AJ 40 under 40: Archio
18 December 2020 By will hurst, illustration by Simon Hayes
Run by Mellis Haward and Kyle Buchanan, the AJ 40 under 40 practice combines an ethos of contributing to wider society with looking after the wellbeing of its own employees
The last AJ 40 under 40 made a big impression on the two directors of Archio, who had just graduated when it came out in 2005. Mellis Haward, 38, and Kyle Buchanan, 39, – who met while studying at Cambridge – remember being particularly impressed by the ‘joyful’ work of AOC and the urban design approach demonstrated by Witherford Watson Mann and 5th Studio.
The pair bring experience of working for a number of leading practices in the past, including Glenn Howells Architects, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Sergison Bates, Moxon and Gort Scott. Significant projects include nine new homes and a refurbished pub completed within the curtilage of the Grade II-listed Temple Inn in Somerset and an ongoing scheme to