From the ashes of the recession came PARKdesigned, a high-growth architectural firm able to service clients across various industries thanks to its highly skilled team.
The desire to plug a market gap is what usually features in founding business stories. However, what is just as impressive is a firm finding success because it does things better than others, like PARKdesigned Architects, a small but mighty outfit with two UK branches and the ability to service diverse sectors.
PARKdesigned started in 2011 when the end of the credit crunch brought new commercial opportunities. Like many entrepreneurs, Founding Director Edward Park had grown “frustrated working for other companies.” However, he admits that “working on award-winning projects and being exposed to lots of issues and problems” gave him the know-how to start PARKdesigned.
Today, he runs things with his Co-Director brother James, who had also worked his way up the ladder of various architecture firms and showed his grit early on by sacrificing countless evenings and weekends to the PARKdesigned cause before joining permanently. They started with “fast turnaround projects” including domestic extensions. In a short time, this grew to far larger projects, such as the conversion of the former Chubb HQ Building in Sunbury outside London, which consisted of eighty apartments.
The project began in 2015, just four years after the company was formed. This, Edward explains, started a snowball effect and gave them “the ability to approach larger companies.” What makes the PARKdesigned story stand out is the fact that it has grown “organically.” According to Edward, the firm “works on recommendations,” and has “never really advertised.” In short, growth has come via “word of mouth,” showcasing its stellar reputation.
Edward believes that “a successful leader has a clear vision, empowers their team, and leads with empathy, integrity, and accountability.” His father, an engineer who ran six offices and whom Edward and his brother used “as a sounding board” when building up PARKdesigned, remains a major inspiration.
Today, the company rules are simple; treat people how you would want to be treated. The wider team at PARKdesigned, which includes “a blend of architects, technicians and assistants with a wealth of knowledge and expertise across different sectors and stages of construction,” can work on varied projects from residential to energy, commercial, and even cladding remediation. “By covering varied industries we can bring fresh perspectives to each project, blending creativity with practical expertise,” he says. “This flexibility allows us to tailor our services and create well-considered, high-quality spaces that meet both aesthetic and commercial needs.” This has created a more upskilled workforce where in Edward’s words “no one is pigeon-holed into doing one thing,” meaning staff could be working on an industrial project in the morning and a residential one in the afternoon.
Creativity is a core company pillar where everyone has a say in the projects being undertaken. According to Edward, it’s a “decision made by crowd” which means the team gets the final word rather than “one person getting it wrong.”
PARKdesigned cares about impact; “we believe that architecture has the power to positively impact communities and giving back through social-impact projects allows us to use our skills for the greater good.” A recent project was with the Samaritans charity in Leeds. “They wanted to offer better facilities and surroundings for their volunteers and contacted us and asked us for a fee, and we said we would do it for nothing.” Edward reveals that they don’t tend to over-publicise their charitable efforts, but that works for them. “From a CSR perspective, we’re not a major organisation ticking a box.”
PARKdesigned hasn’t been immune to challenges. One unsurprisingly was COVID-19. “We overcame it by quickly adapting to remote working, maintaining strong communication with clients and contractors, and being flexible with project timelines,” he says.
In terms of present and future challenges, responding to growing interest from clients for cladding remediation work is a big one, but it is also a major commercial opportunity. Since the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the Building Safety Act (BSA) has come into place which upholds a series of new regulations. Edward explains that while a majority of buildings were built to the regulations that were in place at the time, today, “the work we are having to do is improve those buildings and make them safe and compliant with the latest regulations.”
PARKdesigned has achieved a lot in its relatively short lifetime, upscaling from small jobs to impressively large projects across industries in just a few years, all with a strong referral record. When asked what he would tell his younger self at the start of this journey, Edward says to “focus on building a strong team, nurture good client relationships and trust that quality design will pay off in the long run,” – well, from the sounds of things, these goals have already been achieved at PARKdesigned!
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