Architects MawsonKerr Open New Leeds Studio

The Newcastle-founded, sustainability-focused practice has opened a base at Leeds Dock and plans to recruit as it grows across Yorkshire

An award-winning architecture practice has opened a studio in Leeds and plans to hire as it builds its presence across Yorkshire. MawsonKerr, the Newcastle-founded firm known for its low-carbon and sustainable design, has taken space at The Department in Leeds Dock, giving it a permanent base in the city for the first time. It has appointed associate Daniel Dyer, a Garforth local who has been with the practice for 12 years, to lead the new studio. The move is a vote of confidence in the Leeds property market from a growing northern practice.

Why This Matters For Leeds

A respected practice choosing to open in Leeds and planning to recruit is a healthy sign for the city’s property and design sector. It brings new expertise into the market, creates jobs and reflects the pull of Leeds’s busy development scene. The firm’s focus on sustainable, low-carbon buildings also chimes with where the industry is heading as developers and clients increasingly prioritise energy performance.

Why MawsonKerr Is Opening in Leeds

The practice already has a track record in Yorkshire and is currently working on two residential projects in the region, including the redevelopment of a derelict historic mill in Leeds and a proposed 13-home scheme in South Yorkshire. The new studio gives it a local base from which to pursue work across Leeds, York, Harrogate, South Yorkshire and into the Peak District, targeting socially conscious developers, private clients and public-sector bodies. Daniel Dyer, who has worked on many of the firm’s award-winning low-carbon homes, said Leeds was an attractive if competitive market, with a strong professional community and plenty of development activity across the wider region. The firm, which became an employee-owned business in 2022 and employs a team of 12, says it will grow the Leeds operation organically over the coming year as its workload builds, with its Newcastle studio supporting the new base.

“Opening in Leeds is an exciting step for us and gives us a permanent base from which to build relationships and grow our workload across Yorkshire.”

— Daniel Dyer, Associate and Leeds Studio Head, MawsonKerr

A Reputation in Sustainable Design

Founded in 2010 by architects Will Mawson and Dan Kerr, the practice has built a reputation for combining design quality with low-carbon performance, and was a joint winner of the Government-backed Home of 2030 design competition in 2020. Its past work spans contemporary additions to historic settings, including a café at Mount Grace Priory and renovation at Whitby Abbey for English Heritage, alongside relationships with the National Trust and sustainability-led developers such as igloo Regeneration and TOWN. The firm has picked up a string of regional architecture, conservation and sustainability awards. Co-founder Will Mawson said Yorkshire had a vibrant property sector and clients who increasingly valued contextual, sustainable design, making Leeds a natural next step.