History of the Practice

Our practice has provided architectural services for over a century. In 1909 George Watt established his own architectural practice at 267 Union Street, having previously been a partner at Cameron & Watt. Alex Stewart joined the practice as an apprentice in 1919, and on his becoming a partner in 1936, the current practice name was formed.

Until the present day, there have been only 10 partners in total. Lucy MacKenzie and Gavin MacCallum are the 9th and 10th partners respectively. Both joined the practice during the 1990’s when recently retired partners Bill Michie and Iain Dickson were in charge. It was during this period that the firm established its present format and character.

GWS Architects are proud of its client relationships with many long established Aberdeen institutions and organisations since the early twentieth century. We currently still provide professional services to several of these clients on their contemporary projects.

GWS Architects have undertaken work throughout the UK , from Stornoway in the 1960s to London in the 2000s, but always with an emphasis on work in Aberdeen and the North East.

The practice has been researched by retired partner Bill Michie who is currently documenting the history of the firm.