Create Architecture has seen a big increase in work on its own doorstep and now has designs on building the Tees Valley’ s future
FEATURE
Team – Create Architecture associate Matthew Nevitt, managing director Craig Kipling, associate Lee Robson and director Andy Arthur.
HOME DRAW
Create Architecture has seen a big increase in work on its own doorstep and now has designs on building the Tees Valley’ s future
WORDS: PAUL FRASER PICTURES: CHRIS BOOTH
Fourteen years can feel like a lifetime. For Create Architecture, those years represent a journey from being a modest start-up in Newton Aycliffe to a powerhouse of design now based on Teesside, with a focus on full AI data centre facilities.
At Map House, on the Preston Farm Industrial Estate, Create Architecture is an example of what can be achieved when local expertise meets global ambition, proving that the talent required to reshape our skyline is already right here in the Tees Valley.
Managing director Craig Kipling has steered the ship through more than a decade of evolution, but if you ask him about the secret to the firm’ s success, he won’ t look towards a drawing board or a specific prestigious contract. Instead, he points to the people sitting around him.
“ The business is much more than me because the team is more important than me,” said Craig, setting the tone for a company culture that prizes collective talent and regional loyalty over individual accolades.
Create Architecture is celebrating 14 years of operation, with 12 of those as a limited company.
While the firm has always had its finger on the pulse of the North-East, the last few years have seen a“ strategic homecoming” in terms of project focus.
After a relaunch two and a half years ago, the firm has seen an explosion in growth, winning more work, predominantly in its own backyard.
While Create Architecture still operates across the country, the company has chased more North-East work because of the sheer volume of opportunity now appearing in the Tees Valley.
This shift is driven by a desire to see the region’ s own professionals given the chance to lead its transformation.
Craig said:“ I want the Tees Valley to recognise the quality of the professional consultants they have on the doorstep.“ There is still a lot of architectural work in Tees Valley done by consultants outside of the area. I’ d like to see the consultants within the Tees Valley get the same opportunities as others.
“ There are some great consultancy firms beyond Create, and we need to recognise that and work together to help each other.”
The journey from domestic projects to large-scale infrastructure has been steady
96 | Tees Business