Kim Neville speaks to practice co-founder Chris Pollard to uncover how the privately-owned firm, turning 30 this year, specialises in large-scale infrastructure projects with the differentiator of putting ‘humanising architecture’ at the forefront.
Fereday Pollard was established in 1995 by Chris Pollard and Ben Fereday, although the latter departed the firm in 2008. Today, the London-based studio comprises around 30 architects (including landscape architects), led by four key directors: Jan Kroes, Clare Donnelly, Chris McCarthy, and Jennifer Dixon. Chris Pollard emphasises that the firm’s continued success stems in part from its status as a privately owned, independent practice, which has enabled it to remain agile and adaptable.
Although initially working across a range of sectors, Fereday Pollard gradually built what are now deep-rooted relationships within the transport and infrastructure industry. The firm now specialises in design and delivery within this specialised sphere, as Pollard explains; “We aim to fill a distinct gap in the market by providing well-designed, humanised architectural and landscape solutions created by designers who understand and enjoy the dynamics, culture, and governance of civil engineering-led projects.”
The team identified what Pollard describes as a “missing link” in the way such projects were traditionally perceived, funded, and designed. While high-quality design had long been present in the sector, it often went unnoticed, overshadowed by more ‘iconic,’ big-budget developments. The desire to elevate the visibility and impact of thoughtful, people-focused design across all scales of infrastructure became a central driver for the practice’s evolution.
Pollard explains that the biggest challenge became how the company could support and complement the engineers and contractors already working in and leading much of the output in transport and infrastructure, to deliver good architectural design.
Practice organisation
Pollard reflects that over the decades that the practice has been in operation, they’ve been part of a ‘step change’ that has seen local government bodies rising to the challenge of integrating nationally driven and funded infrastructure projects into local areas. The firm believes that enhancing both the built environment and people’s everyday experiences in such projects is only achieved through close collaboration with clients and project teams, ensuring “practical and impactful” outcomes.
Pollard says their “typical” practice set up of more senior staff than junior enables the directors to be “deeply involved” in projects. He adds that this ensures “clients get the expert service that their projects require in highly regulated sectors, where design compliance and assurance are part of the DNA.”
Infrastructure projects, by their nature, are long-term undertakings. Pollard says that sustaining the passion for each project is achieved by encouraging designers to work on a mix of major and smaller projects simultaneously. He explains that this gives staff “regular, whole-life project experience and allows them to engage with complex operational constraints and tackle knotty design problems.”
Design ethos & approach
Pollard asserts that the practice, which operates an Access for All inclusive staffing policy, also has a strong “humanising” design ethos. “The common denominator in much of our work,” he explains, “is how vast transport and infrastructure programmes impact the individual and their environment, and how thoughtful, human-focused design can mitigate this impact. Placemaking is key to this, as is focused stakeholder engagement.”
Fereday Pollard doesn’t conform to a signature design model however; Pollard explains that the practice acts as ‘design champion’ in projects, seeking to create a ‘golden thread’ of quality which means maintaining the integrity of the original vision. “Without a design champion, the ambition and impact of infrastructure projects can be diminished by well-intentioned changes,” says Pollard. He says this potentially endangers already-included design features that matter to communities.
Toward the goal of upholding design excellence in major infrastructure schemes, he says that integrating key design principles at the earliest project stages via collaboration is vital. Fereday Pollard has successfully applied this on three major programmes, Silvertown and Thames Tideway Tunnels, and the Lower Thames Crossing, working closely with civil engineers in each case. The practice reports that infrastructure client teams are increasingly seeing this early integration as essential for projects to progress without opposition, and not just as a ‘nice to have.’
Sustainability aims are generally embedded in the practice’s projects, such as reducing road traffic or improving river water quality. Functioning as a small part of large multidisciplinary teams, Fereday Pollard aims to contribute to projects’ overall sustainability strategy collaboratively.
Nonetheless, the firm plays a key role in shaping sustainability outcomes, influencing significant elements such as reusing excavations from new reservoirs to create landscape features, or carefully specifying hard landscaping materials. For example, the firm pioneered the use of timber structures over operational railway lines at the RIBA award-winning Abbey Wood station, which is now being adopted in the design of new stations at Cambridge South and Beaulieu Park, both due for completion later this year.
Pollard acknowledges that the company tends to perform a different role from a typical architectural practice, as in infrastructure projects, the Lead Designer role is usually held by civil engineers. This dynamic has required the firm to flex in order to master the art of collaboration; “creating impact through advocacy and influence, and above all, being great team members who understand when to lead and when to follow,” says Pollard.
A crucial element of the technical service Fereday Pollard provides is the creation of “Design Principles’ which underpin DCO (Design Consent Orders) in projects, and which inform the subsequent Design & Build contractors and their design teams. Pollard says that having supported five DCOs to date, including the recently approved Lower Thames Crossing, makes the practice “unique in the profession.”
The Bradford City Centre Transport and Public Realm Project, undertaken between 2020 and 2024, is a key demonstration of the firm’s human-centric design philosophy in infrastructure projects. Appointed to lead the feasibility and concept design stages, the team “reimagined key streets and connections” between the train station and a retail area, placing emphasis on low-carbon travel, accessibility, and high-quality public space. The scheme introduced pedestrian- and cycle-friendly streets, simplified junctions, and autonomous ‘pods,’ all integrated within an enhanced public realm.
The project transformation of Bradford Interchange through an ambitious public art programme was delivered in 2023-2024. Spanning over 1,500 m², the murals and wayfinding installations create a vibrant new gateway to the city, aligning with Bradford’s UK City of Culture role in 2025. The project is a standout
example of Fereday Pollard’s ethos of “fusing infrastructure, landscape, and cultural identity to achieve sustainable and inclusive urban regeneration.”
In general, the firm is studio-based, but a flexible working model also enables staff to work from home. A more complex challenge is posed by the need for team members to co-locate with clients and project partners, often away from the office for part or all of the week. This requires staff to make a “conscious effort to sustain the practice’s culture, identity, and shared ways of working across dispersed teams.”
The practice’s 30th birthday coincides with the completion of several landmark projects. Among these is the delivery of surface sites for the Thames Tideway Tunnel, and the RIBA award for Abbey Wood Station on the Elizabeth Line. Both achievements reflect nearly two decades of dedicated involvement and exemplify the firm’s long-term commitment to “transformative infrastructure.”
Future Fereday Pollard growth
Pollard is hopeful looking forward, boosted by the current momentum in the infrastructure sector. “There is huge public and political interest in infrastructure, so our sector is buoyant.” However, he acknowledges ongoing challenges, particularly around “increasing the visibility of what we do,” to promote the importance of architecture in infrastructure.
To support new infrastructure client teams, the firm is currently developing a publication designed to be a practical tool outlining how architects and designers can contribute in the early stages of a project to help “ensure long-term programme success.”
As with many practices, attracting top talent remains a challenge. However, again Pollard is optimistic, based on past experience: “Those who do join soon start to appreciate the professional fulfilment and sheer excitement of working in infrastructure.”
Pollard sees the next phase of the practice as including exporting its expertise in rail, highways, water, and power and energy to other sectors including small modular reactors, data centres, flood defence projects, and airside aviation. He concludes: “We aim to bring best practice from our core sectors into other highly regulated environments where assets directly impact communities.”