Multi-award-winning Newcastle architecture firm expands into Leeds

Award-winning architecture practice MawsonKerr has expanded into Yorkshire with the opening of a new studio at The Department in Leeds Dock, with plans to recruit as it grows its presence across the region.

The Newcastle-founded practice has appointed associate Daniel Dyer to head the Leeds studio. Daniel, who lives in Garforth, has been with MawsonKerr for 12 years and has been project architect on many of the practice’s award-winning low-carbon residential projects.

The expansion will enable MawsonKerr to build its presence across Leeds and the wider Yorkshire region, including York, Harrogate and South Yorkshire, as well as into the Peak District.

The practice is targeting opportunities with socially conscious property developers, private clients and public sector organisations, drawing on its established expertise in sustainable residential design, high-end individual homes, sensitive historic buildings and complex development sites.

Commenting on the move, Daniel said: “Opening in Leeds is an exciting step for MawsonKerr and gives us a permanent base from which to build relationships and grow our workload across Yorkshire.

“We are an ambitious practice and will look to grow organically over the next year as the workload develops.

“We know Leeds has an established and competitive property market, but that is part of its attraction. There is a strong professional community here and a great deal of development activity across the wider region. We believe there is a real opportunity for the practical, high-quality and environmentally conscious architecture that MawsonKerr is known for.”

Founded by architects Will Mawson and Dan Kerr in 2010, MawsonKerr has developed a national reputation for combining design quality with building physics, technical detailing and low-carbon performance.

The practice was a joint winner of the Government-backed Home of 2030 design competition in 2020, exploring how new homes could meet changing expectations around sustainability, energy performance and the way people live.

MawsonKerr is also known for taking a hands-on approach to projects, remaining closely involved from concept and planning through technical design and construction.

Co-founder Will said: “We have built our reputation through delivering real, tangible architecture. We are interested not only in how a building looks, but how it works, how it performs and how it is put together.

“We enjoy solving difficult problems and working with clients who have an ambition for their buildings and the places they create. Yorkshire has a vibrant property sector and clients who increasingly recognise the importance of contextual, sustainable design, so Leeds feels like a natural next step for us.”

MawsonKerr already has a track record in Yorkshire and is currently working on two residential commissions in the region, including the redevelopment of a derelict historic mill in Leeds and a proposed 13-home scheme in South Yorkshire.

Its previous Yorkshire work includes a contemporary café within the historic setting of Mount Grace Priory in North Yorkshire and renovation work at Whitby Abbey, both projects for English Heritage.

The practice also has long-standing relationships with organisations including the National Trust and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and has worked with sustainability-led developers including igloo Regeneration and TOWN.

Co-founder Dan said: “Sustainability has always been fundamental to the way we work rather than something applied to a project at the end of the process.

“We combine environmental performance with an understanding of place, technical problem-solving and the practicalities of delivering a building. We believe that combination will translate particularly well to the opportunities we see across Yorkshire.”

MawsonKerr became an Employee Ownership Trust in 2022 and currently employs a team of 12, with its main studio in Newcastle supporting the new Leeds operation as it grows.

The practice has won numerous national and regional awards for architecture, sustainability, residential development, conservation and regeneration. Its accolades in 2026 included a RIBA North East Conservation Award and RIBA North West Sustainability Award, three RICS North East Awards including Project of the year and two Constructing Excellence North East awards.