Request Expert

Clients, architects, urban designers, planning officers and conservation professionals often differ in their opinion about what constitutes good design, even when they are interpreting the same policy. Expert has fulfilled all of those functions during his career across the building industry, in private practice as well as in the public sector. He is, therefore, in a position to develop solutions that may be agreeable to all parties.

A chartered architect and fully qualified historian with international experience of modern design in an historic environment, Expert can advise on the most complex and challenging projects. He has worked for two years on the world heritage site Museum Island in Berlin and provided design input and advice on over 650 projects in Central London, including all types, sizes and ages of buildings, from grade I-listed cathedrals to large scale urban redevelopments.

Expert would be able to develop a design concept, to assess an existing design brief or to improve the appearance of an existing proposal and to make it suitable to its environment. He would be able to work out design options or to make recommendations on how to rationalise the layout and how to adapt the scale to its context. He is a tactful and skilful negotiator with strong analytical abilities that enable him to steer or authoritatively comment on the design throughout the planning process. His design skills are therefore most effective, if he is being consulted at the initial stages of a project. Typical services include design input and advice on schemes at pre-application stage, design observations or comments on live planning applications, the preparation of development briefs, urban design studies and masterplanning.

Neues Museum and Masterplan Museum Island, Berlin: During the initial design stages, Expert represented the conservation architect Julian Harrap in the team of the appointed architect, David Chipperfield. In presentations and regular meetings with the client (the Federal Construction Board, a German government department, acting on behalf of the Trust), the trusties (museum directors of the archaeological collections) and the Berlin conservation authority, he advised on the building and site history as well as on conservation and urban design issues. Following its inclusion on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites and after re-opening in 2009, the Neues Museum has recently been shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize. Regent Quarter Kings Cross, London: Expert represented the conservation architect Richard Griffiths who was appointed by P&O as consultant on the masterplan for Blocks A,B,C and D. Working together with the client and the appointed architects RHWL and Rolfe Judd, he provided urban design advice on the regeneration of the industrial area as well as the scheme design for the office and retail Block A in Camden. Following the successful adoption of the masterplan and planning permission for the individual projects by the local authority in Islington, the regeneration of the Regent Quarter has been successfully completed and was awarded by English Heritage as most convincing improvement of a conservation area in 2009.City Forum, London: As the design advisor to the local authority, Expert authored a planning brief, which was fundamental to the design of this 90,000 sqm mixed-use redevelopment (720 new homes, of which 30% are affordable; 125-room hotel; offices etc) including a new public space in Central London. He provided advice on the progress of the scheme to the architects until the project won support by the Mayor of London and was approved in 2009.