THE SPEAR'S 500
Architects
Spears 2020
BEN PENTREATH
To say Ben Pentreath, the royals’ interior designer, is an experienced architectural designer would be to undersell him. He has proved his worth not just with his skill in master-planning and urban development, but also with his eye for interiors… Read More
BEN ADAMS
BEN ADAMS ARCHITECTS
‘Elegant contextual architecture balancing function with… flair,’ Ben Adams’ boutique firm tells the public about its ethos. The founder knows the power of architecture more than most, as he uses his position to address a changing world, saying urbanisation and… Read More
DAVID MIKHAIL & ANNALIE RICHES
MIKHAIL RICHES
Leaders in the field of residential development, David Mikhail and Annalie Riches work for private developers, housing associations and local authorities, and have spent 2018 restoring Park Hill Sheffield, the historic Grade II building which is the largest listed structure… Read More
ALISON BROOKS
ALISON BROOKS ARCHITECTS
As one might expect from one of the world’s most sought-after architects, Alison Brooks has had what she calls a ‘fantastic year’. She has worked worldwide, winning awards for projects in both Barcelona and New York. Her crowning glory –… Read More
CHARLOTTE SKENE CATLING
SKENE CATLING DE LA PEñA
Charlotte Skene Catling has a unique approach to her practice which she terms ‘geoarchaeology’, seeking to excavate meaning from context to develop architecture. This method sees her taking observations of the composition of the earth, historical artefacts and the cultural… Read More
LUKE CHANDRESINGHE
UNDERCOVER ARCHITECTURE
When commissioning a home from Luke Chandresinghe and Undercover Architecture, one can be sure that the director’s heart and soul will go into the project. He is a ‘big fan’ of drawing and modelling, explaining that it is a ‘great… Read More
SIR DAVID CHIPPERFIELD
DAVID CHIPPERFIELD ARCHITECTS
RIBA gold medal winner Sir David Chipperfield’s practice is active across four continents, and more than half of the employees at the London office are EU nationals – which has been integral to his success. ‘The transfer of knowledge, of… Read More
SIR TERENCE CONRAN
CONRAN AND PARTNERS
Conran and Partners was founded by the legendary Sir Terence Conran in 1980. A RIBA Chartered Practice whose clients include American Express, John Lewis and British Airways, it was founded on the principle that imaginative design improves lives. With offices… Read More
THOMAS CROFT
THOMAS CROFT ARCHITECTS
Described as ‘the art collector’s architect’, Thomas Croft has designed homes for a range of art dealers, collectors and celebrities. When Spear’s caught up with him, he had just completed a third project for Swedish art dealer Per Skarstedt. He… Read More
CHRISTOPHE EGRET AND DAVID WEST
STUDIO EGRET WEST
‘No lectures. No superiority and no pretensions. Just high ambitions, clarity of thinking and imagination in abundance,’ is the motto of architect Christophe Egret and urban designer David West. The pair founded Studio Egret West in 2004 to create a… Read More
JAMIE FOBERT
JAMIE FOBERT ARCHITECTS
A challenging environment is no deterrent for Jamie Fobert Architects, a firm accustomed to designing buildings for complex sites. All its commissions require unique and innovative solutions to resolve testing site constraints, and the firm is skilled at creating an… Read More
JAMES FOWLER
FOWLER ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING
James Fowler is emphatic that his family business has ‘no set style’. ‘We like to work with the clients to develop houses they love,’ he says. The exteriors of Fowler’s projects often take a traditional form. ‘If you ask a… Read More
JAMES GORST
JAMES GORST ARCHITECTS
Self-described ‘classic modernist’ James Gorst has two favourite buildings. One is Mies van der Rohe’s Villa Tugendhat, a seminal modernist masterpiece. The other is Bramante’s High Renaissance Tempietto in San Pietro in Montorio, which is perhaps more surprising. ‘They are… Read More
GRAHAM HARRIS
SHH ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN
‘The team you assemble is… vital to the success of the project,’ says SHH co-founder Graham Harris. ‘Historical threads and footprints will also greatly inform and enforce your concepts when making client presentations,’ he adds. Commissions include a 1970s Grade… Read More
SIMON HAYCOCK
MICHAELIS BOYD
Since its establishment in 1995, Michaelis Boyd has offered a wide range of architectural and interior design services, from residential new-builds through to renovations of hotels, restaurants and bars. Its work can be found in the UK, Europe, Africa, Nepal,… Read More
DAVID KOHN
DAVID KOHN ARCHITECTS
David Kohn Architects was founded in 2007 by Cambridge graduate David Kohn. Based in Camden, he carries out an impressive range of projects, often following competitive tenders. One such project was at New College, Oxford, where the firm designed student… Read More
SALLY MACKERETH
STUDIO MACKERETH
No one describes the philosophy of Studio Mackereth better than Sally Mackereth herself: ‘Studio Mackereth takes its signature from an integrated approach that places as much importance on the interior spaces as the considered details of the architecture that defines… Read More
NíALL MCLAUGHLIN
NíALL MCLAUGHLIN ARCHITECTS
Architect Níall McLaughlin holds professorships at UCL, Yale and UCLA, and counts Young British Architect of the Year 1998 among his list of awards. The firm doesn’t specialise in particular styles, but in ‘high-quality architecture’. It offers a range of… Read More
JOHN PAWSON
JOHN PAWSON
John Pawson was recently lauded for his ‘transformation’ of a former Tel Aviv hospital into The Jaffa Hotel. ‘Simplicity in architecture and design’ is Pawson’s motto, and he certainly delivers on it. Known for his minimalist aesthetic, his portfolio is… Read More
DEMETRI PORPHYRIOS
PORPHYRIOS ASSOCIATES
The internationally renowned Demetri Porphyrios has a simple philosophy: he aims at ‘balancing the requirements of the brief with necessities of good construction and the expectations of civility and beauty’. His firm offers a range of architectural and interior services,… Read More

KEES VAN DER SANDE
FORMATION ARCHITECTS
‘A skilled and stable team – with excellent relationships to the supply chain – means much more than nice CGIs,’ says Kees van der Sande, a director at Formation Architects, which specialises in projects in the global prime residential sector…. Read More
GEORGE SAUMAREZ SMITH
ADAM ARCHITECTURE
Working as one of six directors in the traditional architectural firm Adam Architects, George Saumarez Smith is among the leading lights of classical architecture today. His style is one of simple and elegant English classicism, and it permeates his entire… Read More
TOM EMERSON AND STEPHANIE MACDONALD
6A ARCHITECTS
Founded by Tom Emerson and Stephanie Macdonald in 2001, 6a has an increasingly distinguished portfolio. For example, Cowan Court (Churchill College, Cambridge’s new halls of residence) was the first new court commissioned by the college since its establishment, and is… Read More
FRANCIS TERRY
FRANCIS TERRY AND ASSOCIATES
After being in partnership with his father for two decades, Francis Terry started his own practice in 2016. A leading practitioner in new-build classical houses for UHNW clients, he runs a flexible practice. ‘We are happy to turn our hand… Read More
QUINLAN TERRY
QUINLAN TERRY ARCHITECTS
One day in 1968, Quinlan Terry teetered along the external cornice of the Pantheon in Rome to measure the pediment, all while wearing a five-piece tweed suit. It’s that attention to detail which has given the veteran architect an edge… Read More
CARL TURNER
CARL TURNER ARCHITECTS
‘We think of ourselves as thinkers and makers,’ says Carl Turner, the AA- and RCA-trained architect, who set up his practice in 2007. The firm works across a gamut of project scales, from bespoke houses to larger regeneration schemes. Projects… Read More