Andrew Waugh is a founding director of Waugh Thistleton Architects, a London-based practice internationally recognised for its leadership in low-carbon architecture and engineered timber construction.
Established in 1997, the practice has played a pivotal role in the development of modern mass-timber building in the UK and internationally, delivering influential housing, workplace, cultural, and research projects that combine architectural quality with environmental responsibility. Andrew is widely regarded as a leading voice in the transition towards renewable, bio-based materials in the built environment, and is an active contributor to international debate on climate, construction, and architectural practice.
Alongside his professional work, Andrew has maintained a long-standing commitment to architectural education and research. He has taught and lectured extensively across the UK, Europe, and the United States, including appointments as Visiting Professor at the University of Sheffield and the Fay Jones School of Architecture in Arkansas. His teaching and public lectures focus on the future of architecture, environmental impact of construction, the cultural and technical potential of timber, and the role of architects in responding to the climate emergency through materially informed design.
Waugh’s work has been shaped by an early and sustained engagement with questions of environmental responsibility, constructional logic, and the social consequences of architectural decisions. These concerns have become central to the ethos of Waugh Thistleton Architects, whose work is characterised by structural clarity, material honesty, and a research-led approach to sustainability. The practice’s pioneering use of cross-laminated timber has helped shift industry attitudes toward low-carbon construction, most notably through projects such as Murray Grove, widely recognised as a pioneering landmark in contemporary timber architecture.
His contribution to the profession has been recognised through numerous awards and honours, including the RIBA President’s Award for Research, a Stirling Prize nomination in 2018, and the AJ Practice of the Year in 2023. In parallel, Waugh is active in advocacy and policy-focused initiatives addressing climate change and the built environment, and regularly contributes to conferences, professional forums, and advisory discussions internationally.
Through both practice and education, Andrew Waugh continues to advance an architecture grounded in environmental responsibility, technical rigour, and long-term social value, positioning design as a critical tool in addressing the environmental and cultural challenges of contemporary urban development.
Andrew is a speaker at our Conference, Building Resilience: Demonstrators for a Changing Climate, in June 2026.
Andrew spoke at our Symposium, Questions of Scale: Economy and Ecology, at the Design Museum in February 2022.
