WHAT_architecture!, British architects building project, London studio award, English design office

WHAT_architecture! : Design Studio

Contemporary Architect Practice London, England. UK Design Firm established by Marcelyn Gow and Urtzi Grau.

post updated 12 April 2026

Key Projects by WHAT_architecture!

Featured Buildings by WHAT_architecture!:

Columnar Towers in Hackney, London, England, UK
Design: NL Architects + WHAT Architecture
Date built: 2013-

image from architects
Colville Estate Towers – 27 Feb 2013
Columnar Towers is a proposal for a residential development of 199 apartments in Hackney, London. The project is part of a masterplan by Karakusevic Carson Architects for the regeneration of the Colville Estate. The high residential density demands of the project brief will inevitably result in large massing. Our proposal attempts to mitigate the effects of this by breaking each tower into a ‘bundle’ of seven smaller towers, or ‘columns’. Each mini-tower is formed by simple ‘stacks’ of single apartments.

Rooftop Nursery, London, England, UK
Date built: 2007
RIBA Awards 2007
Client: Rooftop Nursery

More design projects by WHAT Architecture online soon

Location: Transworld House, 100 City Road, London EC1Y 2BP, England, UK.

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London Architect Practice Information

Architect studio based in London, England

London Architects

WHAT_architecture produces designs, applied research and buildings in the fields of architecture, urbanism and landscape.

Early projects by WHAT_architecture include the Venice exhibit (1991 Biennale Prize), the Temple of Laughter (Artifice 1994) and House on Motiti (Blueprint 1998).

Contact details for this architectural practice:

Address: Unit 37 ContainerVille, 35 Corbridge Crescent, London Fields, London E2 9EZ, United Kingdom.
Phone: +44 20 3907 2290

WHAT_developments was established in 2010 as a niche property development company. The company’s first acquisition was the former Shoreditch Station off Brick Lane. This acquisition has since been followed by properties in emerging areas such as Peckham in Southwark and Poble Nou in Barcelona.

WHAT_architecture is a contemporary architecture practice known for its experimental, research-driven approach that blends architecture, urbanism, and cultural inquiry.

Founded by Marcelyn Gow and Urtzi Grau, the studio operates between the United States and Europe, engaging in both built work and speculative projects. Their practice often challenges conventional architectural boundaries by exploring how buildings relate to political, social, and environmental systems.

WHAT_architecture! is particularly recognized for its conceptual rigor and critical design methodology, producing work that ranges from installations and exhibitions to urban proposals and housing research. Their projects frequently investigate issues such as density, infrastructure, and collective living, using design as a tool to question and reframe contemporary urban conditions.

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