BAYNES AND MITCHELL ARCHITECTS
  • projects
  • practice
  • contact
“A masterclass in how to intervene in a listed structure.”
Oliver Wainwright for the Guardian writing on Command of the Oceans
THE PRACTICE

Baynes and Mitchell Architects is an award winning, RIBA Chartered Practice established in 1995 by Peter Baynes and Alan Mitchell.
Over 25 years, the practice has developed a reputation for delivering highly considered works of architecture that respond sensitively to their context. We work on a wide variety of project types, from private residential to commercial office space, museums, listed buildings and scheduled monuments. 
We strive to design simple, understandable buildings that enrich our clients’ lives.

 “A champion for progressive conservation, inventive re-use and adaptation of existing fabric.”
​
RIBA Awards Jury
 
“Huge credit goes to the architects and other professional team members who have created an extraordinary solution to some intractable heritage challenges and created facilities that replicate the quality of the heritage itself and the stories embedded in it.”
Bill Ferris OBE DL, CEO at The Historic Dockyard Chatham
Picture
PETER BAYNES
​
Peter qualified as an architect in 1983.  He was an associate director at Powell Moya Partnership where he developed wide-ranging skills in the design and construction of large buildings and in the management of design teams. Projects included new buildings for the housing, educational, health, commercial, leisure, and ecclesiastical sectors. 

After leaving Powell and Moya in 1995 he formed a new practice with colleague, Alan Mitchell, to work on smaller-scale residential and commercial projects, building up a portfolio and establishing an office with the ability to undertake larger and more complex projects. Peter has a reputation for paying acute attention to detail and in recent years has worked on a number of demanding, high-end projects for which the quality of materials and detailing has been paramount. 

Over the last six years, he has overseen the meticulous restoration and refurbishment of a large Arts and Crafts house and its surrounding grounds in Surrey. The works have involved the complete restoration of the Grade II listed house, the surrounding listed pavilions, and the careful insertion of a substantial new building within the listed gardens. Rigorous attention to detail, careful assembly of materials, detailed knowledge of historic building techniques, an intuitive approach to circulation, and sensitive placement of building mass and form are all qualities that define this project. 

Peter is currently project director for the major refurbishment of the listed and historically significant estate in Oxfordshire. This project includes the refurbishment of the manor house, the listed surrounding park landscape, and a dozen or so buildings across the estate - and includes several new structures. 

Peter was also project director for the redevelopment of 1-3 Rawstorne Place, the conversion of a cluster of dissimilar buildings in Islington, to create a new open-plan office space. This was an extraordinary, complex project involving semi-derelict and extremely dilapidated buildings of different ages, sizes, historical significance, and construction techniques. There were numerous constraints imposed by the site which formed the rear boundary wall of many houses on three separate residential terraces. The highly successful project was carried out for Bennetts Associates Architects and was awarded an RIBA prize in 2003.
ALAN MITCHELL
​
Alan trained at the Architectural Association and Kingston University.  He spent three years working in small practices, including Branson Coates Architecture, before joining Powell Moya Partnership in 1990 where he was the project architect on a new campus for Cambridge Regional College and a new building for South Downs Healthcare NHS Trust in Sussex.
​ He has taught architecture at the University of Cambridge and the University of Greenwich.

Alan brings over thirty years of experience to the project. His extensive experience of running projects on the listed buildings and scheduled monuments of The Historic Dockyard Chatham has resulted in an impressive knowledge of traditional building types. Previous projects at the dockyard include the adaptation of The Armour Plate Shop and the refurbishment and adaptation of The Joiners Shop to provide a new business centre for start-up businesses in the creative sector.  He was also responsible for the feasibility studies for No 1 Workbase and for the Fitted Rigging House. Most significantly, Alan has completed the Command of the Oceans project where he acted as project director.  This scheme was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize 2017, won an RIBA National Award and was awarded three RIBA South East Awards, including South East Regional Award, South East Conservation Award and South East Building of the Year.

Following on from the success of the Command of the Oceans project, Alan was invited to contribute to the creation of the Heritage Lottery Fund’s “Capital Projects Knowledge Hub”. This initiative, from the HLF’s Business Improvement Unit, will look to draw on “lessons learnt” as a result of monitoring large scale capital projects. Alan has extensive experience working in close consultation with heritage bodies such as Historic England and has worked on numerous refurbishment projects for private and commercial clients.  Alan also headed up the Baynes and Mitchell team collaborating with Jeremy Bailey Architects to create Project Ely - a new building on the banks of the Great Ouse in Ely.  This landmark building is a bespoke training facility for the elite rowers of Cambridge University competing each year on the Thames and internationally.

Alan completed the RIBA conservation course in Autumn 2018.  He was also invited to chair the judging panel for the RIBA South East regional awards 2019.


AWARDS

2018, Command of the Oceans
RICS Awards Winner Project of the Year

2018, Command of the Oceans
RICS Awards Winner Tourism and Leisure

2018, Command of the Oceans
RICS Awards Highly Commended Conservation

2018, Command of the Oceans
Civic Trust Awards 2018 (Civic Trust), Winner

2017, Command of the Oceans
Wood Awards (Commercial and Leisure category), highly commended 

2017, Command of the Oceans
Shortlist - Best Public-Use Project with Public Funding (Blueprint)

2017, Command of the Oceans
SHORTLISTED RIBA Stirling Prize

2017, Command of the Oceans
RIBA National Award

2017, Medway Design and Regeneration Awards (Conservation Award)
Command of the Oceans

2017, Command of the Oceans
RIBA South East Building of the Year

2017, Command of the Oceans
RIBA South East Conservation Award

2017, Command of the Oceans
RIBA South East Regional Award

2016, Command of the Oceans
Kent Design and Development Awards (Conservation Award)

2016, Command of the Oceans
Civic Trust Awards (Regional Finalist)

2008, Ocean Village Car Park
Park Mark Safer Parking Award (The Association of Police Officers)
 in association with Tiger Stripe Architects

2008, Ocean Village Car Park
Best New Car Park (British Parking Awards)
 in association with Tiger Stripe Architects

2003, Rawstorne Place
RIBA Regional Award for Excellence

2002, Rawstorne Place
​Good Conservation Practice (London Borough of Islington)
SELECTED CLIENTS
 
Basepoint Developments Limited
 
Bennetts Associates
 
Cancer Research UK
 
Cambridge University Boat Clubs

​Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust
 
City of London School for Boys
 
Clifford Chance
 
Grosvenor
 
Manhattan Loft Corporation
 
Marina Developments Limited (MDL)
 
North Ealing School
 
National Trust
 
Severn Trent

Soho Estates

South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)

University of Kent

Private clients (confidential)
Picture
Picture
  • projects
  • practice
  • contact