About us
Like any good idea it started with a conversation between two friends: Stephanie (the Architect & Urban Designer) and me James (the product designer). After a bottle of red wine and an open debate about our respective sectors Urban Symbiotics was born – a design agency for the built environment with a product design approach to user insight and participation.
We design people focused environments ranging in scale from strategic city masterplans and urban developments to individual buildings and meanwhile interventions. Whilst our projects range in focus our user centric design process remains the constant.
It comes from the world of product design, where the user is placed front and centre in the design process. We do the same, but for the design of human environments. We engage with the user or community when formulating the brief and seek their insight in identifying their needs, continuing to engage with them to help us develop concepts and validate solutions.
Our projects
Reimagine the Black Cultural Archives – redefining the home of black British history, through engagement and innovative design solutions
Littlehampton – design of a sensitive and flexible residential scheme within a town centre and conservation area
Barnet – development of a co-located industrial and residential development scheme highlighting new ways of living and working
Hjoula Masterplan – Design of a mountain top masterplan with a focus on wellbeing and intergenerational living
Purley Regeneration Framework – a community led vision for the future development of Purley that includes public realm, masterplanning, sustainability and meanwhile strategies for a forward-thinking placemaking strategy for Croydon Council
Student Centric – Design and development of a holistic student accommodation development that meets future student needs and aspirations
Gascoigne Estate – Community Engagement for the current and future residents of a prominent estate regeneration scheme
Kents Hill – a tiered mixed use Masterplan that focusses on a new mixed use residential neighbourhood around a new hospital scheme
Walton Manor – a Masterplan and scheme in Milton Keynes that focusses on an integrated community and green network
Project in Dagenham – a mixed use community building that establishes and enhances its high street setting in dagenham
BCA COVID garden and wayfinding – strategy and implementation of an updated environment for the BCA to meet the COVID-19 guidance whilst creating ambient, and enhanced spaces and clear wayfinding
Futuroscope – Interactive totem design
Peoples Pavilion – a competition that invites young people to work in partnership with professionals to design and build their own space (pavilion), which will be built in east london
Future Cities Programme Nigeria – a project that focusses on community and stakeholder engagement, a masterplan and urban renewal guidelines for Lagos and Abeokuta as part of the global future cities project run by UN Habitat
Almaty Strategic Masterplan – A bottom-up stakeholder informed 2050 city spatial strategy and vision that sets the vision and development agenda for the city as well as setting its spatial and economic growth plans
Start a conversation
Good things always start with a conversation please use the form below to send us a message.