History

Peter Phippen, Peter Randall and David Parkes founded the practice in 1963 having studied together at the Bristol School of Architecture. Their early careers included working with the then Ministry of Housing and Local Government and the Greater London Council, as well as teaching at the Architectural Association. The founding of the practice came at an opportune time; housing was then, as now, high on the political agenda as Britain began to accelerate its re-building programme after the Second World War. What set PRP apart right from the start was their philosophy of designing for, and with, the individuals and communities who would occupy the homes. That approach continues to this day.

PRP’s first major commission was known as the Ryde at Hatfield. This unique project of courtyard houses for a group of enthusiastic co-owners received widespread recognition and set the foundations for our practice. There soon followed a string of commissions in the growing New Towns including Shrublands and Forestfield in Crawley and Kingswood in Basildon. Each of these projects explored different aspects of low-rise high density housing with particular emphasis on good daylighting and sunlighting, privacy. Simple but elegant construction and detailing using natural materials that would mature gracefully was the basis of the emerging house style.

In the early 1970’s, the practice began to expand its Hampton Court base and Barry Munday and Chris Rudolf joined in quick succession. Both held impressive credentials from eminent practices and soon became the first associates of PRP, progressing quickly to become Directors in the early 1980’s.

Staying close to our housing roots, PRP began to branch out to work for a wider range of clients including Housing Associations, Local Authorities and private developers. The practice grew to 90-strong by the end of the 1980’s having secured major commissions such as Lisson Grove, Carlton Gate and Chasewood Park. When the private market housing bubble burst in 1990, further diversification enabled us to develop a broader range of services, notably in urban regeneration, specialist housing, healthcare and education. These remain the core sectors to this day. It was also at this time that PRP started developing its Low Energy Design capabilities with studies for the BRE and houses designed for the Energy Park and Energy World in Milton Keynes.

In 1994, we opened our London office in Smithfield to serve the Waltham Forest Housing Action Trust project which had been won in competition. Our reputation in sustainable regeneration helped us to secure other notable projects such as Central Stepney, Church End and Roundwood. Simultaneously, the Hampton Court office continued to expand its expertise in the fields of new communities and housing for older people. We were able to develop ideas, particularly around housing layout, some of which were precursors of the PPG3 agenda. These included raising densities, reducing the dominance of cars and designing houses for different lifestyles and needs.

As the company continued to expand, we re-located the Hampton Court office to Thames Ditton where today it occupies an elegantly converted factory building on the banks of the River Thames and houses over 100 architects and designers.

We opened our Milton Keynes office in 2000 which quickly developed a reputation for large scale masterplanning. The successful PFI bid for the Plymouth Grove Estate led to the opening of our Manchester office in 2001 where we are expanding our regeneration and primary health work in the North West. In 2002, we teamed up with Bill Dunster architects, an innovatory practice specialising in low-energy zero-carbon developments, to form a new joint venture, PRP ZEDfactor; a partnership that has since resulted in a groundbreaking low energy housing scheme for keyworkers in Brixton that Mayor of London Ken Livingstone believes "sets the standard for what we should be achieving in every social housing development in London".

After 44 years, PRP today employs over 350 staff. In line with the increasing complexity of modern development, we have expanded our skill base to include planners, urban designers, landscape designers, specialist consultants and project managers. Mixed use developments, such as the first mixed use block in Wembley's regeneration plan, are now a major part of our work. With the Government’s agenda for Sustainable Communities focused on both urban and rural areas across the UK, our experts are well placed to help take that vision forward for another 40 years.