Stephen Witherford, Christopher Watson and William Mann studied together at the University of Cambridge. We started collaborating in 1997, with weekly walks through London's former and current periphery, and on our winning Europan 5 competition entry. We established Witherford Watson Mann Architects Ltd in 2001 after winning Europan 6. These early projects cemented our approach, based on careful observation, recognising the often surprising relation of city and landscape, and the mutual dependence of public buildings, collective space and everyday activities. The practice now has a staff of ten.