What John Robertson Architects does

John Robertson Architects (JRA) is a private UK architectural practice founded in 1993/1994, headquartered in London with additional studios in Edinburgh and Łódź, Poland. The practice specialises in retrofit, new build workplaces, residential, interiors, and heritage projects, applying a "no building is beyond redemption" philosophy that has produced measurable sustainability outcomes (e.g., 46% better embodied carbon than RIBA 2030 targets at Bureau, 90 Fetter Lane; 31% heat loss reduction at Great Arthur House; BREEAM Excellent ratings on multiple flagship projects).

JRA delivers full architectural and interior design services from concept through to completion, supported by BIM Level 2 workflows in ARCHICAD with models containing over 27,000 items for design coordination and clash detection. Its service mix spans seven core product lines: Retrofit, New Build Workplaces, Residential, Interiors, Heritage (historical and listed buildings), Monitoring Services, and Architectural and Interior Design.

The practice operates a traditional professional services model, securing commissions through competitive tenders, direct approaches, and repeat relationships with institutional investors, property funds, developers, corporate occupiers, educational institutions, and government clients. Named engagements include Wells Fargo (33 King William Street), King's College London (Aldwych Quarter, 30,000m2 for 7,000 students), Canary Wharf Group (10 Park Drive & 8 Water Street, 47,470m2), Skanska (Leavesden HQ), Obayashi Corporation (Bracken House), and the City of London (Great Arthur House). Fees are project-based, calculated as a percentage of construction cost or fixed fees per RIBA work stage, typically delivered under multi-year contracts. Customer segments are hybrid: primary use-cases are commercial real estate/workplace retrofit and residential/heritage, with secondary verticals in interiors and education. GTM is sales-led, focused on the UK with international project collaboration (e.g., Executive Architect for Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Stanton Williams on London schemes).

Name

John Robertson Architects

Legal name

John Robertson Architects

Website

https://jra.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

John Robertson Architects is a private UK architectural practice founded in 1993, operating studios in London, Edinburgh, and Łódź, Poland, specialising in retrofit, new build workplaces, residential, interiors, and heritage projects for institutional investors, developers, corporate occupiers, and educational institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA), Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN), Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)

Keywords

• Architectural services
• Building retrofit
• Sustainable architecture
• Heritage restoration
• Commercial interior design

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: JRA generates revenue through professional architectural services fees for design, delivery, and compliance monitoring across retrofit, new build, residential, interiors, and heritage projects. Revenue is project-based, typically calculated as a percentage of construction cost or fixed fee per RIBA work stage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

John Robertson Architects (JRA) is an independent architectural practice delivering design, technical coordination, and compliance monitoring services across retrofit, new build workplaces, residential developments, interiors, and historical/listed building projects. The practice operates from studios in London, Edinburgh, and Łódź, Poland, providing end-to-end architectural services from concept through completion, with particular specialisation in sustainable retrofit and circular-economy design principles.

Product overview

John Robertson Architects (JRA) is an architectural practice offering a comprehensive portfolio of design and delivery services. The core offering spans Retrofit (transforming existing buildings with circular principles), New Build Workplaces, Residential developments, Interiors for commercial and co-working spaces, Heritage projects involving listed buildings, and Monitoring services. JRA operates as a single unified practice with studios in London, Edinburgh, and Lodz, Poland, delivering projects from concept through to completion. The practice specializes in sustainable architecture with expertise in BREEAM-certified projects and is particularly known for its expertise in urban retrofit and reuse of existing office assets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retrofit Projects Expert retrofit services applying circular principles to existing buildings, transforming obsolete office assets into sustainable, contemporary workspaces for commercial developers, institutional investors, and corporate occupiers.
• New Build Workplaces Design and delivery of new build office developments incorporating contextual modernist approaches and sustainable features for commercial developers, institutional investors, and corporate occupiers.
• Residential Developments Residential design services including luxury towers, office-to-residential conversions, and mixed-use buildings with high-specification amenities for developers and property investors.
• Interiors Interior design and fit-out services for commercial spaces, co-working environments, and corporate headquarters.
• Heritage & Listed Buildings Sensitive refurbishment and restoration of historically significant buildings including Grade II and Grade II* listed structures for institutional and corporate owners.
• Compliance Monitoring Services Compliance monitoring and quality assurance services for construction projects across all RIBA work stages, delivered as part of end-to-end architectural service.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65% increase in Net Internal Area while reusing existing foundations at 33 King William Street
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stanton WilliamscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020JRA appointed as Executive Architect for Stanton Williams' design at 10 Park Drive & 8 Water Street in Canary Wharf's Wood Wharf development. JRA developed the concept designs and provided technical expertise at stages 3 and 4, managing construction packages and ensuring quality delivery.
• Rogers Stirk Harbour + PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012JRA served as Executive Architect for Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners' NEO Bankside project in London, developing practical and buildable solutions without compromising the strong architectural design. The collaboration resulted in five hexagonal glass and steel exo-skeletal towers spanning 36,232m2, shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize.
• HB ReavisminorOthersJRA designed 33 King William Street for international property group HB Reavis, their first UK investment. The new build office development achieved BREEAM Excellent and was later acquired by Wells Fargo as their London Headquarters.
• King's College LondoncoreOthersKing's College London commissioned JRA as architects for their new Strand Campus following the retrofit of Aldwych Quarter. JRA transformed the historic buildings into a 30,000m2 world-class university campus.
• OcubisminorOthersJRA delivered the Cannon Green project for Ocubis, transforming a 1960s rent slab office into a mixed-use workplace concept spanning 12,000m2 with BREEAM Very Good rating.
• Obayashi CorporationcoreOthersObayashi Corporation, long-term owner of Bracken House, commissioned JRA as the third generation of architects to sensitively refurbish the Grade II* listed building, enabling the Financial Times' return after 30 years.
• Canary Wharf GroupcoreOthersJRA served as Executive Architect for Canary Wharf Group's 10 Park Drive & 8 Water Street residential development, part of the Wood Wharf masterplan spanning 20 acres with approximately 3,200 apartments.
• HinesminorOthersHines commissioned Helix Property Management (their subsidiary) to occupy JRA-designed headquarters at Grainhouse in Covent Garden, with JRA's designs offering coherence with Hines' headquarters on upper floors.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Make Architects: Mid-sized London-rooted architecture practice with strong workplace, retrofit and commercial repositioning credentials; competes for the same institutional landlord and developer briefs as JRA.
• Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM): UK-headquartered architectural practice of comparable size with deep expertise in commercial, workplace, residential and education projects across London. Closely comparable in project typology mix, client base (institutional/developer), and award profile to JRA.
• Stanton Williams: London architecture practice known for cultural, education and high-quality residential projects; JRA has delivered executive-architect services on Stanton Williams designs (10 Park Drive), making them both partners and direct competitive peers for design-led mandates.
• Grimshaw: Established UK-headquartered architectural firm operating across commercial, transport, education and workplace sectors at a similar scale; overlaps with JRA in retrofit and adaptive reuse commissions.
• Allies and Morrison: London-headquartered practice of similar scale with strong portfolio across workplace, residential, heritage and education—direct overlap with JRA's primary segments and client types.
• Haworth Tompkins: UK architectural practice with deep expertise in theatre, heritage, education and workplace retrofit—directly comparable to JRA in its adaptive-reuse and listed-building specialism.
• Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners: Award-winning UK architecture firm with which JRA has a documented executive-architect relationship (NEO Bankside); competes for the same high-prestige commercial, residential and heritage commissions in London.
• WilkinsonEyre: UK architecture practice with comparable headcount that delivers workplace, heritage, residential and infrastructure projects, frequently shortlisted alongside JRA for the same BCO and RIBA awards.

Regional players

• Page\Park Architects: Scotland-based architectural practice specialising in heritage, conservation and cultural projects; directly comparable in heritage/restoration expertise but operates regionally rather than competing nationally with JRA.

Broad incumbents

• Foster + Partners: Global architecture incumbent with broad portfolio across workplace, heritage and masterplanning; overlaps with JRA on high-end commercial and institutional London commissions but operates at materially larger scale and across many more verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JRArchitects
• Facebookfacebook.com/JohnRobertsonArchitects

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about John Robertson Architects