Award-winning architecture business opens new Leeds studio - with plans to recruit

An award-winning architecture firm has opened a new studio in Leeds as it looks to take on more work across Yorkshire and expand its team.

MawsonKerr, which was founded in Newcastle in 2010, has set up at The Department in Leeds Dock, with associate Daniel Dyer appointed to lead the new studio.

Daniel, who lives in Garforth, has worked for the practice for 12 years and has been involved in a number of its residential projects, including schemes focused on low-carbon design.

The firm plans to grow its presence across Leeds and the wider region, with a particular focus on York, Harrogate, South Yorkshire and the Peak District.

It said it would look to recruit as its workload develops over the next year.

MawsonKerr is currently working on two residential projects in Yorkshire, including the redevelopment of a derelict historic mill in Leeds and plans for a 13-home development in South Yorkshire.

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

Daniel Dyer said the new studio would give the practice a permanent base to build relationships with clients and take on more work in the region.

He 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.”

The firm works across residential design, individual homes, historic buildings and development sites. It is looking to work with property developers, private clients and public sector organisations.

Co-founder Will Mawson said Yorkshire offered opportunities for the practice to build on its existing work in the region.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

The practice was a joint winner of the Government-backed Home of 2030 design competition in 2020, which explored how new homes could be designed to meet changing expectations around sustainability and energy efficiency.

It became an Employee Ownership Trust in 2022 and currently employs 12 people, with its Newcastle studio supporting the new Leeds operation.

MawsonKerr has won a number of architecture and sustainability awards, including a RIBA North East Conservation Award and a RIBA North West Sustainability Award in 2026.