Tom is an education specialist in our Bristol studio who guides design teams from the initial concept to the completed building.
Not shy of a challenge, he loves complex sites where taking time to understand the constraints leads to smarter, more practical spaces that slot into their surroundings. For Tom, this is an inherently collaborative process — testing early ideas together rather than trying to solve everything in isolation.
Tom, what are the big opportunities for your sector?
Making net zero the expectation is obviously a real positive, but for me, the bigger opportunity under the CF25 framework is designing landscape and architecture as one.
Thinking beyond individual buildings to consider the whole environment has massive potential benefits for students — better air quality, access to nature, and calmer, more comfortable spaces for learning and play.
And where do you see the biggest challenges?
Many of the schools we work on sit on constrained sites with existing buildings and real complexities.
Delivering integrated, landscape-led schemes in that context takes careful thinking and a lot of collaboration across the wider project team. I think that’s where translating the framework’s ambition into reality is the true test.
Is there a project or initiative that exemplifies those constraints?
The Court Farm redevelopment, which is part of the historic Clevedon Court Estate. It was my first major scheme after moving to Bristol and brought together many of my favourite aspects of architecture. I’m particularly proud of how we balanced contemporary design with the site’s rich agricultural history, creating spaces that sit comfortably and respectfully in their surroundings.
Tell us about a moment that made you change how you approach your work
The best professional advice I’ve ever received was: “Don’t let perfection get in the way of progress.” It completely changed how I work. As architects, it’s easy to labour over a problem alone, but I’ve learned that sharing an idea early, testing it, and collaborating with others always leads to better outcomes.
