Ben is our non-executive Chair, he has a long association with the practice, having first joined as a student in 1973, he became a partner in 1986. Ben led the management buyout in 2013 which led to our establishment as an LLP. Since then the practice has grown five-fold and includes teams in four studios across the UK.
He is a Commissioner of Historic England. He serves on the London Advisory Committee, High Streets Heritage Action Zone Board and is chair of the Historic Places Panel.
Ben is President of the London Forum of Amenity and Civic Societies, is a member of the NHBC Council and sits on the advisory board of proptech firm, Chimni.
He was President of RIBA from 2017 – 2019 where he oversaw fundamental change in the financing and governance of the institute and the instigation of policies in relation to climate action, professional competence and codes of conduct.
Ben has published widely in research on housing, for example relating to the performance rating of homes and strategies for suburban intensification through collective action of neighbours, known as Supurbia. He has summarised his long career as a housing designer in a book, Home Truths, published by Hatch Editions and available from RIBA Books in January 2023, the book serves a primer for anyone with an interest in the planning and design of sustainable places.
