Ryton's Gradon Architecture relocates Irish studio following £220k turnover

North East-headquartered Gradon Architecture has relocated its Northern Ireland studio following the expansion of its team and second year in business which saw it treble its turnover.

The firm’s new studio at 2 London Street, Derry, aims to provide the architectural practice with over three times the amount of floor space in the city’s Cathedral Quarter.

Gradon Architecture, which employs a total of 19 staff across three studio locations including the North East and Mongolia, opened its first Derry studio at Artillery Street in 2015, with assistance from Invest Northern Ireland.

Liam Nelis, director at Gradon’s Derry studio, said: “Last year saw us undergo significant growth here in Derry and with a strong team in place we look forward to continuing to build on this success from our fantastic new studio.

“We are very pleased to have made the move to London Street, which provides [an] improved working environment for our team and better meeting facilities for our clients.”

The Derry studio reached a turnover of £220k last year and the firm recently announced it is on course to achieve a turnover nearing £1m between its UK locations.

Brolly House.

The move to London Street comes as a result of the firm’s continued expansion, with the Derry team growing to six full-time members of staff, following the recent appointment of Tom Cosgrove.

Operating across a range of sectors, Gradon has secured a number of high profile schemes in Derry, Dublin, Belfast and London over the past twelve months as well as the North East.

In Derry, the practice is working with the local council on their Riverine masterplan project which links Derry with Strabane, as well as the rejuvenation of the historic walled garden at St Columbs Park.

The practice has also designed a number of bespoke residential projects for private clients, which include Talbot Park and Brolly Houses.

Elsewhere, Gradon has secured a number of major projects in England including a 15-storey mixed use project in Maidstone, Kent and a residential scheme in Doncaster comprising of 67 apartments.

Founding director, Graham McDarby, added: “The success of our Derry studio has exceeded our expectations and we believe this relocation will enable us to grow further.

“Our three studios work closely together and the facilities at our new London Street studio will only improve our ability to work collaboratively. With a number of major new projects in the pipeline this is a very exciting time for the whole team.”