Role at HCL

Stephen became Managing Director when the company was formed in early 1999 after collaborating with Richard Horden on a large project in Knightsbridge. Stephen’s responsibility is to lead the design teams on key projects from inception to completion. As project leader, he is actively involved in all aspects of design, construction and administration. In his role as managing director, he is also responsible for quality control, project management and company finance.

Stephen’s considerable experience gained in his early career at Scott Tallon Walker (6 years) and thereafter at MacCormac Jamieson Prichard (12 years) has proved invaluable in establishing his key values at HCLA. These values focus on design excellence, client service, strong project and team management, pragmatic solutions, value judgements and technical understanding. His combination of values and leadership skills, with an ability to have a holistic understanding of project demands, has resulted in him gaining the trust of many clients and generating repeat work for the practice.

Stephen has led the design and management of key projects at HCLA such as: Arundel Great Court – initially for Land Securities and now under new private ownership, Ercol furniture factory - the first furniture factory to be built in the UK for over 75 years which has been applauded for its holistic environmental and social solutions, 30 Crown Place - a unique 25,000 sq m speculative office building which is now the HQ for Pinsent Masons lawyers and features in many television programmes and adverts. This project was completed for the same client as the successful building next door at 10 Crown Place, completed some 11 years earlier when at he was at MJP. Stephen is currently heading up the 35,000 sq m mixed use building converting and extending a 1960’s building known as Finsbury Tower for CIT. This involves adding 12 floors on top of an existing 16 storey building and reconfiguring the rest of the site to create a new network of public routes, social housing and retail outlets. Other projects have included extending and converting a listed building on the King’s Road for Cadogan Estates and a 5 storey building for student accommodation in heart of the historic centre of Southampton.

Stephen’s ability to understand and interpret the site’s context and advocate modern designs through the planning process to deliver, and sometimes exceed, client expectations has been an important aspect in keeping HCLA’s architecture visually diverse.

Early Work : 1986 to 1998

As a senior associate for over ten years at MJP, Stephen was responsible for the design and construction of a number of key projects, notably the Cable & Wireless College, which spanned five years, and 10 Crown Place. He was also responsible for a number of successful competitions including the Southwark JLE Station and Jersey Archive. In 1987 he was project architect for the Spitalfields Market redevelopment which obtained consent in the following year.

After this he led a large design team for a major hotel development incorporating the Grade I listed Herstmonceux Castle. He was also responsible for numerous commercial projects, masterplans and urban designs with the practice including a number of successful consented schemes such as Building One at Paternoster square and a Tesco store in the sensitive town of Ludlow. During his period at MJP he was responsible for staff recruitment, practice management and administration.

Awards while at MJP

  • 2nd Place at Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 1987
  • RFAC Sunday Times Building of the Year - Cable & Wireless College 1992
  • RIBA Awards - Cable & Wireless College and 10 Crown Place
  • Civic Trust Award - 10 Crown Place
  • Concrete Society Awards - Cable & Wireless College and 10 Crown Place

Early Work : 1980 to 1986

Stephen joined STW as a Part I student, and spent two years as assistant architect on a number of projects in London, Coventry and Dublin. In 1982, as project architect, he completed a full tender set and took to site an office building in Belfast. He worked part-time with STW whilst obtaining his Part II and re-joined them in 1984 as project architect for Lightsource, a large warehouse, assembly and office building in London, which he led from conception to completion.

Many projects have featured in numerous national and worldwide publications.

  • The Cable and Wireless College won Financial Times Building of the Year
  • RIBA National and Regional Awards
  • 10 Crown Place was awarded a Civic Trust commendation.

Born

4 March 1958

Education

  • City College Brighton & Hove 1977 - 1980
    BA (Hons) Architecture 
  • P.C.L. (University of Westminster) 1982 - 1984
    Dipl Arch, Architecture, RIBA
  • P.C.L. (University of Westminster) 1985
    RIBA Pt III

Professional Qualifications

BA (Hons), Dip Arch. RIBA, ARB

Experience

  • HCLA – Managing Director 1999 – present
  • SMC Zeidler Roberts Ltd 1998 – 1999
  • MacCormac Jamieson Prichard – Senior Associate 1986 – 1998
  • Scott Tallon Walker Architects – Project Architect 1980 – 1986

Current Positions

  • Managing Director HCLA Ltd 1999 – present
  • Chair Hackney Design Review Panel 2007 - present

Previously a visiting architectural critic at De Montfort University in Leicester and the University of East London.