Architectural practice Michaelis Boyd is highlighting growing challenges within the UK planning system that are hindering construction and innovation efforts. The firm, known for its blend of period home renovations and new builds featuring natural materials, has expressed frustration over increasingly slow and complex approval processes, which they say are exacerbated by rising material costs.
Founded by architects Tom Michaelis and James Boyd, Michaelis Boyd built a reputation for revitalising heritage properties with modern interventions such as sculptural staircases and bespoke amenities including pools and gyms. Their work on innovative projects like the Underground House incorporated sustainable features such as solar panels and heat pumps, though the significant use of concrete prompted the studio to reconsider its environmental impact, leading to a self-imposed moratorium on basement excavations despite losing commissions as a result.
The firm also established a strong presence in the hospitality sector, designing for the restaurant chain Byron and projects such as the Battersea development, while expanding into the US market with residential and commercial commissions. Collaborations with developers like Tishman Speyer have earned praise for detailed materiality and timeless, naturalistic designs that depart from the traditional preference for pristine surfaces to embrace imperfection and aging in stone and timber.
However, Michaelis Boyd now cites the UK’s planning environment as a critical obstacle. Government data indicates that approvals for extensions, conversions, and refurbishments in England dropped to a decade-low in 2025. Meanwhile, applications for new homes, particularly small developments, have hit their lowest point since 2012. Industry observers attribute the slowdown to a combination of higher taxes, increased costs, and expanding regulatory requirements that are rendering many projects financially unfeasible.
Tom Michaelis noted the difficulty of securing consent after a three-year attempt to redesign a Victorian property in London’s Maida Vale ended without approval. He lamented the loss of established relationships with experienced planning officers, pointing to staff turnover and budget cuts in local authorities as factors undermining continuity in the planning process. "We wonder why we build anything at all in London," he said.
By contrast, the US regulatory environment has been described as more favorable toward development. Michaelis Boyd’s early New York project at the Williamsburg Hotel exemplified this, with planners showing flexibility over design details as long as massing and fenestration ratios were maintained. Yet U.S. residential schemes often incorporate extensive amenities—such as spas and creative spaces—in a competitive market, sectors where Michaelis Boyd’s expertise blending residential and hospitality elements has proved advantageous.
The firm’s UK workforce has scaled back from a peak of 75 staff to a focused team of around 30, while the U.S. office includes 20 employees. Despite these fluctuations, the partners emphasize a hands-on approach, continuing to sketch designs by hand to maintain a fluid, organic process. Looking ahead, Michaelis Boyd plans to pursue smaller, experimental projects, including nonprofit initiatives like HITCH (Homelessness in the Community Housing)—a prefabricated timber shelter for people experiencing homelessness, intended for pilot testing in a west London churchyard.
Internationally, the practice is advancing low-carbon, site-sensitive design principles with projects in East Africa’s conservation areas. Their work for the Discover Collection, a private travel community, involves a stone-and-timber lodge on the edge of Amboseli National Park in Kenya, featuring green roofs planted with native species and views of Mount Kilimanjaro. The partners advocate for deeper integration of architecture and nature, envisioning future buildings reinforced by vegetation to create symbiotic urban environments.
Despite their forward-looking vision, Michaelis Boyd underscores that current British planning regulations still pose significant barriers, challenging architects seeking to balance innovative design, sustainability, and construction feasibility.