Allan Sylvester

Architect | Educator | Filmmaker

 

Architecture & Practice

Allan Sylvester is an architect and co-founder of Ullmayer Sylvester Architects, a design-led studio based in Hackney, London. After earning his architecture degree at London Metropolitan University, he completed his Diploma and Part 3 at the Bartlett School of Architecture.

Founded in 2005 following involvement in a custom-build housing project in North London, the studio has since produced a diverse body of work, widely published and recognised with several awards. Allan’s practice is grounded in thoughtful design, spatial clarity, and a curiosity for how architecture responds to its context.

Since 2010, Allan has also contributed to architectural education as a part-time lecturer in Interior Architecture at the University of Westminster, while also serving as a regular judge for the Architects’ Journal Retrofit Awards.

 

Architecture Through Film

Allan brings a cinematic lens to architecture through drone filmmaking—a practice he has developed for architects seeking to showcase their work in new and engaging ways.

With a background in design and a deep understanding of space and form, he uses film to explore the way architecture moves, breathes, and is experienced in time. His work reveals the narrative potential of buildings, capturing both interior intimacy and external drama.

Allan is especially drawn to brutalist and modernist architecture, and has filmed projects that celebrate these movements both in the UK and abroad.

 

Drone Planning & Process

Allan approaches each drone shoot with the same care and creativity as an architectural project. It begins with site observation and storyboarding—defining key perspectives, movement, and atmosphere.

As a CAA-licensed drone operator, holding an Operational Authorisation (PDRA01), Allan is fully certified for commercial work. Each shoot is backed by a detailed flight plan, including risk assessments, pre-flight checks, and all necessary permissions.

His process ensures that flights are not only creative, but also compliant and site-specific—delivering a safe and seamless production from concept to final cut.