I’m an architect. It makes me very happy to say those words.
It’s been an epic journey to get here and my interest in architecture started when I was a child, long before I decided to become an architect. I come from a family of architects including my dad, aunt and grandparents and some might say I took this path simply to avoid the embarrassment of having nothing to talk about at Christmas.
I could tell from my waist high viewpoint that most of my family had a curiously different perspective of the built environment we lived in. I grew up in London and driving around the city with my dad always took longer than expected. Quite often there would be a subtle detour just to point out, “that gorgeous house over there”; “the elegant courtyard tucked behind the building just here”; and famously, “you know…I had a hand in that one there.”
Although my family never stopped talking about architecture they didn’t push me into it; one of my dad’s warnings was that I might enjoy the profession but shouldn’t expect to be paid as much as many of my peers. With that in mind, I took a place on a foundation year at Wimbledon School of Art to give myself some time to work out whether working in a studio for the foreseeable future might suit me.
I really enjoyed the course but product design interested me the most and it confirmed my desire to pursue design and not art and I went on to study for my Bachelor of the Arts (BA) at the Manchester School of Architecture. Manchester was the perfect setting to learn about architecture, past, present and future; with its industrial workshops, warehouses and former cotton mills now transformed into a hive of learning, creativity and culture.
After three years of learning a wide range of architectural techniques I returned to London to work at Nicholas Hare Architects before applying my newfound professional knowledge back into academia for another two years at the University of Westminster where I gained my Master of Architecture (M. Arch).
The Masters course gave me a further insight and experience in the breadth of projects an architect can become involved in. My projects included how to regenerate one of Britain’s most deprived neighbourhoods and, in complete contrast, how to create a design proposal for a pavilion at the Burning Man Festival in Nevada.
In 2017, after completing my Masters, I returned to Nicholas Hare Architects where I worked on a number of projects in the educational sector and then moved to the Frederick Gibberd Partnership where I spent almost two years delivering several building packages for a large, mixed residential scheme
I took my final exams at the University of Westminster in September 2020, and after ten years of further education, I am proud to able to practice architecture as a fully fledged architect.
I also got married to Hannah in February and we bought our first house in Ashford so it’s been quite a year!
This brings me right up to date and I’m really pleased to have joined Adam (my dad) Louisa and Catriona at Spacemaker Architects in November 2020.
I hope I’ll bring some new ideas to add to their extensive experience and creativity. Like them, I believe that good architecture comes from really understanding the client’s brief and delivering a solution in as elegant and efficient manner as possible.
I particularly enjoy using new technology and am proficient in using the latest computer software to create virtual reality experiences for clients. This technology has transformed how architects can illustrate their ideas as not everyone has the spatial awareness to understand how two dimensional plans will create three dimensional buildings.
I hope I will be able share the pride of being qualified and trusted to help make high quality, functional architecture that brings joy to the people who use it.
I’m really looking forward to what lies ahead and if you want to reconfigure an existing space or create a completely new one I look forward to working with you.
You can call me on 01227 277831 or e-mail ben@spacemakerarchitects.co.uk