Our People
We are architects, place makers, interior designers, and historic building advocates. We are cyclists, runners, arts enthusiasts, and eaters of cake.
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Alex Scrimshaw
Senior TechnologistAlex is an experienced Architectural Technologist working within the historic buildings team. He has worked on many projects assessing condition and drawing technical detail for repairs, and manages technical design on significant adaptation and re-modelling of listed buildings projects including, museums and heritage sites.
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Alison Abbott
Office ManagerOur Office Manager, Alison, gives general administrative support across the practice, manages credit control and supports our accountants and finance manager. A founding member of the practice's running club, she also organises our annual staff trip and social events.
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Andy Avery
DirectorAndy graduated from Oxford School of Architecture in 1986 with honours in both architecture and in urban design. He has operated at board level within the profession since 1996 and has specific involvement in health, community, education and residential sectors.
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Ben Tabiner
AssociateBen is an experienced architect within our education team. He leads projects from concept and detailed design, to management and delivery on site. Prior to joining Buttress, Ben was involved with concept and sample school design within the BSF process and applies that knowledge and experience to live projects for our clients.
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Chithra Marsh
Associate DirectorChithra joined Buttress's senior management team in early 2018, bringing more than 20 years' experience in commercial practice. She has specialises in business development and client liaison roles and in addition to running her own projects, she is responsible for developing and delivering the practice's business development strategy.
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Christopher Whelan
Studio PrincipalChris is one of our senior design team. His extensive experience includes designs for some of the country’s leading independent schools, various community, sports and leisure projects, residential designs, and urban design/masterplanning exercises.
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Daniel Potts
ArchitectDaniel is an architect who approaches projects in a thorough and thoughtful manner, backed up by strong technical ability. He has worked across a range of sectors and is adept at working on new build projects, as well as those involving listed and historic buildings.
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David Coulson
Senior ArchitectDavid joined Buttress in 2002 and has a wide mix of experience with a focus on education, commercial and cultural projects. He is a talented designer and his rigorous attention to detail has been applied with considerable success to several important commissions. These have included new build projects and contemporary adaptations of historic and sensitive sites.
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David Kells
Senior ArchitectDavid is an award-winning designer who has recently joined Buttress following relocation from London. During his time in the capital, David at some of the UK's leading practices delivering significant residential and mixed use projects.
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David Shatwell
ConsultantDavid is an AABC accredited conservation architect and is responsible for the secular historic and museum projects undertaken by the Practice. This includes management of frameworks for English Heritage, CADW and Cheshire East Council, The National Gallery and National Maritime Museum.
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Fran Llombart
ArchitectFran is a Spanish architect working on our growing commercial and hotel portfolio.
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Francesca Mainman
Marketing Communications ExecutiveFrancesca helps deliver our social media and communication plans. With experience working on large PR campaigns, she is responsible for raising our profile in the media as well as supporting with other marketing activity.
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Gavin Sorby
Managing DirectorGavin has been with the practice since qualifying in 1988. He has seen the practice grow from just eight people to the AJ100 listed practice it is today and has been Managing Director since 2011. He is an APM qualified project manager and has worked in a number of sectors within the Practice with a specific focus on commercial work and hospitality.
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Grace Avery
ReceptionGrace works on the reception desk and provides valuable admin support to teams across the office. Outside of the office, she runs her own online fashion business.
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Grant Prescott
AssociateGrant is an experienced architect, also with a degree in architectural conservation, who focuses on the restoration and redevelopment of historic and listed buildings. He has the ability to translate theory and design intent into practical and workable solutions and is experienced in working on complex historic sites.
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Gwenno Jones
AssociateGwenno joined Buttress in 2015 and is an experienced architect with a great balance of technical ability, project running and client management. She has worked on a wide range of projects from conception to completion and has significant experience of working with complex briefs and buildings such as law courts and listed building projects.
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Harriett Greenwood
Architectural TechnologistHarriett has worked with the practice in the historic buildings team since leaving school, studying part time for her degree in architectural technology whilst gaining valuable practical experience. Qualified in 2012 she now takes an active technical design role on a number of historic building adaptations and is experienced in designing utilising BIM technology.
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Ilaria Braghiroli
ArchitectIlaria is an Italian architect who fell in love with the British way of doing architecture following an academic placement at Buttress in 2014. Now qualified in architecture and building engineering, Ilaria has returned to Buttress and is working within our residential team.
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Jana Pakalniete
Architectural AssistantJana holds a first class degree in architecture from the University of Leicester and is working with us as an architectural assistant in our residential team.
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Jenna Johnston
Senior Heritage ConsultantJenna is a Senior Heritage Consultant whose work providing a range of research, insight and understanding of heritage and significance; helping Buttress to offer informed conservation guidance and design solutions on a range of historic building projects.
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Jenny Etheridge
Architectural AssistantJenny has recently graduated from Manchester University and is studying for her Part III with us.
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Jo Dunkley
ReceptionJo is our receptionist and provides admin support to the office. When not at work, she is studying for a degree in maths.
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Joseph Kelly
Architectural AssistantJoe graduated from Manchester School of Architecture in 2015 and has joined Buttress as an Architectural Assistant working towards his Part III.
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Ken Smith
Studio PrincipalKen has a wide range of experience including new build and heritage, commercial, industrial and leisure projects. He led a major programme of work to the Grade I listed St George’s Hall in his hometown of Liverpool.
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Kim Corrall
ArchitectKim is an architect with experience of running significant projects in the UK and abroad. At Buttress, she works within our historic buildings team where she applies her skills in design and adaptation to projects, with the added complexity and value of listed buildings and sensitive sites.
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Liz Jackson
AssociateLiz leads our marketing and bid management process.
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Lucy Ashcroft
Architectural AssistantLucy is a creative Architectural Assistant who combines her lifelong passion for drawing, in particular urban space and the built environment, with her in-depth knowledge of building conservation and urban regeneration. Joining Buttress in May 2016, Lucy is part of our heritage team and supports conservation projects.
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Lucy Brackenbury
Senior ArchitectLucy is an enthusiastic and creative architect who works on residential and commercial projects. She has a broad background experience and applies strong technical ability to all she does.
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Martin Kirkpatrick
AssociateMartin is an Associate whose rigorous design ethos is applied to all projects from inception to completion. Experienced in most sectors, he has focused on high end and multi-unit residential as well as commercial office and, more recently, hospitality projects, including the interior architecture of the Innside Manchester on the First Street development and the Cransmontana hotel in Switzerland.
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Michael Bagot
Studio PrincipalMichael has nearly 20 years post qualification experience and joined the practice in 2003. He quickly gains the respect of everybody with whom he works and he brings the knowledge gained from working across various sectors and with most procurement routes.
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Neal Charlton
DirectorNeal joined Buttress in 1999 and is an AABC accredited architect who has undertaken a series of projects with modern interventions to historic settings that include Scheduled Ancient Monuments.
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Nicholas Rank
DirectorNick is recognised as one of the leading architects on historic and ecclesiastical buildings in the country and holds a number of individual consultancy roles including, Architect and Surveyor to Lincoln Cathedral, St Marie’s RC Cathedral in Sheffield, Carlisle Cathedral and Southwell Minster.
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Nick Mitchell
ArchitectNick is a project architect who, after qualification, spent several years working in London on high-end residential projects, conservation and multi-disciplinary projects. Nick has a particular interest in projects that involve an element of remodelling or intervention with existing buildings, and seeks to combine design philosophy with a building's historical narrative in his work.
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Paul Thornborough
Senior Technologist and BIM Co-ordinatorPaul joined Buttress with more than 20 years experience in the industry. During his career he has developed particular expertise in the use of new technologies within architecture, and has previously held BIM co-ordinator roles within some of the UK’s largest architecture and property firms.
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Samantha Gill
ArchitectSamantha is a bright and focused architect working within our historic buildings team and currently assisting with the development of a major heritage project. She has a particular interest in the application of sustainable design principles to historic buildings projects, which follows her year out at Hill Holt Wood where she set up and ran a design practice specialising in eco-structures and existing building adaptation.
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Sebastian Chambers
Architectural AssistantSebastian is a talented part I architectural assistant, providing invaluable support to our architectural staff, particularly in the production of technical drawings, 3D visuals and high-quality presentation images.
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Stephen Anderson
Associate DirectorStephen, an architect since 2003, also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Architectural Conservation and is a Heritage Lottery Fund Mentor. He is a key member of our historic buildings team and has promoted the adoption of BIM in the practice; applying this in his own team to existing and historic building redevelopment projects.
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Stephen Welsh
Studio PrincipalStephen will be a familiar face to many of our ecclesiastical clients, with whom he has worked for over twenty years on restoration and conservation projects. He has exemplary attention to detail and leads the technical detail and delivery of conservation and restoration projects to churches and Cathedrals of all grades.
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Tammy Kahn
Architectural AssistantAfter spending time working at a studio in Cape Town, South Africa, Tammy returned to the UK to gain her MArch from the University of Liverpool. She joined Buttress in 2016 and is currently working towards her Part III examinations as part of our hotels and residential teams.
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