Who we are
Jo Cowen Architects is an award-winning architecture practice driven by people. The people who commission our outstanding work; the people who live in and use our buildings; and the people who make up the communities where our buildings come to life.
We specialise in designing homes and are passionate about creating exceptional places and schemes rooted in sustainable, socially cohesive communities. The success of our practice is built on the brilliant team of architects, masterplanners, placemakers, urban regeneration specialists, interior designers, landscape architects, and sustainability specialists who make it all happen.
“We don’t just build homes.
We create communities.”
Jo Cowen
Together, we deliver high quality urban design and regeneration across residential, commercial and mixed-use sectors. In recent years, we have channelled considerable energy into researching and developing the design and delivery of precision engineered homes that merge into liveable streets and spaces, built for sustainability and quality of life, both inside and out.
As a practice, we are keenly focused on the deliverability of our schemes, both in terms of commercial viability and considered design detailing that remains buildable. We coalign with our clients and ensure that every scheme meets the highest benchmark in setting, public realm and quality of space, adding value through quality.
The architectural practice runs alongside Jo Cowen Capital, an insight led equity platform where architectural expertise meets investment acumen.
Every project, every scheme, every masterplan we create is a unique response to the community and environment in which it is set, a creative solution that is at once new and perfectly fitting.
Our Approach
The people’s practice. Making homes. Creating communities.
We are design-led, bringing an innovative, rigorous and experiential approach to every project. Our solutions are always specific to the client, brief and site; we will design and deliver the best possible outcome for all three. Every project, every scheme, every masterplan we create is a unique response to the community and environment in which it is set, a creative solution that is at once new and perfectly fitting.
In all our work, sustainability is key. For us, it’s not a buzz word, it’s a core principle.
Taking a development idea from the page to a deliverable outcome requires clarity of thought and creative vision. There are risks and opportunities in every project; we identify these and weigh them against the core objectives to present the best solution. We are known for our ability to take the long view, to ensure that what we deliver will be sustainable and lasting. Our other strength is planning; knowledge and skill in this area is essential in any development, and here we are industry leaders.
“A home doesn’t stop at boundary lines. It comes to life as part of something bigger. We’re as interested in the space between the buildings as we are in the fabric of the homes.” Jon Humphreys – Director
As a practice, we are passionate about housing — from the performance and spatial quality of individual homes, through the experience and qualities of large multi-unit urban buildings, and the comprehensive masterplanning of new settlements and regeneration of urban areas. Simply put, we love creating homes. Homes that are embedded in the public space that surrounds them, that respond to and elevate the place where they are built. We consult, engage and design schemes with community at their heart, places of substance where people want to live, work and play.
Our rigorous commercial approach to high quality design is driven by Jo Cowen’s background in architecture and investment management. We will always maximise the value of a site whilst still maintaining a focus on cutting-edge design, with an eye to longevity and enhancing the urban environment. We drive density and efficiency in our design and construction and we ensure value for money through buildable architecture that is carefully crafted, detailed and designed for real people.
Our Clients
“We listen to our clients to identify their vision and needs. We design and provide solutions to align with their brief. And we deliver.” Giles Hoeg – Director
Listen + Deliver. Whether they are old friends or new faces, every project is a new beginning, and we work alongside our clients to fully understand their needs and expectations at every stage of the project.
We circle back again and again as a project develops, so that the client’s voice is heard throughout. We work in partnership with our clients to deliver innovative, high quality design that is sustainable, bespoke, practical and viable. We are proud to have so many clients who return to us time and again with their new projects.
Our Culture
“We look after all our people. The people who work with us. The people we do business with. And the people who live in our homes.” Chris Wilkinson – Managing Director
Jo Cowen Architects is a practice rooted in people. We nurture our own people, the talented team of architects who work to design and deliver the highest quality homes for our developers to deliver. We work as a team, creating homes that people want to live in; homes that are rooted in community, regeneration and placemaking.
We care about the people that inhabit the spaces we design, and we go out of our way to enrich the public realm that we deliver around and between our buildings. We are housing architects, whose focus is underpinned by social sustainability, wellness and living communities.
Collaboration is key to our success, and we work across disciplines at every stage of a project, sharing knowledge, ideas and inspiration. Ours is a culture of sharing, and this is how we achieve carefully considered, exemplary design, from the many voices and views that feed into it.
We are proud to be an award winning practice and have achieved multiple accolades in recent years. We continue to strive for excellence in all aspects of the business and aim to remain at the forefront of architectural design and implementation.
Jo Cowen Architects is more than a group of architects. We are a group of talented, passionate, committed people who believe in creating the highest quality places, buildings and spaces.
We nurture each other and our clients, and as a result, communicate, drive and deliver.
Studio Culture
Our studio is our engine. In this vibrant workplace, projects come alive, driven by a proactive international team who work collaboratively not just to meet, but to exceed client expectations.
Founding directors Jo Cowen and Chris Wilkinson bring the rigour, high standards and efficiency of large scale practices like Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Foster + Partners where they established their careers, to a smaller, highly personalised studio setting.
We are unique in that our directors are involved in the running of every project from inception to completion. The experience they bring is not only transformational in terms of design, but drives the collective learning of the staff to new levels. Since our founding in 2012, we have been constantly growing, in knowledge, size, and reputation.
Your Career
As a business, we believe that CULTURE trumps STRATEGY and this for us is an absolute reality. We are a modern, young and fresh architecture practice.
Yet, in only 8 years we have grown to 40+ architects, designers, urbanists and place makers. We work across every scale, from beautifully delivered single homes, major reservation, urban apartments to master planning settlements. We have a gifted and talented team who are ambitious and think intuitively and rationally, but also push the boundaries. We believe that design should be both excellent but also, tangible, deliverable and rooted in placemaking. We believe in your career and are committed to ensure that all who join our team are nurtured, valued and supported in developing their careers. This is key to our culture, and our success as a practice.
Whilst Jo Cowen has been nominated within the BD awards for Architectural Leader of the year, the reality is that this award is for our whole team. Our whole team initiates, demands and strives for excellence. Jo Cowen Architects is not about Jo Cowen, its about the team who commit and deliver exceptional architecture, a breadth and depth of people who are exemplary.
We are always looking for enthusiastic, proactive and talented people. Please apply by soft copy if you would like to join our team whether we are recruiting or not. We will always consider interesting, diverse and talented individuals and embrace candidates from all backgrounds. Please email your cv’s to recruitment@jocowenarchitects.com and we will reply as soon as we can.
Whilst being rewarded within BD Architect of the year awards was a tremendous achievement, the reality is that this award is for our whole team, all of whom make Jo Cowen Architects what they are.
Social Sustainability
“Wellness in the community is key to social sustainability and intergenerational development.” Gareth Smith – Associate Director
Social Sustainability. Applying the principles of the WELL Community Standard, we are committed to ensuring that the Design for Wellbeing framework extends on a wider scale into the community and public realm in all our residential schemes.
We believe a holistic approach to sustainability and design for wellbeing needs to extend beyond the individual building and into the community at large.
A WELL community is designed to support health and wellbeing across all aspects and areas of community life. It is founded on a vision for a community which is inclusive, integrated and resilient, with a strong community identity fostering high levels of social interaction and engagement.