GAUNT FRANCIS ARCHITECTS - Key Persons
Alex began working at Gaunt Francis whilst at the School of Architecture in Cardiff, and has been with the practice for over 8 years. During this time she has been supporting project leaders as an architect while also developing expertise in sustainability, energy efficiency, 3D modelling and rendering.
Many of the projects Alex has worked on have been either modern sustainable housing or mixed use retirement villages, but she also has experience in workplace sectors and the design of reception spaces, offices and retail. She has over 10 years of experience in design team collaboration.
After studying at the Welsh School of Architecture, Alistair gained valuable experience locally working on projects in both the residential and commercial sectors. These included a number of social housing and student accommodation projects, as well as larger urban development schemes, for both developer and end-user clients.
Alistair joined Gaunt Francis Architects in August 2018, shortly after gaining his Part 3 qualification from the WSA and registering as an architect.
Chris is a qualified architect with more than 18 years of experience across a wide variety of project types, including many in the education and residential sectors. Chris developed his experience with several accomplished architectural practices until 2009 when he became a founding partner of Pace Jefford Moore Architects, a small but successful practice based in central London. PJMA developed a reputation for delivering high quality projects in the education, housing and commercial sectors, many of which involved work with heritage assets or listed buildings.
Chris relocated to Cardiff in 2014 and joined Powell Dobson Architects as Design Associate, a role that involved him in many of PDA's key projects including a masterplan for the development of Cardiff Central Station. Chris joined Gaunt Francis Architects in June 2017 and is currently leading several project teams working on residential and care schemes across the UK.
David joined Gaunt Francis in 2016, following the completion of his Part II studies at the University of Liverpool. The majority of his work has been within the residential sector, having worked in Winchester on conservation and heritage projects. Drawing upon this experience, he now assists project leaders on residential retirement living schemes with emphasis upon interventions with existing buildings.
Florence studied at the Manchester School of Architecture for both her BA and MArch. Her masters thesis was focused on urban design, creating a masterplan for an area of East Belfast. This has developed her interest and expertise in the field of urban design, notably winning an urbanism award for her thesis.
Before joining Gaunt Francis, she spent several years working for a variety of practices in Manchester. Throughout this time, Florence gained valuable experience working across various sectors including residential, commercial and education sector. Most recently, Florence has worked on notable sustainability projects, including a higher education building targeting WELL standard and Net Zero Schools for the Department of Education.
Since joining Gaunt Francis at the end of 2021, Florence has been working within the planning team for retirement villages and will shortly start working towards her Part 3 qualification.
Gavin Birt graduated from the Welsh School of Architecture with previous employment in Bristol and London and has considerable experience of both new build and refurbishment works. As well as large scale commercial projects, he has been involved in a number of award winning schemes for end user clients.
Gavin is in charge of our Cardiff office. He oversees a variety of projects and heads up our care community and retirement village sectors. He maintains close links with Cardiff University, is a student mentor and visiting critic at the Welsh School of Architecture.
Helen Stuart has over 25 years' experience working in Finance and general management. She has been Finance Director of Gaunt Francis Architects since 2011 and has been in charge of accounts, payroll and all other financial issues since 1997.
Emma joined Gaunt Francis in November 2017, having previously worked in Financial Services and Educational Sector in South Wales for 10 years, as well as having gained qualifications in the fields of both Business, Finance and Accounting.
Emma works in the Finance department, assisting the Finance Director, Helen Stuart, in accounts, payroll and all other financial roles, and continuously aims to provide excellent finance services for the company.
Katja Timmermann graduated in 2002 from the University of Applied Sciences in Muenster, and worked in private practices in Germany where the main focus of her work was on residential projects of different types and scales. Katja first joined Gaunt Francis Architects in January 2006 to work on several industrial, commercial and residential projects in England and Wales. Katja re-joined Gaunt Francis Architects in June 2014, after having worked with Capita Symonds on a variety of projects in the health, education and community sectors. She was made an Associate in June 2017.
Kimberley has recently joined Gaunt Francis as an Architect, with over ten years' experience working in both small Architectural and International multi-disciplinary practices. She studied at the Welsh School of Architecture.
Kimberley has a broad range of experience working in Retail, Infrastructure, Healthcare, Education and Residential Sectors. Her area of expertise includes Building Information Modelling, Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM), Activity Database and ensuring delivery of Level 2 compliance.
She has experience working on both new build and refurbishment projects.
Maxim completed his Bachelor of Design in Architecture at the University of Sydney in 2010 and worked for 1.5years at DtB Architects in Sydney, before going on to complete his Master of Architecture at the University of Sydney in 2014, graduating on the Dean's List of Academic Excellence.
Maxim joined Gaunt Francis in January 2018 following 2.5 years as a Part II Architectural Assistant at Feilden and Mawson in London, where he gained experience in conservation and regeneration from concept to completion, particularly in his involvement in the Chatham & Ames House refurbishment.
Having studied at the Welsh School of Architecture and worked previously on a variety of public sector projects within the UK, Michael joined Gaunt Francis Architects in 2016, looking to gain further practical experience at the beginning of his architectural career. He currently works primarily on the residential care schemes within the office.
Job Titles:
- Senior Architectural Technologist
Michael joined Gaunt Francis in 2013. In his previous practice he worked his way up from Office Junior to a Project Technician, and during this time worked on a number of mixed-use schemes in the private sector. Now a Senior Technician, he delivers schemes during the Tender/Construction period under the guidance of a Project Architect.
During the last few years he has gained particular expertise in delivering residential schemes, more specifically creating small communities for retired living and has specific experience in supporting the project architect in the delivery of various projects of this nature.
Paul joined the Gaunt Francis team in June 2018. He has broad experience of commercial and publicly funded projects across a wide range of building types notably in the residential, and education sectors. Paul studied at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, and returned as a post graduate to complete an MSc in Environmental Design of Buildings.
He has worked in private practice leading architectural / multi-disciplinary teams from early stage design through production information to site and has undertaken practice management and business development duties. He also has experience of working in local authority in-house teams at Oxfordshire CC and Rhondda Cynon Taf and he ran his own practice environments architects in Cardiff.
Job Titles:
- CDM Advisor / External Consultant
Phillip has been working with Gaunt Francis Architects for several years, coordinating the practice's commitment to good Construction Design Management (CDM) and Party Wall procedure. Prior to joining the practice he has a broad background in building surveying work, working for a range of public and private sector clients across various projects throughout the U.K. He also has experience as a planning supervisor and as a client liaison; ensuring that quality is maintained throughout a projects' delivery.
Priscila joined Gaunt Francis Architects in January 2019, having previously gained her Architectural certification (CAU) in Brazil. She obtained valuable experience over a number of years working on a variety of different projects within the retail, commercial and residential sectors in Brazil. This included both the design concept and construction stages of these developments.
Robyn Thomas joined Gaunt Francis in 2015 and was made an Associate in 2017, having gained extensive experience in the industry's private and public sectors.
The majority of his recent work has been in the private sector, with an emphasis on bespoke one-off dwellings and mixed developments in the commercial sector. He has expertise in developing detailed technical coordinated solutions for project delivery and leading teams on projects from inception to completion.
Sophie studied in Liverpool and Edinburgh and has also lived in Singapore and Rome, and as such brings a wealth of experience to the varied teams at Gaunt Francis.
Sophie joined Gaunt Francis March 2018 and is a very experienced Architect, who has specialised in Conservation for much of her working life. Sophie has worked on many listed buildings in her career, including the Grade I, Hannover terrace in Regents park and Grade I, Llanelly house which was subject of a BBC documentary. Sophie is a keen exponent of sustainable methods, which include understanding the value of embodied energy and passive systems.
Stephen Brunker joined Gaunt Francis Architects in 2008, having spent over 2 years working on residential healthcare projects at another Cardiff practice. Before moving to Cardiff, Stephen graduated from the University of Sheffield and spent 5 years working in a small general practice specialising in up-market residential schemes for niche/specialist developers and regional/national house builders.