People · Podcast guest
Alex Nikjoo
Director · NIKJOO
Architect and founder of NIKJOO, a London architecture and interiors practice.
- Current role
- Director
- Practice
- NIKJOO
- Location
- Greater London
- On the podcast
- 1 episode · 2023
The story so far
The path behind Alex's work.
Alex Nikjoo is an architect and the founder of NIKJOO, a London-based architecture and interiors practice he established in 2017. He has lived and worked in London for over a decade, with earlier experience in New York and Beirut, and worked in boutique London studios on residential projects before setting up on his own.
His first independent project, the conversion of a disused chapel in Deptford into an artist's home, studio and gallery, launched the practice and was picked up by Dezeen, the Architects' Journal and the national press. Since then he has led infill and new-build housing on small urban sites, private homes, a new-build farmhouse in the Oxfordshire green belt, and cultural projects including the Peckham Palais venue. He approaches each site as a unique plot, with a strong focus on sustainability, craftsmanship and buildings designed to endure.
Episode 0182 · Architecture Social · 44:40
Infill, Inspire, Innovate: Exploring Non-Traditional Architecture With Alex Nikjoo
Non-traditional architecture often starts with awkward sites, overlooked opportunities and practical problems that need a sharper commercial and design response.
Inside the conversation
6 moments to start with- 01
00:00 · Introduction to non-traditional architecture
- 02
05:00 · Sustainable upgrades and improving existing buildings
- 03
10:00 · Infill sites, brownfield land and overlooked opportunities
- 04
15:00 · Construction payments and making projects more transparent
- 05
20:00 · Builder payments, disputes and practical industry problems
- 06
25:00 · AI, design risk and what not to panic about yet
Profile in brief
The work and context behind Alex's conversation.
- Current role
- Director
- Practice
- NIKJOO
- Location
- Greater London
Continue exploring
Meet the practice behind the work.
NIKJOO is a London architecture and interiors practice creating adaptable, sustainable and characterful spaces, from private homes to retrofit.
- Greater London
- Residential
- Mixed-Use
- Residential (Private Homes)
Podcast · moments that play
Start where the idea starts.
- 05:00Alex Nikjoo · YouTubePlay this moment on video ↗Play on video ↗
Sustainable upgrades and improving existing buildings
- 10:00Alex Nikjoo · YouTubePlay this moment on video ↗Play on video ↗
Infill sites, brownfield land and overlooked opportunities
- 15:00Alex Nikjoo · YouTubePlay this moment on video ↗Play on video ↗
Construction payments and making projects more transparent
- 20:00Alex Nikjoo · YouTubePlay this moment on video ↗Play on video ↗
Builder payments, disputes and practical industry problems
- 25:00Alex Nikjoo · YouTubePlay this moment on video ↗Play on video ↗
AI, design risk and what not to panic about yet
- 30:00Alex Nikjoo · YouTubePlay this moment on video ↗Play on video ↗
Developers, contractors and understanding different roles
Selected work from NIKJOO
Three projects, one connected practice.
A closer look at the practice’s work
Watsons' Street
A neglected Victorian chapel restored and repurposed as a contemporary home, artist's studio and gallery.
View project →Lode
A low-energy three-bedroom townhouse unlocking a former delivery yard and parking space on a constrained North London backland site.
View project →Peckham Palais
The former Jones and Higgins department store repositioned as a mixed cultural and nightlife destination in Peckham.
View project →