Newtecnic

Newtecnic is a firm of architects and engineering designers led by Andrew Watts, Howard Tee and Yasmin Watts. Newtecnic undertakes design work for projects where clients require bold, near-future designs. The company also develops innovative facade and structural designs, working alongside other architects or contractors.

The approach adopted by Newtecnic allows the company to focus on bold, near-future architectural design as well as the facade design and structural engineering of complex forms where interdependency is required between the structure and facade. Their near-future designs for large-scale projects are taken to the execution stage.

Architectural and engineering design activities are supported by physical modelling and prototyping, with both established and new techniques of fabrication. This work is often supported by environmental design tasks. The architecture and engineering design skills of Newtecnic allow the firm to communicate, through the Modern Construction series, the key issues of 21st century building engineering and design. Newtecnic are holders of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise and has been ranked in the top three of New Civil Engineer 100 Companies of the Year.

Contents

  1. Background

  2. Education and influences

  3. Projects

  4. Awards

  5. Publications

  6. References

Newtecnic

Formation 1995
Type Limited Company
Area served Worldwide
Services Architecture,
Engineering
Industry Architecture, Engineering,
Construction
Website www.newtecnic.com

Background


The firm was founded in London in 1995. The Newtecnic approach has, over the last 30 years, been focussed on gathering expertise in the craft of design engineering and architecture, including modelling, analysis and prototyping of project-specific systems for building envelopes and structures. Their first project, of which they were a team member, was Federation Square in Melbourne; then Burjuman in Dubai, followed by a series of high-profile built projects before launching Newtecnic’s own multidisciplinary practice of architecture and engineering. This independence has allowed the company to reach 3rd position in the NCE list of Top 100 companies. The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2018 burnished their reputation for architecture and engineering design.

From the early days of Newtecnic in 1995, Yasmin Watts and Andrew Watts have been engaged in large-scale architecture competitions with other architects, while developing their own high-profile multi-disciplinary practice of engineers and architects. The development of the design engineering side of their work has allowed them to make major contributions to projects alongside internationally-established concept architects. In recent years, they have worked independently as architects and engineers on the design and execution of large-scale ambitious projects around the world, working with both developers and international contractors.

Newtecnic applies a technical mastery informed by its technical publications, allowing the firm to provide high value design while optimising associated construction costs. Technical data gathered over 30 years, as shared in the Modern Construction series of Newtecnic-authored architecture textbooks, allows Newtecnic to optimise costs of construction from an early stage of a project. This technical and data-driven approach allows the firm to work alongside leading companies in architecture and engineering design. Founding directors Yasmin and Andrew Watts spent their formative years in senior roles at the offices of Renzo Piano and Jean Nouvel respectively. These mentors passed to Yasmin and Andrew a love of the art of construction and its application in high-profile complex projects.

As Newtecnic developed further, Howard Tee joined the leadership in 2008. Howard leads the firm’s application and evolution of architectural technologies and methodology; Andrew leads Newtecnic’s engineering technologies and associated methodology. Howard and Andrew work together to design all projects using a a method which combines architectural design with engineering design; an aspiration of those who taught them both. Design work is supported by Yasmin as creative director, whose work is informed by her sculptural practice. Trained at the Royal College of Art, Yasmin is bringing her architectural skills into designing public sculpture.

As the firm grew, the technical books in the Modern Construction series, authored by the company and published by Birkhauser, provided the basis of extensive technical data on implementing the art of building construction. The leadership team have evolved their own drawings, models and analysis over the past 30 years. They continue to generate the main outputs themselves, with no tasks being delegated to outside firms. Supporting teams of architects and engineers are responsible for iterating and editing the outputs of the leadership, under their direct supervision.

With the growth of the firm, Newtecnic has developed an ever-greater understanding of the engineering and construction aspects of architectural design through the publication of a series of textbooks which have become standard volumes in most schools of architecture. Now in its 6th edition, the Modern Construction Handbook was written, and continues to be updated, as a result of the technical data acquired over the past 30 years. Their work as Newtecnic has been informed by their deep understanding of structural and environmental systems and how these can be applied to ambitious architectural design projects as seen in the two volumes of Modern Construction Case Studies and Modern Construction Envelopes, now in their 3rd editions.

Background of the leadership team

Andrew Watts

Director of Design, Engineer & Architect

FICE FIED FIET FRSA CEng RIBA ARB

BA(Hons) DipArch MSt MSc

Andrew trained at the Polytechnic of Central London and Cambridge University. He is a distinguished engineer and architect who specializes in the design of next generation buildings. He holds charterships for engineering and architecture from the Institution of Engineering Designers and the Royal Institute of British Architects. Andrew is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Concorde

From an early age, Andrew was immersed in a world where innovation set the pace. Growing up alongside the design and prototyping of Formula 1 racing cars and the groundbreaking Concorde aircraft, he developed a profound respect for the discipline and daring that drive engineering excellence. A defining moment came when he first encountered images of the completed Pompidou Center in Paris—a radical celebration of structure and technology - which crystallized his ambition to shape the future through architecture and engineering.

Lotus 49

As a founder and leader at Newtecnic, Andrew has built a design management system that champions innovation, dismantles silos, and fosters true interdisciplinary collaboration. His leadership philosophy draws directly from early influences - particularly the pioneering methods of Ron Dennis at McLaren. A night-school contemporary before Andrew began his architectural studies, Dennis built McLaren into a world-leading force by fusing team organization, technological advancement, and precision execution into a single, relentless vision. This approach deeply informed the way Andrew and his co-directors shaped Newtecnic: a company defined by technical mastery, radical collaboration, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

Centre Pompidou

Andrew’s commitment to advancing architectural and engineering design through prototyping and iterative refinement reflects another formative influence - the Concorde engineers he observed in his youth. They proved that through disciplined innovation, the impossible becomes possible. Today, Andrew’s leadership infuses Newtecnic’s culture with a spirit of perpetual learning, invention, and impact. Research, design, and project execution are tightly aligned to build powerful partnerships with fabricators and installers—ensuring that bold ideas are not only conceived, but realized, reshaping skylines and pushing the boundaries of what the built environment can achieve.

Yasmin Watts

Creative Director, Architect & Sculptor

MRes(RCA) Dip Sculpture ARB

BArch BSc(Hons)


Yasmin trained at Cardiff University and the Royal College of Art. She is a distinguished sculptor and architect who links the design of cutting-edge buildings with public art. Yasmin holds chartership for architecture from the Royal Institute of British Architects and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Isamu Noguchi Playground 1

From an early age, Yasmin was captivated by the fusion of art, space, and landscape, drawn especially to the work of sculptor Isamu Noguchi, whose collaborations with leading architects shaped immersive, transformative environments. As a child, her passion for drawing and making laid the foundation for a lifelong pursuit of creative expression - skills that matured into expertise in both high-profile architectural projects and public sculpture.

Isamu Noguchi Playground 2

Today, Yasmin designs contemporary environments that engage on multiple sensory levels, weaving together form, space, and emotion. Her creations are not static objects for passive observation but immersive experiences - orlds where reality and imagination converge, inviting exploration and personal connection. Through the interplay of static and fluid elements, her work sparks a dialogue between the familiar and the unfamiliar, encouraging viewers to rediscover their own experiences of space, identity, and belonging.

Isamu Noguchi Playground 3

As Creative Director at Newtecnic, Yasmin brings her sculptural sensibility to architectural innovation, championing a design process rooted in physical exploration. She collaborates closely with fellow directors, using full-scale and model-scale physical studies to shape concepts at the global scale of each project. Her approach - grounded in a culture of hand-sketching, physical modeling, and iterative making—infuses all of Newtecnic’s activities, reinforcing the belief that true innovation emerges from the synthesis of mind and hand.

Yasmin leads Newtecnic’s workshop facilities, which include advanced metalworking, woodworking, 3D printing, and laser-cutting technologies. Her deep commitment to making was shaped during her time at the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Paris, where physical modeling was central to the design process - a philosophy she has carried forward and expanded at Newtecnic. Through her leadership, Yasmin ensures that every project becomes a living dialogue between art, engineering, and human experience—where imagination is made tangible, and where built form becomes an invitation to feel, explore, and belong.

Howard Tee

Director of Design, Architect & Engineer

MIED MIET RIBA ARB

MArch(Dist) BSc(Hons)


Howard trained at Bath University where he was a prize-winning student as both undergraduate and postgraduate. He is a distinguished architect and engineer who specializes in the design of next generation buildings. Howard holds chartership for architecture from the Royal Institute of British Architects and is a member of the Institution of Engineering Designers and a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

F-14 Tomcat

From an early age, Howard was captivated by the cutting edge of aviation and its visionary reflection in science fiction. Frequent visits to local airshows revealed to him the year-on-year evolution of aircraft design, igniting a passion for technological progress and inspiring his ambition to shape the future of building design—where new physical and digital tools continually expand the boundaries of possibility.

Star Wars ship design

Howard’s foundation was built in the workshop, where hands-on making instilled a deep understanding of materials, processes, and precision. As both an engineer and architect, he has fused these formative skills with real-world experience in the design and assembly of complex, high-profile projects, where innovation is measured not only in concept, but in craft.

Millennium Falcon

At Newtecnic, Howard leads the seamless integration of architectural and engineering design through 3D modeling, rapid prototyping, detailed interface development, and direct collaboration with fabricators and installers. He also directs the company’s information technology strategies, aligning design and management systems to enable lean, iterative development. His leadership ensures that innovation remains a driving force, actively minimizing the drag of compliance work and freeing teams to pursue continuous improvement across both design and construction.

 Howard has cultivated a unique culture within Newtecnic’s facilities: a space conceived not as a traditional office, but as a workshop for both thinking and making. Designs are advanced through physical mock-ups and prototypes, reinforcing the essential connection between mind and hand. Howard champions an approach where initial ideas are explored through 3D hand sketches and small-scale models, which then evolve through digital modeling and technical detailing, ensuring a constant, dynamic dialogue between thought and fabrication. Through this philosophy, Howard ensures that Newtecnic’s innovation is not abstract, but embodied—transforming ideas into built reality through an unbroken chain of imagination, making, and execution.

 

Education and influences


Newtecnic architectural design thinking is informed by teachers:

 

Newtecnic technical expertise is informed by our experiences of working for:

Newtecnic engineering design is informed by:

 

Newtecnic design management is informed by:

Newtecnic architectural design is informed by:

Architectural theory at Newtecnic is informed by:

Sources of Newtecnic design for the following specific stages of thought in the design and construction of buildings:

  • Thinking that links urban design to building design

  • Thinking that links building design to construction technologies

  • Thinking that links construction technologies to construction methods

  • Thinking that links engineering design to engineering production.

 

Projects


 

Awards


In 2020, Newtecnic were shortlisted for the New Civil Engineer Awards, Companies of the Year 2020, in the Engineering Culture: Leader in Collaboration category.

In 2019, Newtecnic were ranked 3rd on New Civil Engineer's Top 100 Power List of civil engineering firms to work for and with, and were shortlisted in the Engineering Impact in Energy category.

In 2018, Newtecnic received the Queens’s Award for Enterprise, which recognises outstanding achievement in the fields of Innovation, International Trade, Sustainable Development and Promoting Opportunity.

Publications


Newtecnic are authors of the textbooks, published by Birkhauser and RIBA Publishing, used in universities and professionals worldwide.

Modern Structural Design, First Edition

Modern Environmental Design, First Edition

Modern Construction Handbook, Sixth Edition

Modern Construction Envelopes, Third Edition

Modern Construction Case Studies, Second Edition

Modern Construction Case Studies, First Edition

References


Newtecnic have 150 articles published in international technical magazines in the last 3 years. Listed here are 30 of those scholarly articles, featuring Newtecnic’s approach, technology and project outputs:

1. Digital pattern books disrupt construction industry. Civil + Structural Engineer. 1 June 2019.

2. Design engineering for a future world. newdesign magazine. 2019 yearbook.

3.  Welcome to the future. AEC Magazine, The 100th Edition. January/February 2019.

4.  Digital twins for construction: out with the old, in with the twin. E&T magazine. 16 January 2019.

5.  Best Practice, Redefined: Uncovering The Impact Of Drone Uptake. Feature in the eBook ‘Drones In Construction – Construction Takes Flight in 2018’. UK Construction Online. 2018.

6. Surface Beauty. newdesign magazine. Issue 133, 2018.

7. Scaleable Responses To Infrastructure Innovation. CEO Today magazine. December 2018.

8.  Multi Industry Opportunities. Engineering magazine. September 2018.

9.  Digital builds: The technology taking construction to the next level. The Engineer magazine. 6 August 2018.

10. Grand Theatre de Rabat, Morocco. Concrete Engineering International magazine. August 2018.

11. Newtecnic and Cambridge University Construction Research Partnership Delivers Concrete Facade Innovation. Premier Construction News. 29 July 2018.

12. Newtecnic and Cambridge University Construction Research Partnership Delivers Concrete Facade Innovation. Informed Infrastructure. 26 July 2018.

13. Cambridge research partnership pays dividends for building envelope design. The Construction Index magazine. 25 July 2018.

14.  Firm Profile: Newtecnic. AECbytes. 24 July 2018.

15. Design and Construction Disconnect. Civil + Structural Engineer. 1 July 2018.

16.  Cool Working In Hot Climates. EnvironmentalEngineering.org.uk. June 2018.

17.  How to engineer the future and increase energy efficiency. Consulting-Specifying Engineer. 28 June 2018.

18.  Newtecnic: Naturally Efficient. Construction Global. 16 June 2018.

19. Brave face: Managing change on the curviest, most complex façades. Construction Research and Innovation journal, volume 9, 2018, issue 2. DOI: 10.1080/20450249.2018.1480126. 01 June 2018.

20.  Optimizing construction technologies and methods. Civil + Structural Engineer. 1 June 2018.

21.  Closing The Gap Between Designing And Making. Institution of Engineering Designers (IED). 01 May 2018.

22. Newtecnic: Embracing The Third Dimension With Newtecnic. Construction Global magazine. April 2018.

23. Future Perfect. The Construction Index magazine. March 2018.

24.  Futuristic UK engineering firm hits America. Global Construction Review. 9 February 2018.

25.  Dreaming spires - towering vision. AEC Magazine. January/February 2018.

26.  Talking to Machines. Construction Computing. January/February 2018.

27. KAFD Metro, Riyadh. Concrete Engineering International magazine. January 2018. Reproduced on buildingconstructiondesign.co.uk on 25 October 2017.

28.  Building With Numbers. GeoConnexion International Magazine. October 2017.

29.  Building Visions. The Engineer magazine. September 2017.

30. Very Grand Designs. Institution of Engineering Designers (IED). 01 September 2017.