Native Architects, York

Posted: 23 December 2025

As we leap into 2026 we’ve reflected on a largely wonderful year of work, presentations, and celebrations in 2025! We are appreciative that our work is widely regarded, worthwhile and kind to the planet due to the commitment of our clients and organisations we support, including the new school of Architecture at York University, to minimise the impact of their building projects on our vulnerable planet.

So, we start this wrap delighted that after a 6 year wait Whitby Gin distillery is well underway on site – well done to our clients for their determination and grit to find a great contractor for this project. Notable completions include the Grade I Listed Whitby Abbey Visitor Centre, York Design Award winning St Andrew Place, a highly sustainable retrofit, the beautiful Fenton House Grade 2* Listed Building refurbishment with its celebrity feature in tv programme ‘Patience’ and Phase 1 of Yorspace’s Lowfield Green York’s first Co-Housing development, closely followed by a Grade II* Listed Building refurbishment, for a York bookshop and High Petergate’s Guy Fawkes Hotel Grade 1 Listed almost there. Cygnet House, Listed Grade II, in the shadow of Selby Abbey was completed after a 10 year wait by Together Housing!!

Projects that we received planning for with a hopeful start next year include 15 Silver Street in Masham for Peacock and Verity Community Spaces – you may have seen this one on Channel 4 programme “Our Yorkshire Shop” – seeking support from NLHF, and more local to us the York Environment Centre new wing was signed off ironically by the Environment Agency as having no impact on local flood risk, and other new challenges include St Phillip’s Church in Hull a fulfilling commission to undertake.

Congratulations go to the newly CIAT Chartered Architectural Technologist, the RIBA recognition of a Californian team member’s The American Institute of Architect status and 2 level 7 Apprentices working extremely hard. Two Architect members of the team gained Retrofit qualifications in association with York College this year and we were pleased to exhibit at both Edinburgh and Harrogate Home Building and Renovation shows. Throughout the year we were a part of the Retrofit One Stop Shop York, ROSSY, that culminated in Retrofit Futures day event at the Guildhall York. In the summer we joined the Sustainable Community’s Yorkshire Sustainability Festival and held a hands on fringe event in casting hempcrete – messy but insightful for the uninitiated ! The year events ended with Director Sally attending the Building Green exhibition in Copenhagen to represent the RIBA at a GB Trade Mission with the Circular Economy a key message for achieving broader sustainability – our core ethos.

This has been a most rewarding year thanks to our clients, our hard-working team, and all our collaborators.
Warm wishes for a fabulous Christmas and groundbreaking New Year.