The practice was set up in 1980 as John Simpson & Partners Ltd. In 2012 the structure of the practice was changed to a Limited Liability Partnership as John Simpson Architects LLP. It has worked on a wide variety of projects which include Public, Educational, Commercial and Residential buildings. It has also built up an expertise in dealing with large scale masterplans both within sensitive urban locations and on green field sites.

       Its work revolves around the notion that Architecture is a public art where each and every building façade forms the character and shape of the public realm - the streets, the squares and the major civic spaces that we all use. As such it must use a language of building which is recognisable and by necessity, draws on our collective cultural experience - the inherited language of Architecture that each and everyone of us can relate to and understand.

       Based in Bloomsbury in the centre of London the practice carries out projects across the world, in Britain, Europe and the USA. Its work ranges from the design of a major new university facility or an urban extension of a town to the design of an individual house or interior of a shop.

       In general, the emphasis within the work of the practice is to create an architecture which is timeless: one that uses updated traditional forms to respond to contemporary requirements and modern technology. In this respect, the practice can claim a first for many of its buildings; for instance, the Galleries at Buckingham Palace opened in 2002 by HM Queen Elizabeth II, are the first of their type to incorporate the latest modern conservation technology for works of art within a design that is thoroughly traditional and classical.

       At an urban design level, John Simpson Architects have also advocated a fresh new approach where technology is used to serve rather that dominate the design. Since 1990, with the masterplan for Fairford Leys at Aylesbury and later at Dicken's Heath in Solihull near Birmingham, the practice has shown how a sustainable urban alternative to the conventional suburban housing estate can work. Long before this became government policy in England, the practice pioneered the idea of mixed use settlements planned around streets and squares where day to day life is not reliant on the motor car. The practice now advises local authorities and its work features in government guidance on best practice in urban design.

      The projects illustrated in this website are a selection from a range of work and are representative of the skill, expertise and knowledge that the practice has at its disposal.