The origins of Broadway Malyan may seem reasonably unremarkable.
A partnership between two architects at opposite ends of their careers, brought together by an advert in the Architect’s Journal. The last 60 years however have been anything but.
When John Malyan answered Cyril Broadway’s entreaty for a keen young draughtsman in 1958, neither could have imagined that from that tiny acorn, an architectural oak would grow that today employs almost 500 people across a global network of studios.
Indeed for the first quarter century of its existence, Broadway & Malyan (as it was until 1980) was a small local practice with just two studios, in Weybridge and Reading, a handful of partners, around 50 staff and a family ethos.
But what it lacked in critical mass, it made up for in talent and innovation, building a reputation for award-winning and socially responsible residential projects that would see John Malyan made an MBE in 1980 for his services to architecture.
It was during the Thatcher years of the 1980s and the widespread deregulation of industry that the architectural sector became increasingly commercialised, sparking a period of growth at Broadway Malyan that would continue for the next quarter of a century.
After opening a third UK studio in London in 1988, the practice began to broaden its horizons and within a decade it had opened its first international studio in the Portuguese capital Lisbon after winning a commission to design a business park in the city.
From there the practice opened further studios in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and by 2008 the practice was 500 strong and ranked the 25th largest in the world. The core footprint for the practice had been established and it still underpins Broadway Malyan to this day.
Broadway Malyan’s history in sketches:
Signed partnership agreement - Cyril Broadway & John Malyan
First design award - 88 Oatlands Drive, Weybridge
MBE - John Malyan is awarded an MBE for services to architecture
Reached 100 staff
First London studio - Soho Square, London
First international project - Sintra Business Park in Portugal
First international studio - Lisbon, Portugal
Planning approved for masterplan - BP International Centre for Business and Technology
First major Chinese project - Zhengzhou masterplan
First major Middle East project - Al Bandar, UAE
Wins RIBA Award - Mann Island, Liverpool
London’s tallest residential tower - The Tower, One St George Wharf London
Becomes an Employee Ownership Trust
During that period Broadway Malyan’s skill base and expertise has expanded to include most sectors as well as a rapidly growing masterplanning and urban design team while delivering literally thousands of projects, ranging from a modernist house for the Formula 1 world champion Denny Hulme through to a strategic development plan for the Angolan capital Luanda – and everything in between.
However, throughout the evolution of the practice, through the inevitable peaks and troughs of the property sector, Broadway Malyan has maintained its essential culture of togetherness, a culture that understands that it is the sum of our parts that is our strength and a key reason so many clients bring their repeat business to the practice.
In 2016 Broadway Malyan became an Employee Owned Trust, passing the majority ownership of the practice to all our colleagues and ushering in a new era for the practice, which I have no doubt will be just as remarkable as the last 60 years.
For a full timeline of Broadway Malyan’s history click here.
Stuart Rough, Group Chairman, Broadway Malyan