Mailen Design

We're delighted to see the completion of this important milestone in the Dolphin Square Restoration Programme. As Lead Architect and Designer for the restoration of Keyes House, it has been a privilege to help shape the next chapter of this iconic London estate. The project presented a unique opportunity to carefully balance heritage, contemporary living and long-term stewardship, creating homes that respect the building's history while meeting the needs of modern residents. A huge thank you to our clients, collaborators and the wider project team for their commitment and expertise throughout the journey. We're proud to have played a role in bringing these beautiful homes back to life. Dolphin Square Operator Limited | Galliford Try | Radcliffes Construction Consultants | Baily Garner Abakus Consulting | Heyne Tillett Steel | Cundall | Affinity (UK & Ireland) | Hollis | Sally Prothero | Baylis Landscape Contractors Ltd | DesignPlusLight | GRIT Consultancy | Interlinked Group | ESP Utilities Group Ltd

One of the highlights of Clerkenwell Design Week for our team is spending time with our longstanding partners at Domus Group and seeing Domus Campus, their Clerkenwell showroom, come to life in new and unexpected ways. Having originally designed the space for Domus, it’s incredibly rewarding to watch it continue evolving as a platform for conversation, collaboration, and experimentation within the design community. This year’s programme, Event 001: Grounded Transcendence, feels especially resonant — exploring our growing desire for more sensory, grounded experiences in an increasingly digital world through sound, materiality, atmosphere, and spatial transformation. Across the week, the showroom shifts from gallery, to listening room, to club; a thoughtful reminder that spaces are never static, but shaped by interaction, emotion, and human experience. We’ve had some brilliant conversations around sensory design, acoustics, the built environment's impact on wellbeing, and the future of how people gather and connect within physical spaces. It’s these kinds of discussions—and partnerships—that make CDW such an important moment in the design calendar for us. A huge thank you to the Domus team for having us. Looking forward to what we’re sure will be a closing night party to remember! #CDW2026 #ClerkenwellDesignWeek #Architecture #Design #DesignCommunity #SpatialDesign

A brilliant first day at Clerkenwell Design Week spent exploring some incredibly thoughtful conversations around the future of workplace design. One theme that came up again and again was the shift away from viewing workplaces purely through the lens of efficiency, and towards spaces that genuinely support how people think, feel, collaborate, and focus. There was a huge emphasis on wellbeing, neuroinclusive design, biophilic principles, acoustic comfort, and creating environments that feel human rather than performative. Particularly interesting was the growing recognition that good workplace design isn’t just visual; sound, sensory experience, flexibility, and emotional comfort all play a critical role in how people experience a space day to day. As hybrid working continues to evolve, it feels increasingly important that workplaces offer something more meaningful than simply a desk away from home. The most compelling spaces we saw today prioritised connection, calm, adaptability, and experience in a much more holistic way. Excited for more conversations over the next few days! #CDW2026 #ClerkenwellDesignWeek #WorkplaceDesign #InteriorDesign #Architecture #BiophilicDesign #NeuroinclusiveDesign #WorkplaceWellbeing Nowy Styl Kusch+Co Workagile ØRN Furniture PlantCare

We're #hiring!⁠ ⁠ We are looking for a driven architect with at least five years’ of post-Part 3 experience in a UK practice to join our London studio. Click here for more info and to apply: https://bit.ly/4uSA6kj This is a strong opportunity for an ambitious architect looking to take a leading role on a major project while growing within a supportive and design-led practice. The role offers additional scope to contribute to a broader portfolio of public and private projects spanning residential, hospitality, commercial, and education sectors. #MailenDesign #ArchitectJobs #UKArchitecture #DesignCareers #Architect #PartII #ArchitectAssistant #JoinOurTeam #ArchitectureJobs⁠ #ArchitectureJobsUK #ArchitectureRecruitment

Ben Mailen, Jon Humphreys and Alex Clough will be representing Mailen Design at MIPIM in Cannes, 11–13 March. This year, our architects are prioritising focused, commercially driven conversations where we can deliver meaningful impact by demonstrating how design can directly unlock value, reduce risk and strengthen long-term asset performance. We are keen to meet with developers and investors operating in two sectors in particular: Workplace developers and asset managers If you are repositioning offices or delivering new workspaces, we would welcome a discussion around: – repositioning underperforming office stock to compete in an amenity-led, post-hybrid market – navigating planning, EPC and ESG requirements to protect asset value and future lettability – unlocking retrofit viability through fabric-first upgrades and low-carbon building systems – enhancing tenant retention and covenant strength through design-led amenity, wellness and flexibility – balancing capital expenditure, programme certainty and long-term operational performance Large-scale residential and Build-to-Rent investors For those delivering, repositioning or acquiring residential assets at scale, we would welcome discussions around: – unlocking latent value in existing estates and urban sites through intelligent retrofit, phased renewal and asset repositioning strategies – reducing planning, technical and programme risk through early-stage coordination, regulatory alignment and robust design standardisation – embedding low-carbon infrastructure and fabric-first principles to future-proof assets against tightening environmental regulation – driving rental growth and sales velocity through amenity-led design, refined material palettes and durable, high-quality finishes – balancing cost discipline, construction efficiency and long-term operational performance to protect yield and exit value If you are attending MIPIM and would value a conversation about an active or upcoming scheme, please drop us a DM and we’ll get something in the diary. #MIPIM2026 #RealEstateDevelopment #AssetManagement #BuildToRent #OfficeDevelopment #SustainableDevelopment #UKConstruction #RiskManagement #MailenDesign

Excited to share that Jon Humphreys, Director of Mailen Design, will be speaking about sustainable design practices at NoVacancy Hotel + Accommodation Industry Expo London this week. Hospitality has a significant role to play in tackling the climate crisis, and it begins with a fundamental shift in focus: moving beyond new construction and towards the intelligent upgrade of our existing building stock. In this session, Jon will outline a clear, commercially grounded approach to retrofitting hotels, restaurants and mixed-use venues in ways that enhance performance, support sustainability targets and strengthen long-term asset value. Drawing on lessons from live projects, the talk will explore how early design thinking can help operators reduce energy demand, safeguard guest experience, navigate UK policy requirements and avoid costly missteps later in the process. 🗓 12:15pm | Wednesday, 25 February 📍 Theatre 3 | Excel London Planning to be there as well? We’d love to connect! Send us a message to arrange a meeting or say hello to our team after Jon’s talk at Theatre 3. #NoVacancyLDN #MailenDesign #Sustainability #Hospitality #ExcelLondon

Sending our warmest wishes for a holiday season filled with joy, from all of us here at Mailen Design.   We’d like to say a sincere thank you for being a part of our journey this year. We’ve been keeping busy since we last spoke, with big project milestones at Dolphin Square and Kielder Castle and new architects joining our team to support a growing body of active projects.   The growth we've experienced in 2025 has been building to a big leap forward for our practice in February 2026. We can’t share too much yet, but keep your eyes peeled for an email in the new year with an invitation you won’t want to miss.    In the meantime, we wish you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous new year. See the highlights from our 2025 Year in Review: https://bit.ly/4ql4Ze2

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve carried from one project type to another?    It’s a question we ask ourselves often. Insights from shaping the atmosphere and flow of a restaurant have informed how we approach communal areas in multi-residential projects. Working at the human scale in residential projects has refined how we craft hospitality spaces that are both responsive to context and rich in material expression. Retail work has sharpened our ability to translate brand identity into the built environment for more engaging, adaptable, and relevant workplace projects.      Our latest blog explores how working across typologies strengthens our design language and deepens our understanding of how spaces are experienced. We’d love to hear your own examples.    Read the full piece here: https://bit.ly/4gHIhcE    #Architecture #Design #HospitalityDesign #ResidentialArchitecture #RetailDesign #CrossTypology #MailenDesign  

Construction has commenced at Kielder Castle, signalling a major milestone in the transformation of this Grade II listed former hunting lodge into a dynamic, year-round multi-use visitor and community destination. Located deep within the Kielder Forest in Northumberland, the landmark project brings together heritage restoration with new-build intervention in one of the UK’s most remote rural contexts. Mailen Design was appointed to lead the refurbishment and extension of Kielder Castle following a national design competition. Working closely with Forestry England, our role spans architecture, heritage coordination, planning engagement and technical design, as well as ongoing input into delivery strategy and stakeholder consultation. The brief demanded a sensitive yet confident approach to intervention—balancing the need for robust, sustainable public spaces with the complexities of a listed building and a remote rural setting. Explore the plans for Kielder Castle’s regeneration: http://bit.ly/4n77yzy We look forward to sharing more news as the site evolves, and Kielder Castle emerges as a new kind of rural destination—one that honours its past whilst embracing the future of sustainable tourism, outdoor recreation and place-based regeneration. #MailenDesign #KielderCastle #HeritageArchitecture #CulturalHeritage #CommunityArchitecture #Northumberland

In step with a growing body of ambitious, detail-led projects, we’re delighted to welcome Olatide Elizabeth O. to the studio.     Elizabeth joins at a pivotal moment for the practice, bringing a depth of experience across varied project types and a particular passion for residential architecture and socially conscious design. Her approach combines a sensitivity to context with a keen eye for detail, underpinned by a commitment to design quality and sustainability.    Please join us in welcoming Elizabeth to the team!    Read more about Elizabeth’s background and what she brings to our practice here: https://bit.ly/47qWM20   #MailenDesign #NewTeamMembers #ArchitectsOfTheFuture #SociallyConsciousDesign #Sustainability #DesignInnovation #CreativeGrowth