McMu

01/02/2026

We spoke to .interiors giving a little bit of our opinion about the value of play (and playfulness) in the public realm and the design of better buildings.

It does seem that this theme is getting lots of coverage at the moment, which we think is great - we're extremely grateful that we've been able to be involved in so many joyful projects in the last few years! Having said that, we are most excited to explore transferring the learning from the small-ish playful work into larger experiments and imaginative ideas for larger interiors, building retrofits, and whole new works of architecture!!

25/11/2025

"The Architecture of Play" - So awesome to have a big feature in the new issue of Playground Magazine, which is available now - from !

In an interview with we talk about our work designing playscapes, but also about the role of playful experimentation in design and architecture at all scales.... name dropping a few collaborators such as along the way :)

The great photos are by !

18/04/2025

Our work is featured in 'Playtime' the latest edition of !

We had the opportunity to speak to editor Floor Kuitert about several of our recent projects, our general practice ethos, and our thoughts and memories regarding play in both adults and children... we never expected that the article, part of the magazine's 'One's to Watch' series, would be published quite so beautifully and across so many pages - feels super special!!!

Special thanks to who have been instrumental in our playful public space commissions! And to .odonovan and .s.p for their amazing photographs.

15/12/2024

Something completely different... back in October we had the opportunity to join a wonderful group for the Festival of community MaKINg!

McCloy + Muchemwa worked hands-on with families and locals to transform discarded furniture, bric-a-brac, and elements from our own 2019 installation 'The Buoys Are Back in Town' into a piece of FRANKENSTEIN FURNITURE! We re-mixed and recycled various elements to provide habitats and new uses for humans and other animals of all kinds, with many of the best ideas dreamt-up and executed by children (with just a bit of help from ourselves, such as using power tools!).

Images are from the festival, with the exception of the physical model (image 1 + 9) which was completed AFTER the event as our souvenir of the co-designed sculpture. The last photo (image 10) was taken by Rob Fiehn in homage to our favourite image by .odonovan !

The festival also included several other participatory workshops, talks, a public roundtable discussion, and drop in 'ask an architect' sessions... it was so enjoyable because we were able spend time with some fantastic creative people including Piers and Owen who designed the amazing East Quay Watchet complex and our brilliant accommodation pods, as well as the awesome Becca , Ella and Rob ...

We are super-grateful for, and impressed by, all 'The Onions' who arranged the event and looked after us so well! Including providing way too much great food and Somerset cider :)

This was overall an amazing experience, not least the fun stay in the holiday pods... we would 100% recommend a visit to see the art centre, or getting involved in an event (they do loads), or staying at East Quay for a weekend to discover Watchet, the surrounding area, and (in)famous pub Pebbles...

06/12/2024

We are so pleased to announce that we have WON an amazing commission for !

Our entry 'A Gift of Flowers' for the 'Reimagining Play' competiton was made in close collaboration with and with fantastic input from + - we are now super-excited to get started with the next steps of the project and for being a small part of the gallery’s ambitious future plans!

Thanks to everyone for your extremely kind DMs and comments, we're very touched...

The design of the playable sculpture will, of course, be developing over the coming months in collaboration with Dulwich Picture Gallery and it's stakeholders, but we are super-chuffed that our concept (inspired by the 17th Century Dutch flower paintings of Jan van Huysum) was recognised to have potential for fun + safe play, artistic merit, and multi-sensory exploration!

24/10/2024

Urban Playground by McCloy + Muchemwa has made it to the shortlist 5 of amazing installations for the Dezeen Awards 2024!

Maybe we'll see you at the party!

Our playable sculpture was commissioned by  and was one of the biggest installations for  in 2023. 
Definitely one of our favourite public projects, Urban Playground was designed with help from .explore.art and .fun , and was made in a very short timeframe by the brilliant - super collaborative, super challenging, and super rewarding!

     

28/09/2024

Maasai Mara Conservation Centre.

McCloy + Muchemwa's entry to the Royal Institute of British Architects and Architectural Association of Kenya's competition earlier this year, for the client Abercrombie and Kent Philanthropy.

Our proposal is for educational, hospitality, and wellbeing facilities for visitors to be located at a major gateway to the Maasai Mara - one of Kenya's foremost tourism locations, but also a place critical to the conservation of wildlife and the Maasai people.

The architecture needed to respond to its place in the landscape, to its role as an iconic gateway, and to Maasai design heritage. We envisage a robust building in natural materials, but one which seeks to proudly assert itself and a contemporary identity, and that finds expression in bold colour and form.

A large oversailing 'folded' roof is clad with stone and resembles warriors' shields, the rammed earth walls allude to Maasai manyatta buildings, and overall the strong red and blue colour pallette is borrowed from exuberant Maasai textiles.

This beautiful CGI artwork is by .studio

28/09/2024

Maasai Mara Conservation Centre.

McCloy + Muchemwa's entry to the Royal Institute of British Architects and Architectural Association of Kenya's competition earlier this year, for the client Abercrombie and Kent Philanthropy.

Our proposal is for educational, hospitality, and wellbeing facilities for visitors to be located at a major gateway to the Maasai Mara - one of Kenya's foremost tourism locations, but also a place critical to the conservation of wildlife and the Maasai people.

The architecture needed to respond to its place in the landscape, to its role as an iconic gateway, and to Maasai design heritage. We envisage a robust building in natural materials, but one which seeks to proudly assert itself and a contemporary identity, and that finds expression in bold colour and form.

A large oversailing 'folded' roof is clad with stone and resembles warriors' shields, the rammed earth walls allude to Maasai manyatta buildings, and overall the strong red and blue colour pallette is borrowed from exuberant Maasai textiles.

This beautiful CGI artwork is by .studio

21/06/2024

17/03/2024

Boulders, courtyards and framed views.

McCloy + Muchemwa design for the Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve Visitor Centre.

The architecture takes inspiration from, and pays homage to, the monumental sculptures of Michael Heizer (including the fantastic piece 'Levitated Mass' which Steve was lucky enough to see at LACMA in Los Angeles)...

In the design a huge boulder appears to levitate above the main entrance, it acts as an entrance canopy and frames a view of the lake between the pair of buildings. With this, the architecture speaks of a precarious relationship between nature and humans; we are used to taming nature but must also remain aware of its dominant and sublime power.

CGIs by .studio

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15/03/2024

Across the water.

Our design for the Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve Visitor Centre for the Kent Wildlife Trust.

The Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest that covers around 55 hectares. It features woodland walks around two large lakes fed by the River Darent, and is home to around 2000 species including many spectacular rare birds. Our design for new visitor facilities is placed on the edge of the larger of two the two lakes, with a dramatic cantilevered jetty providing a spectacular bird-watching vantage point. The scale of the project is broken down into two separate buildings which are designed with a low-profile and reflective glazing to 'dematerialise' / 'disappear' into the surroundings. Facades and windows are fitted with a special bird-safety film to achieve a fantastic outlook for visitors whilst preventing collisions.

We originally designed and drew the project by hand in graphite, so are delighted with the beautiful new CGI visualisations created for us by .studio ! They were able to take our ideas and produce truly amazing interpretations - we love these images! - Just look at those FISH BENEATH THE SURFACE!!

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