I trained as an architect. However, my passion is for both architecture and landscape — the two are inseparable.
Great architecture encompasses many things, not least the impact buildings have on their setting. It takes full account of surrounding and far reaching environments. Successful architecture engenders wellbeing in those who use spaces and places created.
Too often I see projects where an opportunity to create something special has been missed. Thinking laterally opens doors to possibilities others may have overlooked: There might be a chance to introduce new landscapes; to create natural habitats where before none existed; to make the project environmentally sustainable as a fundamental design principle, not an aside; to offer benefits to those using the space not previously considered.
I work collaboratively with landscape designers, artists, sculptors, ecologists and environmentalists: many of my projects often involve more than one of these disciplines.
An important aspect of my practice has always been teaching- as a studio design tutor at Nottingham, Leicester and Sheffield, and as a professional examiner at Greenwich, Bristol, Leeds and Westminster.
I find it difficult to respond to the question, “What do you do?”. The projects I have worked on are varied: The British Library, The British Council in Romania, houses and studios, as well a Surestart Children’s Centre, and a number of school playgrounds.
I am currently working on projects in and around Derbyshire, as well as establishing myself in my new studio, here on The Isle of Jura, where I am helping The Museum of Islay Life look towards creating a permanent display for a collection of ancient headstones.