Lavinia studied Chinese in Paris in 1968 and went onto pursue studies in Spanish and Italian; working alongside the Grimshaw London studio since 1980, to help communications between architects, clients and contractors. She believes passionately in a creative education – working with GCSE and French A-Level students for the past thirty years – and encouraging the new generation (and her four grandchildren) to learn about art and design through hands-on-making and drawing.

Chloe was the creative director of the Grimshaw Foundation. She played an instrumental role in setting up the Foundation alongside her father, Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, and brought to it her extraordinary imagination and her enthusiasm for bringing people together.

Chloe co-founded Plinth in 2016 to collaborate with renowned contemporary artists and designers to create limited edition prints, homeware, clothing and products. She also curated a new programme for Plinth of free talks, events, performances and exhibitions. Chloe put young people at the heart of everything, working to break down the barriers that too often separate architecture, design and art. 

Andrew Whalley has been an instrumental part of Grimshaw since the earliest days of the practice and has been Partner in Charge of projects in diverse sectors including education, performing arts, transportation, and workplace.

Kirsten is the Managing Partner of Grimshaw’s Paris studio; she is highly experienced in architecture, strategic planning, urban design and regeneration of sensitive environments within the arts, sports and master planning sectors.

Kirsten is a founding member of Equilibrium Network, which works to achieve broader gender diversity within the industry.

Kirsten’s work has been acknowledged for its subtle response to place, the pre-eminence of the cultural agenda and its unique expressive and material qualities. She won Best Woman Architect at the 2022 WICE awards, receiving a special commendation as Most Distinguished Winner, and was shortlisted for BD Architectural Leader of the Year in 2020.

Jerry founded Tate+Co Architects in 2007, and prior to this had a lovely time working at Grimshaw, where he was mainly involved in the Eden Project. Tate+Co specialise in education, leisure and residential projects for clients who have sustainability at their heart; so work for a number of leading schools and universities. As well as this, Jerry teaches at UCL and Kansas State University; is deeply involved in a number of education initiatives for young people with organisations such as The Architect’s Livery, Open City and the RIBA; and is a governor at Cranleigh School.

Declan joined Grimshaw in 2001 and was made a Partner in 2012. Skilled at incorporating transport infrastructure into towns and cities to ensure they achieve their regenerative potential, Declan has helped to consolidate Grimshaw’s reputation for designing rail and transit hubs that are intrinsic to their context.

His experience includes leading the architectural team for the redevelopment of London Bridge station, completed in 2018, and leading the design and delivery of the Reading station redevelopment which opened in July 2014.

Kunle Barker is a Placemaker, Broadcaster, and Writer renowned for his influential role in transforming homes and perspectives on property development. He brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to the forefront of property innovation, sustainability, and design.

A key focus of his work is youth engagement, mental health advocacy, and promoting sports for positive change, creating spaces that foster resilience and inclusion.

Simon Allford is a founding director of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris. He leads a studio of 200 architects working around the world on the design and construction of projects. These projects reflect his belief that outstanding architecture accommodates different uses to those that called it into being by offering an extraordinary and delightful backdrop to the theatre of everyday life.

Simon is a frequent teacher, judge of major awards and competitions, a writer, and critic. He has been a visiting professor at numerous schools including The Bartlett, UCL and the GSD Harvard. Currently he is a Trustee of the London School of Architecture, The Grimshaw Foundation and Chickenshed Theatres Trust. Simon is a former chair of the Architecture Foundation and is Immediate Past President of RIBA where he initiated the House of Architecture Project.

Andrew is a Partner in the Grimshaw Melbourne studio, where he is jointly responsible for leading the practice’s Australian operations. Passionate about the arts, Andrew serves on the Advancement Committee of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Venetia is an architect and educator who delivers architectural educational resources that inspire young people to explore architecture and equip them with creative skills that support learning in and out of the classroom. She led Open City’s education team from 2012-17, and is the Founding Director for Urban Learners - providing creative education for Sculpture in the City, The Camden Highline and Grimshaw Foundation. Working alongside Neil Pinder, she was co-leader of Celebrating Architecture, which launched at the RCA in 2018. Venetia’s aim is to bring diversity into the profession, so that future built environments reflect the societies that they are designed for, and to encourage ALL students to engage with creativity at school.

Neil is the founder of Home Grown Plus, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to accelerating access to architecture for those from non-traditional backgrounds. He was awarded the lifetime achievement award ‘Contribution to the Profession’ from the Architect’s Journal and became an RIBA Fellow in 2022. Head of Architecture at Graveney School in South London, Neil introduced architecture to the curriculum and invited architects into schools in an effort to encourage pupils to take a greater interest in the built environment.

Charlie Welch is an Assistant Head Teacher and former Head of the Art and Design Technology at Regent High School; which spans four art studios, with 3 additional design technology studios. She has already inspired a new generation of students to study art, design and architecture at prestigious colleges such as Central St Martins. Regent High School opened in Euston in Central London in 2016 and was recognised with RIBA awards for Sustainability and Design.

Sammi Gale is the Editor at Plinth where he also curates. His journalism, fiction and poetry has appeared in GQ magazine, the i newspaper, Little White Lies, Datableed, Lighthouse, The Colorado Review and more.

Honorary RIBA Fellow, LionHeart is an Associate Artist at the Royal Albert Hall and was the first Poet in Residence at Grimshaw Architects (working with their global studios). An award-winning poet, artist and BBC Radio London presenter, with a devoted interest in paving the way for diverse creative representation for the youth of today. Using poetry, he is particularly interested in expressing the influence an architect’s design can have on mental health and exploring how the application of materials, form and lighting within the built environment impacts us.

Senior Policy Officer, Diversity in the creative workforce, within the Mayor of London’s Culture and Creative Industries unit, Natasha campaigns for diversity in the creative industries and works with people from diverse backgrounds to encourage them to explore a wide range of creative careers. She also works with key creative institutions to embed diversity within the organisation.

Ian is the Rector of Dollar Academy and founder of FIDA, which tackles three fundamental challenges in education – providing equitable access and closing the poverty related attainment gap; finding compelling alternatives to traditional teaching and exam systems; and addressing sustainability. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, Ian is passionate about encouraging students to design meaningful responses to the challenges and opportunities that we face in light of the climate crisis.