Workload boon for TP Bennett

The architect behind fit-out work at London’s South Bank Tower and its next-door neighbour Sea Containers House saw turnover and profits climb last year.

TP Bennett worked on the office redevelopment of the mixed-use South Bank Tower – the former King’s Reach tower designed by Richard Seifert – which was completed earlier this year and was behind the overhaul of Sea Containers House on the banks of the River Thames back in 2014.

Revenue at the firm for the year to March 2016 shot up a third to £27.4 million while operating profit went up to £8.8 million from £7.3 million last time.

In its accounts the firm, which opened an office in Manchester last year, said it was confident about upcoming prospects, adding that it had a “substantial pipeline of future work for the year ahead”. Among the projects it is working on is Renzo Piano’s resized replacement for the Paddington Pole in west London.

Staff numbers also went up – by a third to 235 – with the rise almost entirely down to hiring new technical staff, which helped send the firm’s wages bill up by close to £3 million to £9.8 million.

As an LLP, the firm has 47 members with profits shared between each one. The profit paid to the member with the largest share was £956,000.