Architecture Portfolio
As architects, landscape architects and urban designers, we create award winning buildings, living landscapes and thriving urban spaces, using inventive design to solve real life challenges. Each of our projects is different but the driving force behind every one is the desire to create something that is inherently beautiful, sustainable and useful.
Levitt Bernstein is an award-winning practice with a progressive outlook towards the design and development process. We believe that good design has the ability to elevate practical and mundane buildings and spaces into places of delight and enduring quality – creating better places to live, work and socialise. From our design studios in London and Manchester, we use our skills in architecture, urban design, landscape architecture and interior design to work on housing, education, arts, commercial and health projects of all shapes, sizes and budgets across the country. We have in-house expertise in sustainable and environmental design that impacts all our projects. We champion passive design as the starting point alongside site-specific, localised solutions to reduce energy demand and emissions.
Our long tradition of research and advocacy also means that we encourage others to follow our lead in creating better spaces, in particular when it comes to the critical issues of design standards and social responsibility. We believe that truly sustainable development is most effectively achieved if the knowledge and commitment of local communities is engaged at every stage along the way. A structured participatory process enables the community, private sector and local authority to work together in a creative way, which ultimately adds value at all levels – physical, social, economic and environmental – and leads to happier, healthier places.
This project encloses an existing service yard as an undercroft to create a new public space at the heart of UCL’s Bloomsbury campus. Conceived as a contemporary, high quality, stone landscaped terrace within the historic courtyard, it features a striking ‘fourth façade’, which completes the classical courtyard composition and conceals the plethora of services required for the existing buildings and the new lower refectory. Constructed using Portland Stone and designed to classical Georgian proportions, it is a contemporary interpretation of the surrounding historic architecture and helps to tie all the courtyard elements together.
“This is a significant milestone for our Transforming UCL programme delivering flexible outdoor space at the heart of our Bloomsbury campus... It is a fabulous space developed for our staff, students and visitors and will benefit and inspire our entire academic community for generations to come.” Andrew Grainger, Director of UCL Estates
Wilkins Terrace, UCL Camden, London University College London
Eltham College Bromley, London Eltham College Under the Headmaster’s expansion plans, we have transformed a failing 1960s wing extension into a new sixth form centre, with a variety of teaching, study, seminar and social spaces organised over three storeys. Located adjacent to the listed main school building and forming the fourth side of the historic quad, its design is a modern interpretation of classical architecture. A new wellbeing centre, clad in black stained timber, also sits as a modest pavilion in the new landscape.
“I am absolutely delighted with the new Turberville Building at Eltham College, which will allow us to provide exceptional new facilities for our students as we look to enhance our teaching and learning space before becoming fully co-educational.” Guy Sanderson, Headmaster, Eltham College
The key concept for our masterplan of this estate was to create a series of new routes in and around the site. A new linear park sits at the heart of the neighbourhood, featuring soft planting and informal play spaces. New homes are arranged around this green space in medium rise, high density buildings ranging from four to ten storeys. Lower, more domestic scale buildings sit adjacent to the neighbouring estate, whilst higher, muscular, robust buildings along the A13 provide a degree of protection to this urban edge.
“Aberfeldy Village is quickly transforming into a vibrant new neighbourhood around a significant new London park at its heart. Housing of all types and tenures has been carefully designed to support development of this mixed, sustainable community – both now and in the long term.” Ben Ffoulkes-Jones, Project Director, EcoWorld
Aberfeldy New Village Hamlets, London Aberfeldy New Village LLP
“The sophistication and continuity of the stakeholder engagement process has clearly paid off with a palpable sense of ownership, care and pride.” Landscape Institute Awards judge
“Vaudeville Court is an ingenious and highly successful scheme, which will serve well as the modern typology it aimed to create.” RIBA Awards judge
Vaudeville Court Islington, London London Borough of Islington This project began life as an open design competition to explore new models for affordable, urban, family housing. Our response was based around a ‘home-sown’ philosophy, imagining the scheme as a holistic, productive landscape where every single surface is designed to be useful. 13 dwellings are provided in a mixture of duplex homes on the ground and first floors, and two bedroom apartments above. Family homes have gardens and flexible ‘garden’ rooms, whilst communal gardens will be shared with residents of the tower block, and run by the local gardening club.
“Levitt Bernstein rose to the challenge set by this competition, by providing a distinctive type of affordable family housing that promotes a ‘grow your own food’ ethos.” Hayley McNicol, Principal Planner, London Borough of Islington
Bristol Beacon Bristol Bristol City Council The transformation of Briston Beacon will see the venue become Bristol’s musical hub, with modern facilities fit for 2,500 people. The first phase of this large, complex project, delivered a new foyer building, featuring an open informal performance space at its centre and a range of other flexible spaces to support education, outreach and conference programmes. Phase two involves sensitively restoring the listed building and Victorian second hall, refurbishing the back stage areas and creating new spaces for learning and creativity.
“The transformation will touch tens of thousands of lives. Our audiences and the children that we educate will benefit immensely from the new facilities. We’ll also boost the Bristol economy by tens of millions of pounds each year.” Louise Mitchell, Chief Executive, Bristol Music Trust
“It’s wonderful to be working on such a fantastic and far-reaching project. It’s required patience and dedication – I started working on the Bristol Beacon project in 2001 – but it’s one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever been involved with and I can’t wait to see phase two completed.” Mark Lewis, Associate Director at Levitt Bernstein
This is our competition-winning visitor centre for the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, France, designed in collaboration with local practice TKMT. The new building will comprise a medical suite, teaching space, research facilities and café for the Institute, which is one of the world’s leading centres for neutron science and technology. Inspired by the movement of particle reactions, the building features a lenticular façade with a combination of transparent and opaque glazing. Angled roof finishes reference the mountainous landscape.
“The new building has completely changed the way we welcome our visitors when they arrive at ILL. The space is expansive and bright, creating a contemporary and gentle atmosphere. Our own offices are particularly comfortable, with incredible views of the Grenoble mountains beyond.” Françoise Vauquois, Institut Laue-Langevin
Institut Laue-Langevin Grenoble Institut Laue-Langevin
This pioneering medium-rise, high-density, inner-city neighbourhood, designed by Patrick Hodgkinson in the 1960s, was severely run-down when we were invited to restore, repair and improve it. Our approach was to complete the original architectural vision whilst making contemporary interventions. The central shopping street has been upgraded with a new anchor supermarket, enlarged retail units and extended shop fronts to provide more attractive spaces for retailers. The width of the vast concourse has been reduced by adding glass walkways, canopies and central seating, creating a more active and intimate streetscape.
“Previously shunned as a no-go area, the Brunswick Centre has become a real focal point for the wider community.” Regeneration & Renewal Awards judge
Brunswick Centre Camden, London Allied London
Sutherland Road Waltham Forest, London East Thames Housing Group This scheme has transformed a former industrial site into a new residential community, with 59 affordable homes, a health centre and shared garden. New homes are arranged around the central courtyard in a series of apartment buildings and mews houses. The aesthetic is robust and simple, featuring steeply pitched and saw-toothed roofs, and brick and red corrugated metal cladding to reflect the local context. The landscape plays a crucial unifying role, whilst also providing a variety of environments for residents, from formal grass to informal seating and children’s play areas.
“We are delighted with this scheme – not only does it provide much-needed, 100% affordable homes for local people, but it is a striking addition to the streetscape that has been a catalyst for the wider regeneration of the area.” Trevor Burns, Director of Development, Sales and Asset Management, East Thames Housing Group
“Working together as architects, landscape architects and urbanists lets us create something coherent from the start. It gives the same weight to every element of the design, and helps us bring to life new neighbourhoods that feel like real, joined-up communities.” Gary Tidmarsh, Chairman
Working within the constraints of a tight urban plot, this scheme comprises 60 extra care homes within two new buildings, alongside integrated communal space. Being mindful that older people spend more time inside, the design is centred on the concept of bringing the outside in and all homes are dual aspect to provide views of the courtyards and neighbouring streets. Similarly, a new garden room offers a generous, light-filled communal space between the two courtyards, each of which has a different character to provide a range of physical and visual stimuli for residents.
“I never expected it to be as lovely as it is. My friends have all told me how lucky I am, and how they wish they were moving in too!” Beryl Goodhew, resident
Hazelhurst Court Lewisham, London Phoenix Community Housing
Heating Infrastructure Project, University of Liverpool Liverpool University of Liverpool Energy Company This project rationalises the heating infrastructure of the university campus by constructing a new energy centre in place of various remote boiler houses adjacent to the Royal Liverpool Infirmary, designed by Sir Alfred Waterhouse. Thanks to an innovative patterned and ventilated cladding system of specially formed trapezoidal aluminium ‘scales’, the colour and appearance of the building adjusts according to the quality and direction of the light. The chevron pitched roofs reflect the varied roofscape of the historic core of the campus and are also designed for the retrofitting of photovoltaic panels.
“Importantly this project is more than a clever architectural enclosure. The energy generated within provides much of the needs of Liverpool University’s Estate. This project is a very complete tale of making new, repairing old and conserving resources.” RIBA Awards judge
Our concept for this immersive theatre-in-the-round features a lightweight structure boldly inhabiting the space, its modernity in stark contrast to the traditional splendour of the Edwardian hall. The seven-sided construction spans between existing columns to avoid loading the floor and an odd number of facets ensures that members of the audience do not directly face each other. The original design was completed in 1976, and 20 years later, following the 1996 IRA bomb, we were invited back to restore the hall and make further adjustments to the theatre itself.
“The atmosphere is breathtaking as one enters that huge foyer space of the old nineteenth century Royal Exchange to see, suspended from the four monumental columns supporting the central dome of the building, this lunar space module-like structure of steel and glass that is the theatre itself.” Richard Negri, RET Director
Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre Co.
No.1 Hardman Street Manchester Allied London Sitting on what was a small, restricted but prominent infill site in Spinningfields, our approach for this project was to create a new office aesthetic. We designed a building with a very simple, cost-effective frame and a more elaborate skin to sit over the top. Inside, the exposed steel structure, services and concrete soffits create a raw, industrial feel, in contrast to the interiors of the nearby slick, glazed offices. Since moving in, Mediacom has recognised that the new stimulating, creative environment has improved staff morale, recruitment and work quality.
“Signing up to No.1 Hardman Street was a real step in the dark for us – it was a huge challenge but we saw the potential for creating our own space and two years on, our original vision was realised. It turned out to be a real statement of intent for us and Manchester itself.” John Marshall, Group Marketing and New Business Director, Mediacom
Dating from 1873, Devonshire Park has long been an attraction for the south coast. However, the facilities are in need of significant revitalisation and so we were appointed to carefully restore the listed theatres; enhance the tennis facilities and provide a new conference building. Throughout, we are preserving the heritage of the three theatres whilst creating modern venues and facilities. The key design driver is to transform the audience experience by improving comfort, accessibility and production quality.
Devonshire Park Eastbourne Eastbourne Borough Council
“This is an extremely exciting project that will bring more people to Eastbourne, provide even better facilities for residents and support the sustainability of the park for future generations.” Councillor David Tutt, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council
Other brochures Landscape Architecture Urban Design Arts Commercial Education Environmental Design Estate Regeneration Health Higher Education Historic Buildings Housing Interior Design Public Realm Research Schools Supported Housing
levittbernstein.co.uk
Version 2