Architecture

We have a colourful portfolio with work in housing, mixed use, small scale commercial, works to existing buildings and new-built and clients including developers, housing associations, local authorities and private individuals. Our design process is a collaborative undertaking that takes account of the constraints of each site and the sometimes disparate views of residents, clients, planners, contractors and specialist consultants. Through careful and site-responsive planning and innovative materials and construction methods, we have evolved a speciality in unlocking complex urban sites to create bright spacious and flexible spaces. Sustainability is a major concern for us. We reject the notion of a fixed design-life-expectancy common in contemporary construction. For us, sustainable architecture can accommodate the changing needs of its occupants, is adaptable, can be upgraded and repaired.

Planning

Life in the city is about carefully mediating between private and public space, individual ambitions and communal interests. An urban strategy needs to recognise its context and build upon forces that are already advancing urban renewal. Cities are living entities. A sustainable urban strategy provides opportunities for customisation, adaptation and creative intervention so that the city can accommodate the changing needs of its inhabitants. Our experience working at the intersection of theory and practice helps us to devise strategy documents and masterplans where innovative urban thinking is just as important as implementation on the ground. Thinking across scales ensures that urbanism is not merely a strategic exercise, but a powerful and all-encompassing undertaking that sets into motion a process of urban renewal which continues for many years to come. During the last 5 years, we have prepared urban strategies for key sites in Eastbourne, Newham, Waltham Forest, Hackney and Blackpool. Often our work helps to secure external funding for major urban regeneration projects. Multifarious challenges require multidisciplinary teams. We often lead or join teams that are able to deliver traffic design, economic analysis, sustainability strategies, urban planning services, landscape design, public art strategies and meanwhile activities to name but a few.

Communities

The role of the architect has changed fundamentally during the last decade. Technological progress and environmental changes have introduced a whole new set of parameters into architectural practice. And there is a definite sense of accountability. Resources are scarce, climate change is a reality. Our work must consider today as well as tomorrow. Design has evolved from the endeavour of the lone genius into a tool for engagement and dialogue, empowering communities all over to contribute towards the shaping of their city. The success of many of our projects is the result of an in-depth dialogue with residents, faith communities, school children, university students, recent graduates, retailers, community organisations and wider stakeholder groups. The process of urban renewal becomes a catalyst for community cohesion. Fostering a sense of ownership and belonging ensures the long-term legacy of our work.

High Streets

High Streets are the civic heart of local communities. They are not just a place to shop. Here, people live, find work, meet friends and engage in cultural activity. JKA are one of the country’s foremost experts in high street regeneration. Between 2010 and 2020 we have completed works to roughly 400 businesses, have improved 5 km of high street and prepared innovative regeneration strategies for 20+ town centres in London and across the country.

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The high street is a fluctuant entity. Shops change ownership, vendors change business models, new services are offered and old lines of trade discontinued. A sustainable regeneration strategy needs to be able to accommodate change. Every high street is different. Our work with stakeholders, local authorities, private investors and traders- and residents associations aims to strengthen the local identity of each site, celebrate it’s specifies, contradictions and idiosyncrasies.  A design strategy that is well-embedded in the community can act as a catalyst to encourage private sector investment and also instil a sense of civic pride.

 

Theatre & Exhibitions

Jan Kattein Architects have been designing award-winning performance spaces and exhibitions for the last decade. Since winning the 2005 Ring Award venues have included the Staatstheater Saarbruecken, the Prinzregententheatre Munich, the Sophiensaaele Berlin, Kampnagel Hamburg, Fetspielhaus Hellerau, Opera Cottbus the FFT Duesseldorf and Science Gallery London. Our background in architecture brings about spaces that are mesmeric experiences, inhabited by audience, exhibits and performers alike. One critic likened the experience to that of a road movie, immersive, restless and adventurous.