RMJM

History

RMJM was founded by Stirrat Johnson-Marshall and Robert Matthew in 1956. The partnership began following Robert Matthew’s decision to hire Johnson-Marshall to manage the new London office of his architecture practice, which had been set up to oversee the construction of New Zealand House in Haymarket Road, London, described as "London's most distinguished 1960s office block".

In 1961 the firm took Tom Spaven, Kenneth Graham, Vernon Lee, John Richards, Chris Carter and Alan Whiteman into partnership. As a result, the practice changed its name to RMJM & Partners. The change in name also marked a shift towards larger international projects; by 1967 the practice employed 350 members of staff between the Edinburgh and London offices.

RMJM began to take on more projects as the need for public sector construction grew, expanding to include a Glasgow studio before extending its reach beyond the British borders. In the late 1960s the firm began working on projects in the United States; further projects in the Middle East and central Asia allowed RMJM to establish several more international studios in the following decades.

Over the next twenty years RMJM continued to expand, and the firm’s modernist, functional style became a trademark. As RMJM moved further into the emerging markets of the Middle East, East Asia and Africa, it began to establish more offices within the respective countries. Today RMJM Limited now has studios in twenty-five countries.

Pakistan

In 1960 RMJM were selected by the Pakistani Government to assist in the regeneration of the nation’s capital, Islamabad. The team tasked with the original project were invited to collaborate again in 2011 by the Pakistani Defence Housing Authority. This time, the project involved the design and construction of a new sustainable city just outside Karachi, which began construction in 2012. The collaboration, which also included Osmani, one of Pakistan’s oldest architecture firms, led to the two firms establishing a working relationship that would lead to the formation of RMJM Osmani in 2014.

Saudi Arabia

RMJM began to work in Saudi Arabia in 1968 following an invitation to design the first plans for the Western region of Saudi Arabia, with master plans for the Holy cities of Mecca and Medina as well as the commercial capital Jeddah. The project included detailed plans for the process of implementing and maintaining the broad area, along with architectural commissions for housing and institutional buildings. The project was hindered by a lack of cartographically correct maps and a language barrier, but following the formation of an interdisciplinary office in Jeddah, the project was completed on time. Today RMJM Saudi Arabia has its headquarters based in Riyadh, but continues to work on projects around the Kingdom, including the Terraces and The Waterfall, two high end mixed use projects located in the King Abdullah Financial District.

The UAE

RMJM established their United Arab Emirates office in Dubai in early 1971, with the firm poised to take on several projects around the UAE following its formation in July of that year. RMJM was the first registered international consultant to be employed by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai. Over the next four decades RMJM's Dubai studio participated in several UAE projects, including the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC), the Dubai International Convention Centre (DICC) The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and the World’s furthest leaning building, Capital Gate in Abu Dhabi. Today RMJM are still involved with several projects currently underway in the UAE, including Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi and Palm Island in Dubai.

RMJM in Asia

RMJM’s first steps into the East Asian market came in the form of designing the United World College for Southeast Asia, which was officially opened in Singapore in 1971, becoming a full member of the United World College Organisation in 1975. This was followed by a request to design the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok. Since first moving into the Asian market over forty years ago, RMJM have been involved in over 150 projects across the East Asian continent. RMJM have been responsible for the design, development and or construction of over 50 buildings in China, with several projects currently under design or construction. In 2008, RMJM was asked to design one of the landmark buildings for the Beijing Olympic Games The China National Convention Centre, a multi-purpose arena, is now a tourist destination following its role as one of the principal venues for the Beijing Olympic Games. Today, RMJM have studios in Shenzhen, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

RMJM in Europe

Since its foundation in 1956, RMJM has expanded to work on projects across Europe, including the Gazprom Business centre in St Petersburg, Russia and the New Engineering Building for the International University of Galway in Ireland. In 2009, RMJM’s Istanbul Office, working with RMJM’s New-York based design team, announced the commencement of a Mixed Use Development Project in Atasehir, Istanbul. The first phase of the project was completed in late 2011 and was developed in partnership with Turkish real estate development company Varyap. It was Turkey’s first LEED-certified mixed use development. One studio in Zurich, Switzerland, and another in Belgrade, Serbia, joined RMJM in 2015.

In December 2011, RMJM acquired YRM, the Nuclear and Energy Specialists, allowing the company to venture into more technologically intensive industries such as environmental engineering. In 2014 RMJM partnered with renowned designers Simone Cellitti and Roberto Tripi, partners of Pentastudio, to create RMJM Italia. In February 2015, RMJM Italia submitted a proposal for the International Design Competition for the City of the Science in Rome in collaboration with RMJM Shenzhen and Japanese architect Waro Kishi.

RMJM in Africa

RMJM’s presence in Africa dates back to 1960 when the group secured their first project for the Government of Nigeria, establishing government standards for school and university buildings. The project resulted in the construction of over 100 schools.

In 2015 RMJM Symbion was established after the African-based international architecture and engineering firm Symbion joined RMJM. Today RMJM has studios located in Pretoria, South Africa; Juba, South Sudan; Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Kampala, Uganda and Gaborone, Botswana.

North America

RMJM established its North American branch following the purchase of Hillier Architecture in June 2007. The purchased firm originally went under the title RMJM Hillier, but was later changed to RMJM North America. With its chief headquarters in New York, RMJM North America has successfully negotiated several high-profile contracts, including work in Turkey, Dubai, China and Libya. After HKA Architecture joined RMJM in 2014, the firm established an office in Los Angeles, leading to the development of new sustainable building designs, including the Torrance Memorial Medical Centre Complex.

Central America

RMJM currently has one studio based in Monterrey, Mexico. RMJM's Mexican studio was founded in association with the architecture and design firm CEARC in September 2014.

South America

RMJM established their first studio in South America in 2014, although a meeting between co-founder Sir Robert Matthew and then Cuban political leader Fidel Castro in 1963 marked the first venture into the region. One Argentinian architecture and design studio joined RMJM in 2014; Cordoba. A resulting design for the Library and Laboratory for the Balseiro Institute, located in Barlioche was awarded the third prize, with the judges praising “Its functional and constructive correction.” Two brazilian studios, one in Curitiba and another in São Paulo, joined RMJM in 2015.

RMJM Initiatives

RMJM has been involved in a number of initiatives aimed at addressing issues within architecture. These include the Architecture for Everyone minority scheme, which aimed to provide opportunities to talented ethnic minorities looking to establish a career in architecture. The scheme was initiated in partnership with the Stephen Lawrence Trust, named after the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, who intended to study architecture at university. Other initiatives include a £1m investment to encourage young graffiti artists to pursue a career in architecture, also part of the Architecture for Everyone enterprise.