Having joined us as a graduate in 2014, Danny now sits on our board of directors. He is responsible for our Schools & Colleges sector and is tasked with overseeing innovation across the wider business, ensuring that new ideas progress seamlessly from the incubator stage to market-ready service offerings.
As Schools & Colleges lead, Danny has been instrumental in the development of offsite schools as well as one of the first net zero carbon schools in England. He has also overseen a diverse range of cross-educational projects, including state-of-the-art laboratories.
Danny is currently undertaking an executive MBA at the University of Bath, and brings fresh ideas into the senior leadership team, particularly in strategic thinking.
What is your favourite building?
The first building that awoke my passion for architecture was The Pompidou Centre in Paris, on a first-year study trip. We visited many amazing buildings at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein and later stopped off at Le Corbusier’s immense Ronchamp chapel. I remember spending hours just walking around it in awe. I then spent my entire second year failing to design a building that was reminiscent of it.
Biggest career inspiration?
My wife, Milly Harris, who is an Interior Architect at Stride Treglown, and our two girls. They keep my creativity and curiosity alive. Milly and I are inspired by the Charles and Ray Eames’ idea of universal design, and we love going to the Venice Biennale to get our fix of design inspiration.
Milly is from a large family of artists, architects and designers. They are all a constant inspiration, from the abstract artworks of her late grandfather, the depth of design knowledge of her granny, to my father-in-law’s fastidious advice on life and architecture – to ‘suspend belief’ and ‘keep-it-simple-stupid’.
Best project to date?
It’s a tough choice between the first project I cut my teeth on as a qualified architect: the Health and Life Sciences building at the University of Reading, and the first project during my year out: a simple, well-crafted, artist’s studio.
Working alongside my first mentor, Adrian Morrow, was formative in my development as an architect. He came from a lineage of Peter Aldington and Allies and Morrison and his love for Louis Kahn and Morgan Motors rubbed off on me. I was Adrian’s first employee in private practice and spent the entire year on joinery packages, understanding how things are put together. By the end the year, my nickname was ‘Dan-Dan, the Joinery Man.’
What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
I’d tell myself to perfect the analogue skills of the profession. In a world of more generative design using AI, I hope for a low-tech re-emergence. We have less people hand-drawing and I have been actively encouraging my studio to make more physical models and use mixed media approaches for client presentations.
Industry bodies:
- RIBA
Awards:
- G4C South West Future Leader, (Winner, 2019)
- Health and Life Sciences – Education Estates: Innovation in Delivering Value (Winner, 2021)
- Health and Life Sciences – FX International Interior Design Awards: UK Project of the Year / Public Sector (Shortlisted, 2022)
- West Coventry Academy – Offsite Awards: Education Project of the Year (Winner, 2023)
