property developers. We guide them through every step of the project from concept through to completion. So whatever you are looking for from a residential architecture firm from London – whether you yourself live or work in the capital or not – we can handle it (and we will always remember your name).

Since we believe that every project is different, we believe that every client deserves a unique approach – we tackle every project with fresh eyes and original ideas in order to deliver designs that are completely bespoke, completely yours. Interiors, buildings, landscapes, towns and cities... We are truly passionate about all aspects of the environment in which we live. The most important thing to us as residential architects is designing places that people can live in, work in, and love.

As one of the top-rated residential architects in the UK, we only ever take on a limited number of clients because we know you deserve our complete focus on your project. Nothing is more disheartening than ringing up an architecture company working on something close to your heart and realising they have no idea who you are. We promise that will never happen with us.

Ready to unlock the potential of your project?

We specialise in crafting creative design and planning strategies to unlock the hidden potential of developments, secure planning permission and deliver imaginative projects on tricky sites

Write us a message
Decorative image of an architect working