Our approach

With you and for you.
We look for solutions that work for people, communities and the environment. How we get there is by listening to you.

Chris Chelebi, Associate Director at Tooley Foster discussing requirements on site.

This personalised, one-to-one service is fundamental to our approach and has been the cornerstone of our customer’s experience for many years.

The first thing we do is put a Director or Associate Director on your project. They’ll be with you from start to finish, so you’ll always have access to objective, expert advice you can trust.

Getting to know you is part of the process. We’ll make ourselves experts in your particular needs so we’re always improving the way we work – with you and for you.

 

"I have never come across an Architect so dedicated to your requirements.”
Paul M Ashford, Project Director, Regency Homes Limited

Keith Everitt and Peter Ranken, both Directors at Tooley Foster.

As The Architect magazine put it, ‘Tooley Foster has a reputation for solid, high quality work. That is largely to do with the systematic way the Practice runs jobs’.

The maxim still applies today; our methodical approach and attention to detail is second to none and a crucial element in our success. All the unrecognised, sometimes boring bits of an architect’s work that are too often done too late or at the wrong time, have been incorporated into workflows we have been developing and improving over decades.

 

“Tooley Foster are a firm I have been pleased to know and work with for over fifteen years… there were two important criteria in this role – technical excellence and an empathy with the practising professional. I am very pleased to say that that they meet those criteria.”
Eamonn Malone, Devonshire Partnership

"It is clear everyone appreciates the work put in by Tooley Foster – I have been to many pre-app meetings attended by design officers and architects, and that one was particularly positive.."
Elizabeth Bloomfield, Associate Planner, Pegasus Planning

Awards & Accreditations

We have received numerous awards and recognitions, demonstrating our ability to design ‘Environments that work’ for both the public and private sectors, with creativity and an appreciation of our clients' needs.

  • Finalist, UK Passivhaus Award 2023 'Non Domestic category'
  • Winner, Pinders Healthcare Design Award 'Best Exterior Design' 2022
  • Finalist, Constructing Excellence National Awards 2021 'Sustainability and Offsite'
  • Winner, Constructing Excellence 2021 Yorkshire and Humber 'Offsite'
  • Winner, Sustainability Awards 2021 'Offsite'
  • Winner, Building Better Healthcare Awards 2021 'Best Carbon Reduction Initiative'
  • Winner, Healthcare Estates IHEEM 'Best New Build Project of the Year' 2021
  • Winner, CABE Built Environment Awards 'Sustainability' 2021
  • Winner, Constructing Excellence West Midlands 'Sustainability, Offsite, Value and Winner of Winners' 2021
  • Winner, Constructing Excellence East Midlands 'Offsite' 2021
  • Winner, LABC Best social or affordable new housing development 2020
  • Winner, Pinders Healthcare Design Awards ‘Best New Care Home’ 2019
  • Finalist, Pinders Healthcare Design Awards 2017.
  • Winner, Best Urban Category for the UK Passivhaus Awards 2016.
  • Carehome.co.uk 2016 Top 20 Care Home Awards.
  • Highly Commended, LABC Awards 2015, ‘Social Housing Development of the Year’
  • Regional Winner, Civic Trust Awards 2015.
  • International Corporate Social Responsibility Excellence Silver Award 2015.
  • Highly Commended, ‘Design through Innovation’ RICS National Awards 2014.
  • Finalist, ‘Project of the Year’, RICS National Awards 2014.
  • Winner, RICS East of England Awards 2014, ‘Design through Innovation’
  • Winner, RICS East of England Awards 2014, ‘Project of the Year’.
  • Finalist, RICS East of England Awards 2014, ‘Tourism & Leisure’.
  • Finalist, RICS East of England Awards 2014, ‘Community Benefit’.
  • Finalist, Sustainable Housing Awards 2014 & 2012, ‘Sustainable Social Housing Consultancy of the Year’.
  • International Corporate Social Responsibility Excellence Award 2014, for Sustainability.
  • Green Apple Awards for the Built Environment and Architectural Heritage 2017, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 & 2007.
  • Finalist, Pinders Healthcare Design Awards 2014, ‘Best Small Dementia Unit’.
  • Finalist, LABC Central Region Building Excellence Awards 2014, ‘Best Change of Use of an Existing Building or Conversion’ and ‘Best Social or Affordable new Housing Development’.
  • International Corporate Social Responsibility Excellence Award 2013, for Volunteering.
  • Winner, Sustain’ Awards 2013, ‘Development’.
  • Premier Guarantee Excellence Award 2013, Highly Commended for ‘Social Housing Development of the Year’.
  • Finalist, Pinders Healthcare Design Awards 2013, ‘Care Home Regeneration’.
  • EAC Housing for Older People Awards, ‘Housing with Care Under 30 Units’: Highly Commended 2013, Gold Award 2011.
  • Finalist, Timber in Construction Awards 2013, ‘Healthcare Project of the Year’.
  • Building Magazine Top 200 Consultants 2001 – 2013.
  • Winner, Sustainable Housing Awards 2012, 'Sustainable Larger Housing Project'.
  • Regional Finalist, Civic Trust Awards 2012.

Work with us

Whether you’re an up and coming architect or an established professional, any practice you go to work for has to take your career development seriously. Which is why we constantly invest in training and development for our people.

We are a medium-sized practice based in Buckhurst Hill, 25 mins from Liverpool St on the Central Line. Our success reflects our ability to keep at the forefront of change and provide a personalised service for our clients. For 130 years we have designed ‘Environments that work’, making a positive impact on the people and communities who use them. Tooley Foster offer a full range of architectural services for the care, residential, and health sectors, as well as private and public sector residential, commercial health projects throughout the UK.

Working in the office or remotely, you really do get the best of both worlds. Positioned on the edge of London and wrapped by Epping Forest on two sides, Buckhurst Hill has a country town feel. With its sloping high street full of independent shops, great places to eat and its decent sized Waitrose you do not feel like you are in London. But jump on the tube at Buckhurst Hill and in 15 mins you're in Stratford with national routes and international links to the rest of Europe.

We attract a diverse group of employees from all over London, Essex and beyond, all at different stages of their careers. Young graduates from inner London mix with colleagues who have chosen to make this part of outer London their home. This makes for a great mix of people and a very constructive and professional atmosphere. 

As a close-knit team, we’re very happy and more than a bit proud to work in an inclusive, supportive environment where everyone’s contribution is important. There is little of the politics that can occur in central London offices and working with us means you will get your evenings and weekends back. Unless schedules are particularly tight, we have enough resources to ensure set hours tend to be the ones people work; you can work flexibly around those core hours, and we can offer both home and office based working.

Enhancing our skills, training and development is valuable to us, so we have held Investors in People status since May 2005, achieving Silver Standard in 2017. We remain an accredited Investors in People organisation and are an Equal Opportunities Employer.

Always happy to talk with you about your next move.....

Corporate Social Responsibility

We are committed to our Corporate Social Responsibility, evidenced by our winning International CSR Excellence Awards in 2013, 2014 and 2017.

We offer a professional career in a supportive and friendly environment, where you will have the opportunity for personal development and training to support your career. We welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds, and see this diversity as one of key strengths of our organisation.

In 2021, we formally transitioned to an Employee Owned Trust where company shares are held collectively on behalf of the employees. This structure ensures everyone has a stake in the company, an influence on how it’s organised and a say in its future development. You can read more about our EOT here.


Vacancies

We are recruiting Architects, Architectural Assistants and Technologists with a passion for low energy design to work on a variety of Passivhaus and low energy buildings. If you have Passivhaus experience or wish to learn, we can offer a competitive package. Download our job descriptions below.

You will be working across all RIBA work stages, producing design concepts and energy assessments of buildings at RIBA Stages 2 or 3 and develop construction design and detailing information during RIBA Stage 4. This will include the use of BIM, CAD and energy modelling software.

What we offer:

  • The opportunity to embed low energy thinking with a practice looking to a low carbon future
  • The opportunity to join an Employee Ownership Trust.
  • Positive working culture and environment
  • Growth opportunities
  • On-the-job training
  • Flexible and remote working
  • Wellness programs

Download job description for Architect

Download job description for Technician

Download job description for Assistant Architect

To apply please send your CV to us here. 

Where we are

Tooley Foster
Warwick House
116 Palmerston Road
Buckhurst Hill

Essex
IG9 5LQ

+44 (0)20 8504 9711
hello@tooleyfoster.com

Buckhurst Hill is on the north-east border between London and Essex. The nearest Tube station is Buckhurst Hill (Central Line) which connects with Stratford and central London. The M11, A406 (north circular) and M25 are all in easy reach.

Tooley Foster is situated on the corner of Palmerston Road and High Road. The entrance is in Palmerston Road. Car parking is available for all visitors and staff.

Arriving by Tube
Take the Central line to Buckhurst Hill. On leaving the station turn right into Victoria Road and at the junction turn left into Palmerston Road. We are the last building on the left at the top of the hill (this is a 10 min uphill walk) You can also take the 549 bus from outside the station.