hcl architects - Billie Lee

Billie has over 28 years of working closely with Richard Horden and 13 years with Stephen Cherry, he shares with them responsibility for managing the office as well as personally overseeing specific projects.

Billie was the director in charge of 1 Finsbury Square for NatWest Property that completed in 2004, 1 Park Place, a 1 million sq ft landmark office building in London Docklands for Bernard McNamara, and Colin Campbell Court, a retail and residential scheme for Colesbourne with a 45m estimated construction cost. He has more recently led the detailed design development of the building envelope and balcony elements of Arundel Great Court for Land Securities and has worked with Canary Wharf on a number of site evaluation projects for both commercial and residential uses. Billie is now leading the Newfoundland project for Canary Wharf. This landmark residential tower will have 58-storeys and a height of 226m. The project is currently under construction, due for completion in 2020. The project has optimised a small footprint site. It is the first residential planning permission obtained within the Canary Wharf regeneration area presently zoned only for employment use. The tower’s structure straddles underground tunnels below.

Billie has had a long-standing relationship with Lancer Asset Management, completing a number of commercial refurbishment projects including 33 Cavendish Square and the Grade 2 listed Time & Life building on Bond Street. Detailed design and construction planning work has just started for an exciting new stand alone building in Bruton Lane in Mayfair; a new office and residential building with a Japanese restaurant at ground and basement level.

Billie is currently working with European Land on the detailed design and construction of a residential and retail building on the Grand Canal in Paddington. He is also involved in the early stages of a high-rise residential project in Croydon that seeks to challenge statutory living space standards by up to -20% to deliver truly affordable, high quality private rented accommodation in London.

Billie believes that it is very important first to listen and make sure that client objectives are understood. Then ideas can be tested and developed to maximize the development opportunity. It is important that all projects are developed from open, analytical investigation. Key project drivers should be the shared interest of developer and designer.

Billie appreciates that we are now living in an age of expedience. Modern communication media means that quality communication is key. Listening, understanding, thinking, staying focused, responding quickly and appropriately has become vital and will become increasingly so in the future.

Previous Experience

In 1989 Billie joined Richard Horden Associates working initially on the Queens Stand at Epsom Racecourse and Eland House an office building for Land Securities in Westminster. During quieter times at the office Billie worked with Jan Kaplicky and Amanda Levete at Future Systems and Sevil Peach and Gary Turnbull and SPGA and briefly for Anouska Hempel. When Richard Horden became Professor at the Technical University in Munich, Billie returned to RHA and became a director helping Richard look after the London office and deliver projects including the Sainsbury Wing at St Marks Hospital, Millennium Tower Glasgow, The Study Gallery Poole and House on Evening Hill for Richard.

Whilst working for RHA Billie studied part time to become a qualified Architect; with Christeen Hawley Thomas Decker and David Porter at the University of East London, Sand Hessel and Bill Goodwin and briefly with Peter Smithson at the Architectural association.

Billie is fortunate to have designed and completed projects early in his career. He has over the years built on this valuable experience and developed a strong ability to understand client objectives and to design and deliver projects in a responsible, enjoyable and hard working and effective way.

Early Work

Billie initially studied interior design and first started working when he was 20 for Maurice Broughton in South Molton Street London in 1987. Maurice Broughton worked for many years with the Architect Denys Lennon, then when he started his studio in the 1960’s he created the first Way-In for Harrods, a new idea then of combing fashion retail with music and drinking and eating. Billie worked very closely with Maurice on projects including the Dress Circle restaurant in Harrods, re-building of the Jaeger store on Regent Street and Fenwick on Bond Street, the refurbishment of an apartment building in Kensington and the refurbishment of an apartment in no1 St James place designed by Sir Denis Lasdun and owned by the art collector Stanley Sieger.

Teaching

Billie enjoys design and analytical thinking. He encourages the youngest office members to participate and contribute without fear, and the more experienced to share and monitor work quality. He occasionally teaches and has been a visiting professor at the Technical University Vienna and Plymouth College of Art and Design and a visiting critic at the Architectural Association and Imperial College London. He has also held independent teaching workshops at Casa Malaparte on Capri, working with the students to develop their observation and design skils.