Chamberlin, Powell and Bon were one of the most important modernist architectural firms in post-war Britain. The practice was founded in 1952 by Geoffry Powell (1920-1999), Peter (known as Joe) Chamberlin (1919-1978) and Christoph Bon (1921-1999), following Powell's win in the 1951 architectural competition for the Golden Lane Estate. The three founding partners taught at Kingston Polytechnic (now Kingston University School of Architecture) when they each entered the design competition with the agreement that should any of them win they would form a partnership with the other two to deliver the project. The Golden Lane Estate is sometimes referred to as the "apprentice piece" of the Practice.

Charles Greenberg became an additional partner of the practice in 1960, although he chose not to add his name to the partnership for personal reasons. He was the only other partner working with CP&B on Barbican. Frank Woods also became an additional partner, and in 1985 the firm changed its name to Chamberlin Powell Bon & Woods.

Following the completion of the Golden Lane Estate they won the commission to design and execute the adjacent Barbican development, also for the Corporation of the City of London, the wealthy municipal administration that has responsibility for the historic core of London, today the central business district. The firm was strongly influenced by the work and ideas of Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. Other works included schools in London, New Hall, Cambridge (a new college at Cambridge University) and major expansion of the campus at University of Leeds.