I qualified as an architect in 1979, and joined Roger Mears Architects in 2014 after 35 years continuous employment at Architects Co-Partnership (ACP) – as a practice director for the last 10 years.
My experience is wide-ranging in domestic, residential, education, custodial, science / research, transport and commercial sectors, including both new build and works to existing buildings. I also have experience of Quality Management, Information Services, IT, CAD and BIM as well as general practice management, marketing, bid and report writing.
I have a strong empathy and respect for historic buildings and I am a member of SPAB. My other passion for the sympathetic restoration and reconstruction of historic and vintage vehicles and all things mechanical further exercises my attention to detail.
I am a firm believer in integrated and holistic design – conservation and context; low energy; agile and individually responsive solutions; coordinated structure and engineering services.
I take a personal approach with clients and the importance of unspoken as well as expressed needs. Accurate briefing and research into the building’s operation and its past is also essential in achieving the best and most satisfying result. Each building and client is unique and is treated as such. Many of the buildings that I have been involved with have received awards or been shortlisted, and this has often been attributable to a strong relationship with the client, understanding the constraints and realising the opportunities for each project.
I have considerable experience of working in existing occupied buildings and secure environments and of respecting the needs of continued use during construction. I am familiar with client and construction-led appointments as well as traditional and modern forms of construction, and I strive to deliver projects to high technical and aesthetic standards, often within very tight budgets.
