HMY is an award winning Architectural Practice based in Kent. Established in Covent Garden in 1984 and now operating from studios in Tunbridge Wells and Dover, our team comprises 24 staff and four partners.
We design buildings and environments of different scales and complexity across a wide range of sectors in London and the South-East. From masterplanning exercises, new buildings, sensitive conservation work, retrofit and interior design projects, we are experienced in the delivery of residential, commercial, healthcare and leisure sectors. Good communication and dialogue have become central to the ethos of our practice – we believe that the best buildings arise from the client, and ultimately the contractor, becoming full participating members of the design team. Our ongoing commitment to the use of the latest design technology, combined with our strongly motivated, professional and highly qualified design team, has earned HMY a reputation for delivery of clients’ visions whilst working within programme and budget parameters.
Our aspiration is to create the highest quality architecture for our clients.
The Partners, Architects, Architectural Assistants and Interior Designers all work together to create intelligent buildings which inspire and delight. Our passion lies in our wish to create the highest quality modern architecture, combined with our commitment to advancing the technology of the built environment.
Jan’s career has involved the delivery of buildings of various scales from multi-million pound healthcare projects, to one-off residential developments. Jan has also worked on several international projects, designing and building structures with bamboo directly on site and has written and lectured widely on the specialist subject of sustainable building materials. In addition to her role at HMY, Jan is a lecturer for the Environmental Technical Studies department at the University of Westminster for Undergraduate and Masters Architecture Students. She has worked for indigenous women’s communities in Latin America, supporting NGOs in Guatemala and Panama since 2015 in sectors of education and business. She is keen to open up the creative industries for women through leadership and mentorship, promoting diversity and opportunities in architectural practice.
Julie has worked in the construction industry since leaving school and joined HMY in 1990. She now assists the Practice Administrator with the many and varied aspects of Practice Management, including assisting the technical staff when required and overseeing our Constructionline presence. Julie is responsible for managing Frameworks and assists the Partners in submitting bid documents as well as collating information for benchmarking and Professional Indemnity Insurance renewals.
London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Private Secretary’s Certificate
Leading the Admin Team, Joanna has reported directly to each of the Partners, providing HR and Financial Administrative support as well as ensuring the smooth day-to-day running at both of HMY’s Kent offices. Joanna has been responsible for all non-project matters in the Practice and her experience has guided the Admin Team to perform professionally and to a high standard. Joanna’s role is now being adopted by Sharon Varley and Joanna will be undertaking a handover of function to Sharon during September and October 2024.
Member of the Institute of Legal Finance & Management
Georgina has been the Finance Assistant at HMY since 2016. Prior to this she trained at, and worked for, a Chartered Accountant’s Practice for over 20 years and then spent 12 years as Finance Manager for a firm of solicitors. Reporting directly to the Practice Administrator she is responsible for maintaining the SAGE records, assisting with producing management figures and dealing with daily financial queries.
Rui joined the HMY team in 2013 after moving to the UK from Portugal. In addition to his role as Architect, Rui is the Practice’s Building Information Modelling (BIM) Manager.
He has worked on a wide variety of projects including new PassivHaus builds, the redevelopment of local hotels and car parks and most recently working with the team on the Kent and Medway Medical School at the University of Kent.
BA (Hons) Dip Arch RIBA
brynw@hmy.uk.com
Bryn joined HMY in 2005 having studied for his degree and diploma at Portsmouth and Plymouth universities respectively and completed his Part 3 studies in 2007. He became an Associate in May 2019.
Bryn has extensive experience in the education sector and has been the project architect for numerous successful and award-winning projects over the last 10 years for both Local Authority and Independent School clients including, most recently, Skinners Kent Primary School and The Great Hall, Kent College Canterbury.
BSc (Hons) BArch RIBA
gordony@hmy.uk.com
Gordon was one of the founding members of the Practice and since retiring as a Partner in March 2018 has remained as a Consultant, assisting with business development.
Gordon’s principal role in the Practice has been development of the firm’s masterplanning and community architecture skills. Participation and community involvement have always been a driving principle of the firm, best illustrated in the many estate regeneration and group self-build schemes the Practice has undertaken.
Gordon is a keen photographer, sailor and fly fisherman and was a founder of Reel Friends, the construction industry fly-fishing society. He is also Chairman of Governors and a Trustee of Cranbrook School.
Key Projects –
Residential components of masterplans for Kings Cross, Greenwich Peninsula and Spitalfields Markets, masterplans for urban extensions to Bowers Gifford, Basildon: Princes Risborough and North Witney, campus plan and fit-out of offices and production facilities for Thales at Manor Royal in Crawley, fit-out of Citypoint Moorgate & over 2,000 dwellings in group self-build schemes across the country.
Lauren joined HMY in 2017 and achieved her RIBA Part I from UCA Canterbury. As Interior Designer, Lauren brings knowledge of accessibility, colour theory, ergonomics and brand application to a variety of projects ranging from education, historical and healthcare.
She enjoys all parts of the design process from the initial concept ideas, creating digital visualisations, through to the dialogue with clients and contractors, combining her Interior Design knowledge with her Architectural skills to help create new and exciting designs.
Chris joined HMY in 2013, bringing extensive experience gained from working in multiple London Practices. As a Senior Architect he has successfully delivered several educational projects for HMY, most recently an award-winning new-build primary school for the Hundred of Hoo Academy.
Olympia started working at HMY in 2014 as a Part II Architectural Assistant and became a fully qualified Architect in 2016.
She has worked across a variety of sectors including residential, educational and leisure but predominately works within the education sector for both new builds and refurbishments. She has been involved in a diverse range of projects for nurseries, schools, colleges and universities. Olympia aspires to create spaces that enhance learning and teaching environments.
She has also been involved in the RIBA Student Mentoring Scheme (South East) mentoring students from the local universities.
Akilah joined HMY in 2014 as an Architect. Focusing mainly on the healthcare sector, Akilah has been involved with many successful projects for East Kent University NHS Foundation Trust, William Harvey Hospital and QEQM Hospitals, refurbishing and creating new and innovative workspaces. She is also the Project Architect for a new concept in dementia care at the Harmonia Dementia Village in Dover (Designing for people living with dementia).
Alan joined the HMY team in June 2018 following the merger with Hartwell Architects. He is now acting as a Senior Architect in our Dover office and is responsible for CDM and quality management for the Dover office. Since joining HMY, Alan has been involved in various projects including the regeneration of Dover Town Centre, new housing for Dover District Council, multiple projects for the Port of Dover and a new £3M church building that recently obtained planning permission.
During his years as a Partner at Hartwell Architects Alan led on many of the projects including a £27M factory for carbon fibre manufacture in Hampshire and many school development projects throughout Kent.
BA(Hons) DipArch RIBA
benj@hmy.uk.com
Ben worked with HMY as a project architect between 2004-2014 and has rejoined the practice after a period of gaining extensive education experience in London and the
South-East.
Ben is an Associate with responsibilities for leading projects, resourcing and assisting our BIM manager in developing our digital strategy. Ben’s strengths lie in his technical knowledge, Project and Quality Assurance management. He has experience with both traditional and modular construction.
Ben is currently involved with a project for East Kent University NHS Foundation Trust, to expand the Emergency Department at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate and projects at University of Kent.
BA(Hons) PGDip RIBA
ianm@hmy.uk.com
Ian joined HMY in 2022 as a project architect with extensive experience in NHS projects. These range from Dementia friendly design, mental health and acute healthcare.
Ian is based at our Dover office and is currently involved with a Medical School Accommodation project in Tunbridge Wells and a Barn Theatre project in Maidstone.
BA (Hons) MArch (with Architectural Pedagogy) PGDip RIBA
nathaniels@hmy.uk.com
Nathaniel first joined the HMY team in 2008 as an Architectural Assistant and is currently taking his Part III examinations to become a fully qualified Architect. He is also the CAD Manager for the Practice as well as Assistant BIM Manager.
As well as helping the whole team with CAD and IT training, queries and development, Nathaniel has been involved in many different projects, working with clients, contractors and other consultants at all stages of the project lifecycle. In the last few years he has been involved in a number of refurbishment, conservation and restoration projects on locally significant Listed buildings.
Alongside his work at HMY, Nathaniel is also a Studio Tutor and regular Guest Critic on the Architecture degree course at Kent School of Architecture and Planning.
Chris recently joined the HMY team as an Architectural Assistant and is working towards his RIBA Part II qualification.
Previously Chris was employed by the Canterbury School of Architecture where he established and supported resources specialising in digital fabrication, motion tracking and virtual reality.
He has been assisting the Canterbury team with many projects since joining HMY and has been involved with a range of RIBA stages, developing his knowledge and skills throughout.
Thomas joined HMY in 2014 as an Architectural Assistant and is currently working towards his RIBA Part III examinations. He has been involved in multiple residential developments, assisting with the extensions at Harrietsham Primary School and Marlborough House School. He has also worked on several projects for East Kent University NHS Foundation Trust.