Public attraction
Cultural buildings can become attractions in their own right. Our buildings for the cultural sector include award-winning museums, archive buildings, theatres, community centres and libraries. We aim to surpass the expectations of both clients and users. Sometimes this can be due to the drama and innovation of the architecture, as at the Wellcome Wing at Londonıs Science Museum, with its dazzling blue light and 'floating' exhibition floors. In others, like the Durham Millennium Project, it is the way in which the architecture and urban design inform and entertain the public, as well as enriching and focusing the cultural life of the town or city.

Historical inspiration
Commissions for cultural buildings can often involve working in historically sensitive settings. We have specialist conservation expertise, and have established a reputation as one of the few architectural practices in the UK able to combine sensitivity to the historic context with design innovation and conviction in the restoration and extension of existing buildings, many of which are listed Grade 1 or Grade II*. Our approach for all such projects is underpinned by extensive research and analysis of the social and architectural history of the building and site. The BBC's Broadcasting House is one of the UK's best known cultural buildings. We have successfully gained planning consent and won support from English Heritage and numerous amenity groups after demonstrating that the architectural solution satisfied the BBC's brief, respected the Grade II building and enhanced the setting for All Souls Church (Grade I).

Artistic collaborations
Our work has always reflected a passionate exploration of colour, materials and surfaces. This has led to working with art consultants on collaborations with leading international artists. In Coventry we have worked with Francois Schein, Jochen Gerz and Alexander Beleshenko on major public art installations that help define this new cultural quarter for the city, and create development value to adjacent rundown inner city sites. Projects at St Johnıs Garden Quadrangle, Oxford; Southwark JLE Station; Sutton Walk, Waterloo, all involve the use of glass in different artistic collaborations. At Broadcasting House 'Breathing', in collaboration with artist Jaume Plensa, will become a major new London landmark, projecting a beam of light for a kilometre into the sky from an inverted glass cone placed on the roof of our new building.

Exhibition design
We have designed major exhibitions for Tate Modern and Tate Britain. Ruskin, Turner and Pre-Raphaelites, and Surrealism - Desire Unbound explored the use of coloured walls of light to give each room a distinct character. We also organised the seminal Art of the Process exhibition, which explained the inspirations for, and working methods of, forty leading UK architecural practices.