好色先生TV

Assael Architecture has increased its turnover by almost a half thanks to an upturn in work with major clients.

The architect - which was forced to make a third of its staff redundant in 2008 because of the recession - is now back up to peak numbers, with 50 employees, and has plans to recruit 10 more by the end of the year.

Turnover rose 40% to 拢3.5m for the year ending 31 May 2012, according to provisional financial figures disclosed to 好色先生TV. The practice also increased pre-tax profit 40-fold to about 拢400,000.

The firm鈥檚 founder John Assael said wins on 鈥渓arger, more complicated鈥� projects had led to a 鈥渇antastic鈥� financial year.

Major wins included North Wharf Gardens, a 拢300m mixed-use scheme in Westminster for a Bahrani developer, and a 拢100m 40-home residential square in Fulham, west London.

Assael said the practice is targeting further revenue growth of 30% in the current financial year, as well as growth in the hotel, regeneration and build-to-let sectors.

The practice has won three consents for hotel schemes in the past year and sees more potential in the sector.

Assael said the practice is also targeting residential-led regeneration schemes and he expects local councils to increasingly partner with private developers to kick-start schemes.

Work is under way on the Assael-designed 1,000-apartment Renaissance Lewisham scheme in south London, where Lewisham council partnered with private developer Berkeley.

Assael said: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 increasingly how things are going - local councils have lots of land but no cash, so they鈥檙e partnering with developers to unlock the potential of their land.

We deliberately didn鈥檛 make senior staff redundant. That decision has paid off

John Assael

The firm is also targeting work in the UK鈥檚 fledgling build-to-let sector, after winning its first build-to-let commission for an undisclosed developer.

Assael said the firm had visited the US to research its buoyant build-to-let market and he expected the UK market to take off in the coming years.

He said the practice was reaping the rewards of a 鈥渞isky鈥� decision to protect senior staff from the 2008 round of redundancies.

He said: 鈥淲e deliberately didn鈥檛 make our senior staff redundant. That decision has paid off. With the upturn in the market we had the right staff in place to build teams around.鈥�

Assael has built up a strong reputation for renovating historic buildings and 鈥渞escuing鈥� problem projects.

Work completed last month on a scheme to renovate a grade II*-listed former cinema in Clapham, south London - the Granada Theatre.

Assael was the fourth firm of architects to get involved in attempting to renovate the building and came up with a residential-led solution for it.

The architect added 59 flats, both above and alongside the original structure, while preserving its thirties facade.

The residential element paid for the complete restoration of the neoclassical-style interior, which will now house a church and a theatre.

Assael said the firm鈥檚 鈥渜uiet鈥� design ethos is helping it to achieve success.

鈥淲e like our buildings to be quiet. We don鈥檛 design 鈥榠cons鈥�, these are buildings that are the backdrop to peoples鈥� lives.鈥�

Other notable Assael projects include 拢150m Great West Quarter in Brentford, which Barratt Homes will complete in 2013. All of Assael鈥檚 work is in the private sector, with 80% of its fees drawn from London commissions.

The firm is also looking to increase its international work after commissions in India, Russia and Kazakhstan.