Empowering Communities, Enriching Lives
At JK A Purpose Projects, we strive to build community through design. Our projects, ranging from High Road Leyton to the Kings Cross Skip Garden and Blue House Yard, have established a social and physical legacy. We achieve this by embracing an open, interactive design process that responds positively to the needs and aspirations of the people we work with.
Our approach is characterised by a commitment to collaboration, sustainability, and community engagement. We believe that an integrated approach is necessary for any place to reach its full potential. This conviction has led us to work across sectors, including regeneration, housing, economic development, education, public space, and planning. In each of these fields, our projects are united by their public purpose.
For us, sustainability is more than just a technological challenge. By engaging a broad community in frank and open conversation from the outset of a project, we can work to ensure that our proposals are needed, useful, and proportionate. Throughout design, procurement, and delivery, we look for opportunities to re-activate existing spaces, use reclaimed or surplus materials, and tap into local supply networks.
Looking ahead, we are researching how the spaces we design and the strategies we develop can accommodate change, through flexible design strategies to demountable construction techniques. Sustainability must be a shared pursuit, and we hope to inspire others through our work. Our approach has been recognised by numerous national and international design awards.
Our Directors
We are proud to have a team of experienced and passionate directors who lead by example. Our directors are:
Jan Kattein, our founder, who set up the studio in 2004 with an ambition to embrace design as an open and collaborative process. Jan is a renowned architect, designer, and researcher who has led numerous award-winning projects.
Chrysanthe Staikopoulou, our Director of Partnerships and Finance, is an architect with a Master's degree from the Bartlett and the Royal College of Art. She has worked on a variety of strategic public space and regeneration projects and is responsible for building and maintaining our partnerships.
Gabriel Warshafsky, our Director of Projects, is a highly capable designer with over 8 years of experience leading innovative regeneration projects. He has led high street regeneration programmes, community-led design initiatives, and realisations of affordable workspaces.
Gareth Marriott, our Director of Design, promotes ambition, sensitivity, and delight in design across all of our work. He combines his love of craft with a lively, inventive approach to urbanism in his delivery of complex regeneration projects.
Our Services
At JK A Purpose Projects, we offer a range of services that cater to the diverse needs of our clients. Our services include:
- Regeneration projects that transform high streets, town centres, and public spaces
- Design and planning guidance for urban development and regeneration initiatives
- Community engagement and participation strategies
- Sustainable design and construction approaches
- Public consultation and feedback mechanisms
- Masterplanning and urban design solutions
Our Awards and Recognition
Our approach has been recognised by numerous national and international design awards. We are proud to have received recognition for our work, including awards from the UK's most prestigious architectural associations and international design competitions.
We believe that an integrated approach is necessary for any place to reach its full potential. This conviction has led us to work across sectors, including regeneration, housing, economic development, education, public space, and planning. Our approach has been recognised by numerous national and international design awards.
