PLACEMAKING

“Buildings, towns and cities are the most powerful and moving elements of our existence, as powerful as religion, music, art or politics. Yet cities are, and always have been, more than these: they are permanent, public and shared in both expression and achievement. Architecture and urbanism, I have no doubt, are our greatest achievements.”
Sir Terry Farrell

Terry Farrell and Partners (TFP) is a world-renowned practice of planners, urban designers, masterplanners and architects under the leadership of Sir Terry Farrell. Over a period of more than 40 years, the practice has had the privilege to study and work in leading major world cities around the globe.

Exploring and understanding the world's towns and cities is a passionate commitment. The central concern has always been the relationship between urban design and built architecture; between creating first a place and then evolving an architectural face, which grows out of this deliberate sequencing of the design process. There is never a contextual vacuum; the people, culture, history and physical character of a place are always the starting and ending points as the act of creating a new masterplan or building adds to, and changes in some way, the very place it has grown out of. Taking sensitivity to place as a key generator of the brief for any project, the practice has carried out projects worldwide. In the early years of the practice, TFP's work was almost entirely in London. Subsequently, TFP's reputation, gained through its distinctive and innovative approach in London, led to numerous commissions and the successful delivery of projects in core cities throughout the UK and overseas. A number of illustrative schemes, shown on this site, show TFP's commitment to the repair and renewal of cities and how its expertise in providing solutions for the regeneration of strategically important areas has evolved.

Terry Farrell has recently been appointed as the City of Edinburgh's first ever Design Champion. His remit is to help to realise Edinburgh's full potential, with the emphasis on the space between buildings just as much as the buildings themselves. Similarly, the practice is working on a number of intellectual frameworks for key parts of London. The Marylebone-Euston Road study is focused on making the most one of London's best connected streets. Another major area of activity is TFP's radical and exciting proposals for the re-making of The Thames Gateway. TFP's objective is to overturn negative perceptions of the area and to present a coherent vision for this potentially world-class landscape on the doorstep of London.

TFP are renowned for delivering solutions through a combination of vision, commitment and advocacy. The practice continually takes a leading role in shaping debate on architecture and urban design. TFP's projects have won international design awards and the company's urban design projects feature in publications worldwide.

Defining TFP's whole approach is the importance attached to the improvement of the public realm. There is a passionate belief in the need for the richness and complexity of our modern cities to be enhanced and displayed for the benefit of all.