Culture & Careers

We do everything we can to make AWW an inspiring, rewarding and enjoyable place to work. Looking after our people – and attracting talented, creative people to our teams – is something we take very seriously.

We have always prided ourselves on working as a collective, and in 2023 we transitioned to operating as an Employee Owned Trust (EOT). In becoming an EOT we can further encourage innovation, participation, collaboration, responsibility and business development from every one of us.

As an EOT we are all beneficiaries of any profit, which is distributed equitably amongst us.

An excellent pension scheme, healthcare plan, cumulative holiday allowance and travel loans are just the start of the benefits we offer.

Making sure our people feel valued goes far deeper than this.

We will support you throughout your career with additional study leave and payment support programmes, enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption leave. If you’re looking for flexibility; talk to us, we’re open to alternative working patterns.

We strive to be socially inclusive as a practice and ensure we continuously champion, mentor, encourage one another and promote wellbeing.

We all continue to learn and grow, developing our careers. Study support, mentoring and structured career-development plans are all a part of this. We want you to be thinking about the next step, not standing still.

Professional memberships, of the RIBA and other professional associations, keep us connected with our peers and up to date on developments within our industry.

We encourage everyone to stay active, with a cycle-to-work scheme, football competitions, golf days and running events. We offer ‘wellbeing vouchers’ to encourage you to prioritise your own mental and physical health.

An independent wellbeing consultant visits us regularly, checking in with us and offering health and wellbeing support. It’s important to know that there’s someone for us to talk to.

Each morning there is a fresh fruit basket available to everyone in support of their “5 a day” and a kitchen packed full of locally sourced supplies, including milk and coffee beans.

We organise social events to keep us connected across the practice. Bi-annually we go on an overseas study trip. During our time away we have the opportunity to embrace the collaborative and collective spirit that defines our AWW culture. The trip provides a unique and enriching experience against a relaxing and sociable backdrop. With a carefully curated itinerary, our aim is to broaden horizons, facilitate knowledge exchange, and create unforgettable memories! Thanks to our sociality despite being across multiple sites and disciplines we see ourselves as one team.

We continue on a journey of self-evaluation and review; setting ourselves targets and holding ourselves accountable to achieving them. In doing so we have celebrated the way in which we govern ourselves, as a business, and how we look after our employees. As a result we are the first architectural practice to have succeeded in achieving both Social Value Business Bronze and Silver Award.

This year we have renewed our commitment to the local community in sharing our knowledge and expertise for the benefit of the next generation. Several organisations and charities have benefited from the enthusiasm of our employees to invest their time in supporting them.

By offering a comprehensive work experience programme to students who may not otherwise have access to a career in the built environment, enabling them to sample life as an architect or interior designer, sharing what it feels like to be immersed in a creative environment and work as part of a team, we learn as much from them as they do from us.