Exploring the historic buildings of Yorkshire

To celebrate Yorkshire Day 2025, Purcell’s York studio team revisit some of the remarkable buildings in the historic county of Yorkshire they’ve had the privilege of working on.

Heritage and hospitality

Five minutes with our Head of Hotels, Nicholas de Klerk.

Reflections: Purcell’s place in architecture

Purcell’s Chairman and Regional Partner, Liz Smith, reflects on Purcell's place in architecture following our shortlisting in the 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize.

Reimagining Hong Kong’s historic Magistracy

Located in the Declared Monument - former Central Magistracy within the Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts, Hong Kong, the ‘Magistracy Dining Room’ was designed by the acclaimed Joyce Wang Studios, who previously collaborated with Purcell on the refurbishment works at Mandarin Oriental, London.

Insights from the International Museums Construction Congress 2024

This year has seen Purcell’s Cultural Sector team attend the International Museums Construction Congress for the first time. Purcell Chairman and Cultural Sector Lead Liz Smith, and Edinburgh Studio Lead Lorna Crane attended the congress, held in venues across the beautiful World Heritage Site of Edinburgh.

Why physical models still matter in a digital age

Despite the extraordinary digital tools at our disposal, physical architectural models not only endure, but they also remain one of the most powerful, thought-provoking forms of architectural communication we have.

Purcell Design Programme 2024: Timber at Hooke Park

Purcell's 2024 Design Programme focussed on timber, from its cultivation as a material to methods of joinery. In the first such collaboration, the school was hosted this year at Hooke Park, the Dorset woodland campus of the Architectural Association.

World Architecture Festival 2023 recap

Steve Phillips, Partner at Purcell and studio lead in our Hong Kong office, wraps up his time at the World Architecture Festival 2023.

Heritage as opportunity: how to unlock the power of heritage capital for a sustainable future

Tom Brigden, Partner at Purcell, explores how our historic built environment holds untapped potential to deliver economic, social, and environmental value.

Preserving Hobart’s heritage

Jo Deeming’s Canterbury Tales of the Unexpected – Turning site safety into a public experience

Purcell Partner, Jo Deeming, explores how to turn a restoration challenge into funding opportunities that can enhance, rather than diminish the public experience.

Preserving the recent past: Lessons from the Getty’s International Course on Modern Heritage

The UK’s relationship with its modern built heritage has never been straightforward. Battles over style, shifting notions of taste, perceptions of failure, and architectural determinism have all shaped the now more general acceptance that the post-war years represented a high watermark for British architecture.

Reflecting on an extraordinary year

2025 has proved to be a year of innovation for Purcell, from our Stirling Prize shortlisting to our B-Corp certification.

Maintaining your historic building: where to begin?

Favouring refurbishment over demolition, Purcell champions the retention of existing building stock as a more sustainable and economical approach, whilst safeguarding the cultural history of our local areas.

The case for climate action in our higher education institutions

Tackling climate change is a key priority for UK universities, which are working to decarbonise campuses and ensure new buildings meet strict environmental standards.

We need to retain more of our existing built environment

We need to retain more of our existing built environment, but not through a Grade III listing, writes Liz Smith for Building Design.

Placing young people front and centre at The Courts

Together, Purcell and local Bristol charity Creative Youth Network are transforming the city’s former Bridewell Magistrates’ Court into The Courts: a vibrant, creativity-focused enterprise hub for young people.