A new, 134-bed student residential building for the 400-year-old college at its site on Iffley Road, Oxford.

A practical and contemporary-style pavilion for the visitors of Grade I-listed Waddesdon Manor.

Restoration and improvements to the Grade I-listed home of The British Academy

The British Academy is the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences – with a voice that champions the study of peoples, cultures and societies, past, present and future. Situated within the Grade I-listed Nash-designed Carlton House Terrace, the building lies between The Mall and Pall Mall in London’s Mayfair.

The ongoing project aims to restore the double-height basements, creating new 220-capacity events spaces. These flexible spaces with state-of-the-art digital technologies enhance the Academy’s facilities for lectures, meetings, and events. Improvements also include remodelled WCs along with upgraded access to and within the ground floor.

Skelly & Couch led the survey of existing services to plan diversions and demolitions of works alongside an extensive review of archive record drawings to understand the existing systems in place.

The building’s efficiency was improved through the installation of new double glazing, achieving a 40% reduction in heat loss. Furthermore, natural ventilation was maximised by using direct connections to the outside for air paths.

Bespoke designs of new mechanical and electrical systems were undertaken to suit the constraints of the existing building and its listing.

A reversible air source heat pump replaces gas boiler heating to provide low-carbon heating to the events spaces. This is facilitated by thermal zoning, a component of the new building energy management system which includes full fault diagnostics and energy sub-metering.

Heat reclaim mechanical ventilation enhances this setup by supplying filtered air while retaining most of the energy already used to heat the building. The auditorium ventilation system's design was refined to enhance architectural and structural coordination within the limited space and to address impacts on the listed building.

Additional technologies include LED lighting with occupancy, daylight, and dimming control, along with reduced hot water consumption through low-flow water fittings.

The refurbishment of the lower floors of the British Academy marks a significant step in the Academy's mission to enhance both physical and intellectual access to the building, facilitating new conversations, new connections, and new ways of thinking within its historic walls.

This competition-winning project is the provision of new student accommodation (100 bedrooms) and facilities for Gradel Quad at New College, Oxford.

A modern performance centre developed within a historic maltings.

A former maltings now hosts drama and dance studios, a 350-seat theatre encouraging pupil involvement both on and off stage. Foyers, carved out from historic barley kilns, connect to a commercial kitchen, dining rooms, science labs, and art studios. Additional spaces include drama department offices, actor changing rooms, and set production workshops.

The King’s School Canterbury is Britain’s oldest public school, a co-educational day and boarding school. Our long-standing professional relationship with the school has resulted in bespoke standard project specifications, simplifying maintenance, and establishing common design standards for future endeavours.

The sensitive repurposing of the 19^th century Malt into a new performance centre involved threading services around existing building features, requiring close collaboration with the whole design team, whilst meeting the client’s brief for facilities akin to those found in professional theatre environments.

Significant upgrades to the fabric and insulation resulted in a largely-reused existing building with great sustainability credentials. Secondary glazing was added to improve efficiency whilst retaining the historic windows and a careful analysis determined which parts of the building could be comfortably naturally ventilated, despite it being immediately beside both the train line into London and residential properties.

Where natural ventilation was not appropriate, heat recovery systems were designed to ensure efficient use of energy in operation. Full M&E services were designed to ensure energy-efficient operation and lower carbon emissions.

Winning a RIBA National and four East Awards in 2021, the Malthouse at King’s School Canterbury was praised as an "exemplar of how to repurpose an existing building in an imaginative, honest, and sensitive way." This recognition highlights the successful transformation of the maltings, now a centre for creating and experiencing drama and dance of the highest quality.

Awards

Winner of a RIBA National Award 2021.

Winner of three RIBA South East Awards 2021: main award, Building of the Year and Conservation - Full Article.

Civic Trust Awards 2023.

Winner of an AJ Retrofit Award 2021: Cultural Buildings £5 million and over. The conversion of the Victorian brewery maltings into a school theatre and drama centre was described by judges as combining ‘a freshness of approach while sensitively retaining the character of the existing building’.

Eco-Friendly home for international students entering UK Boarding

A three-storey, cross-laminated timber building surrounding a courtyard, designed for international students. It features 34 ensuite bedrooms for 80 students, staff flats, and teaching facilities, primarily located on the ground floor, including classrooms, music rooms, IT suites, art studios, and common rooms. Achieved BREEAM 'Very Good'.

The project is part of the school’s £48m masterplan, which includes the Malthouse performing arts centre, Kingsdown House boarding accommodation, Mitchinson’s day house, and the new Rausing Science Centre—all developed in collaboration with Skelly & Couch.
The building features a modular, square plan, surrounding a private courtyard designed for socialising and outdoor learning. Ground floor classrooms are complemented by breakout spaces that overlook the courtyard. Above, the first and second floors accommodate up to 80 students in en-suite bedrooms, with staff flats provided on both levels.

The building has been designed on passive environmental principles. Early involvement ensured the façade and fenestrations allowed for all internal spaces to be adequately daylit, and naturally ventilated, while preventing overheating. Off-site construction bathroom pods and CLT elements have been integrated, requiring a high level of early co-ordination.

The ground floor classrooms are naturally ventilated, and include a system by Windowmaster, which monitors internal temperature and CO2 levels, adjusting window openings accordingly. The same classrooms rely on architecturally exposed concrete ceilings to provide thermal mass, maintaining comfortable internal temperatures all year round, without the need for active cooling measures.

LED lighting and smart lighting controls reduce electrical energy consumption. Underfloor heating has been used throughout the ground floor, utilising low water temperatures, thus reducing the heat demand from the main heating plant.

The International School creates a welcoming and inspiring experience for young pupils arriving in the UK, whilst setting a benchmark for sustainability in boarding education. It reinforces the school’s global leadership and environmental responsibility.

Awards

RIBA National Award 2021. Find out more.

Civic Trust Awards - Highly Commended. Judges’ Comments: “Overall, there is a good sense of proportions, the chosen materials work well and the atmosphere of the place is secure and safe for the student community.”

Skelly & Couch is presently working with 2013 Stirling Prize–winning architects Witherford Watson Mann on an impressive new four-storey almshouse fit for the 21st Century.

This project is a pair of linked schemes in Brentford, west London catering for the demolition of the former Brentford Police station and its related housing section. In place, the new site will feature the redevelopment of the Watermans Art Centre and also the creation of nearly three hundred homes.

Redevelopment of an exceptional riverside site for high-quality, sustainable housing.