Oran Architecture launches in Glasgow with growing UK-wide portfolio

Founded in 2025, the RIBA Chartered Practice positions its work around “People, Place and Purpose”, combining design ambition with technical rigour and commercially grounded delivery.

The studio has already assembled a portfolio spanning retrofit, new‑build, refurbishment and masterplanning, with live commissions in sectors including hospitality, residential and mixed‑use development. Current projects range from urban regeneration work and landscape‑led masterplans to schemes in both dense city settings and sensitive rural contexts.

Oran Architecture describes its approach as rooted in context-led design, balancing creative thinking with a pragmatic understanding of delivery, planning and long‑term value. The team emphasises a strong interest in projects that respond closely to place — whether complex town‑centre sites or rural landscapes shaped by heritage and topography.

Director Kev Langan told SCN: “Oran has grown from working relationships and a shared design approach developed over nearly 20 years together. Across the team, we bring a broad mix of skills, from concept design, sketching, modelling and urban analysis through to masterplanning, technical delivery and complex project coordination.

“Collectively, we’ve worked across almost every sector and scale of project, which gives us the ability to approach very different challenges with the same creativity, clarity and understanding.

“What’s exciting about Oran is that while we’re a young studio, we bring the experience and capability of a much larger practice, combined with the energy, focus and agility of a close-knit team.”

Based in Glasgow, the practice brings together extensive experience in concept design, masterplanning, refurbishment and technical delivery, with projects progressing across Scotland and the wider UK.

Over the past year, the directors have focused on establishing the practice’s ethos, developing a varied portfolio and building a collaborative, design‑led studio culture. With momentum growing, Oran Architecture is now expanding its team and preparing to move into a new city‑centre studio later this summer.

The practice describes the formal launch as “an important milestone” marking the transition from foundation-building to a period of growth and opportunity.

Director Jen Samuel added: “Over the past year, we’ve been quietly building something new. What started as an idea has grown into Oran Architecture, a practice shaped by collaboration, thoughtful design, and a shared ambition to create meaningful places and projects.

“It’s been an incredibly positive first year, and I’m hugely grateful to everyone who’s supported us along the way, our colleagues, clients, collaborators and friends. We’re excited for what comes next.”

For fellow director David Llewellyn, Oran is built around “good people, strong relationships, and people-focused architecture”.

Team Oran comprises directors Jen Samuel, Barry Paton, Kev Langan and David Llewellyn, technical director Gordon Anderson, associate Pei Lee, and architectural technologist Sean McCluskey.