Glenn Howells

Howells was born in Stourbridge, England and educated in Plymouth.[1]

His practice, Howells (formerly Glenn Howells Architects), has offices in Birmingham and London. Howells founded his practice in London in 1990 but later moved the main office to Birmingham in 1992. The practice now employs 150 people in its Birmingham and London studios and works across the UK and the Republic of Ireland in many sectors including masterplanning, residential, offices, education, retail, health, hotel and leisure.[2]

Early projects included the award-winning Custard Factory, an affordable creative business space in Birmingham for developer Bennie Gray and a series of arts projects including the Market Place Theatre in Armagh, Northern Ireland (which won a RIBA regional award) and the Courtyard Theatre in Hereford.[3][4][5][6]

The practice subsequently expanded into residential and mixed-use regeneration schemes with a series of projects for innovative developer Urban Splash. These included Timber Wharf[7] and Burton Place[8] in Manchester and the remodeling of Birmingham's landmark Rotunda office building into residential use.[9]

Among its public projects is the Savill Building at Windsor Great Park, shortlisted for the 2007 RIBA Stirling Prize.[10] The competition winning scheme run by The Crown Estate, was intended to create a gateway to the listed gardens reflecting the character and quality of the park. The building grouped all visitor facilities under a grid shell roof creating a series of linked spaces. The roof is constructed from larch and clad with green oak from sustainable sources from the Windsor Estate. It is supported by an earth structure on the entrance side which houses ancillary facilities, while the garden side is elevated on legs to take advantage of the views. It opened to the public in June 2006.[11]

Another key public project is the acclaimed English National Ballet at the Mulryan Centre for Dance, winner of the RIBA London Building of the Year 2021[12] and the Architects' Journal AJ100 Building of the Year 2020.[13] This public-facing, purpose-built facility opens up to a civic square and invites the passers-by in through a ground-floor exhibition and café, which in turn opens up to an atrium that connects to all the levels with a feature stair.[14]

Today, the practice is working on a number of large scale projects and masterplans including thousands of homes as part of the regeneration of London's former docks and the mixed-use redevelopment of the historically sensitive Paradise Circus area of central Birmingham for Argent.[15] In addition, GHA are masterplanning Port Loop, a new canalside community in Birmingham for Urban Splash and Places for People.[16]

The practice is continuing to work with developer Ballymore by masterplanning former brownfield sites along the River Thames such as Royal Wharf, Riverscape, London City Island in East London and Brentford Waterside[17] in West London.

The practice's design approach was featured in an interview for the RIBA Journal in 2019.[18] In 2018 Glenn Howells was appointed visiting professor at Birmingham City University in its School of Architecture and Design[19] and chair of the Birmingham Hippodrome Board of Trustees.[20]

The practice rebranded from Glenn Howells Architects to Howells on 28 April 2023.[21]

Howells has often pushed the development of young, local talent and engages with Birmingham teenagers at the practice's annual work experience programme.[22]

Howells' projects have won a diverse range of awards including those of the Royal Institute of British Architects National Awards, the Architects' Journal AJ100 Building of the Year Award, the Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award, the American Institute of Architects Award, the British Council for Offices, National Homebuilder, Housing Design and RICS awards, Civic Trust and Civic Voice awards, British Construction Industry Awards and Concrete Society and Brick Awards.[23] In 2019 Glenn Howells was awarded the BCO Regional Committee Chair's Award in recognition of outstanding contribution to the regional property industry.[24]

Outside his architectural practice, Howells has spent time on a number of boards for creative and education organisations and advised government bodies and local authorities. He delivers lectures and keynote addresses and in 2017 gave a TEDxBrum talk on intensity and density.

Advisory roles:

• 2018-present: Birmingham Hippodrome Board of Trustees, Chair
• 2017-present: Birmingham City University Board of Trustees, Member
• 2005-present: Design:Midlands, Trustee
• 2018-present: Ikon Gallery, London Advisory Board Member
• 2015-2017: HS2 Design Review Panel, Member
• 2011-2017: University of Warwick Estates Committee, Chair
• 2009-2017: Ikon Gallery, Chair
• 2008-2011: University of Warwick Council, Member
• 2006-2018: Birmingham Hippodrome Board of Trustees, Member
• 2006-2017: Ikon Gallery, Board Member
• 2006-2012: CABE London 2012 Olympic Panel, Member
• 2006-2009: Birmingham Prospectus Steering Group, Member
• 2000-2015: CABE National Design Review Panel, Member

Education roles:

• 2018-present: Birmingham City University, Visiting Professor
• 2017-present: Birmingham City University, Trustee
• 2010-present: Centre for Alternative Technology, Visiting Lecturer
• 2011-2012: Sheffield Hallam University, External Examiner
• 2007-2010: Nottingham Trent University, Visiting Professor
• 2003-2006: University of Nottingham, External Examiner
• 1998-2001: Queen's University, Belfast, External Examiner
• 1995-1998: Birmingham City University, Visiting Lecturer

Awards judging:

• 2015-2017: RIBA Competitions Judging Panel
• 2012-2014: British Council of Offices National Judging Panel
• 2003-2010: RIBA National Awards Judging Panel
• 2000-2010: RIBA National Awards Panel

Selected projects include:

Masterplanning

• Royal Wharf, Royal Docks, London[25][26]
• Paradise, Birmingham,[27][28][29]
• Maple Quays, Canada Water, London,[30]
• London City Island[31][32]
• Blackwall Yard, London[33]
• Port Loop, Birmingham[34]
• Martineau Galleries, Birmingham[35]
• Brentford Waterside, London[36]
• New Garden Square, Birmingham[37]
• Abbey Street, Nuneaton[38]

Housing

• Brick House, Port Loop, Birmingham[39]
• Burton Place, Castlefield, Manchester
• Elliott Road, Birmingham
• Luna Building, Bermondsey, London[1]
• Kent Street, Birmingham[40]
• Maple Quays, Canada Water, London
• The Mercian, Birmingham[41]
• Octagon, Paradise, Birmingham[42]
• Parkside, Cambridge,[43]
• Perry Barr Village, Birmingham[44]
• Printworks, London,[45]
• Rotunda, Birmingham,[46]
• Southside, Birmingham,[47]
• Straits Village, Nottingham[48]
• Timber Wharf, Manchester,[49][50]
• The Triangle, Swindon,[51]
• Urbanest King's Cross, London,[52]
• Urbanest Vauxhall, London,[53]
• Wardian, London[54]
• Wembley Link, London[55]
• Wirral Waters One, Birkenhead[56]

Single Houses

• Glass House, Hampstead[57]
• Moat House, Dorsington[58]

Workplace

• 125 Deansgate, Manchester[2]
• Custard Factory, Birmingham[59]
• Eleven Brindleyplace, Birmingham[60]
• i9, Wolverhampton[61]
• Maltings Place, Bermondsey, London[62]
• One Centenary Way, Paradise, Birmingham
• One St Peter's Square, Manchester[63]
• Severn Trent Water, Shrewsbury[64]
• Two Chamberlain Square, Paradise, Birmingham
• Ty Admiral, Cardiff

Public and Education

• Alley Theatre, Strabane (with AJA)[65]
• Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth
• Bramall Music Building, University of Birmingham, Birmingham[66]
• English National Ballet at the Mulryan Centre for Dance, London[67]
• Lime Street Gateway, Liverpool[68]
• Moss House, University College Birmingham[69]
• National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire[70]
• National Film and Television School[71]
• Newman University[72]
• Saint Martin's School, Solihull[73]
• Savill Building, Windsor Great Park[74]
• The Courtyard, Hereford[75]
• The Marketplace, Armagh, Northern Ireland[76]
• Westonbirt Aboretum, Tetbury[77]
• Westonbirt Walkway, Westonbirt Arboretum, Tetbury
• Wirral Metropolitan College, Wirral

Retail and Leisure

• Edgbaston Priory Club, Birmingham[78]
• Gloucester Services, Gloucester[79]
• John Lewis, Exeter[80]
• John Lewis, Oxford[81]
• Lakeside Activity Centre, Nene Park, Peterborough[82]
• One Ratcliff Square, Paradise, Birmingham[83]
• Water Pavilions, Canary Wharf, London[84]

Health and Extra Care

• Brassington Avenue, Sutton Coldfield[85]
• Institute of Translational Medicine, Birmingham[86]
• One Bayshill Road, Cheltenham[87]
• TouchBase, Birmingham[88]
• University Hospital Birmingham[89]

• Official website
• Glenn Howells presents a talk as a part of the London Festival of Architecture 2008 (video)