We have a diverse team. We employ 32 staff including 4 part time staff. With an average age of 38 years old. 33% of staff identify as female. 50% of staff were born outside of the UK. 18% of staff have worked here for more than ten years. 100% are passionate about architecture and design!
Simon Fraser founded FBM Architects in 1991 with Angus Brown and Martin MacKenna. Simon is an award-winning architect who has worked in the UK and the USA. Simon has a design input into each project we undertake and is responsible for maintaining strategic client relationships. Simon has a passion for architecture and is always visiting buildings in the UK and abroad and sharing images with the rest of the office, for inspiration. Simon is often out and about meeting new clients, attending conferences and networking events. He is continually searching for new design ideas, technology and materials to help us design inspirational buildings that have a positive effect on the people who use them.
With experience in design and delivery of major projects across a variety of sectors, Andrew’s completed projects include: mixed use regeneration projects for major UK house builders and social housing providers, award winning low-energy homes in Hampshire and small scale developments in difficult urban sites. With his experience, Andrew provides a quick and detailed response to support clients during site acquisitions. He also has expertise in the education sector. In particular, primary and secondary schools where he has delivered multi phased new build and refurbishment solutions to constrained sites.
Viviana Vivanco leads projects primarily in the residential, education and arts and culture sectors. Completed projects include the award-winning regeneration of the Pembury Estate in Hackney, which provides 268 new homes, a thriving community centre, shops and a nursery and a new building for the Salvation Army in Hendon, which provides space for worship, band practice and is the home to the Barnet “Dementia Hub” run by the Alzheimer’s Society. Viviana is currently leading a range of projects including the extension of a church in Barnet to provide new community space and large new housing developments in London for leading developers. Along with the other Directors, Viviana leads design reviews of projects across the practice.
With experience in leading large scale projects through all stages of design and delivery, major projects include the urban development of Pembury Circus for Peabody. Paul has worked across leisure, retail and office design. He has lectured on space planning and participated as a judge for the Leisure Property Awards.
Managing major projects across the practice, John enjoys working at all stages of design and delivery processes from masterplanning to furniture design. He is a graduate of the RCA and projects at FBM Architects include the award winning building for the Museum of the Mind and Bethlem Gallery.
With experience in large scale residential, mixed-use and higher education projects, Sangeeta applies a design-led approach along with rigorous detailing in the delivery of high-quality buildings. Sangeeta worked with the University of Brighton on the award-winning Cockcroft Building refurbishment and delivered a 327-unit mixed-use scheme in Hackney, among many others. She is a certified specialist in the deployment of BIM and offers clients a soft landings approach to BIM. With a sharp understanding of funding directives in design, Sangeeta works with client teams to maximise value in line with current market and stakeholder requirements.
Experience in delivering major projects for clients in the residential, mixed use and student accommodation sectors. David has led successful projects from design stages through to completion including the Student Accommodation awards nominated Student Village, Paradise Street and mixed use scheme Crossways, Slough. Priding himself on close working relationships with clients and contractors alike.
Sean has managed several major residential projects across the practice and has worked across a variety of sectors, but has a primary interest and experience in the design and delivery of estate regeneration and affordable housing projects across London and beyond. In addition to his professional practice, Sean has acted as an invited critic to the University of Sheffield, Central St. Martins, and Queen’s University Belfast
Matthew is an architect specialising in projects for estates and public sector clients. His experience encompasses higher education, arts, cultural and historic buildings. Adaptive reuse is also significant part of Matthew’s background, and he has worked on more than twenty listed buildings around the UK. His university clients have included UCL, Birkbeck College, QMUL, where he has led varied schemes including student accommodation, bioscience laboratories, academic workplaces, seminar rooms and Social Learning Spaces. His cultural project experience includes theatres, music venues, galleries, libraries, and exhibition spaces. Alongside practice, Matthew is an academic researcher with a doctorate in architectural and urban history.
Francois is a talented designer with particular experience in housing and mixed-use projects. Since joining FBM he has been involved in a number of major projects, using design and technical innovation to deliver high quality mixeduse schemes. Francois is the sustainabiltiy champion within the office.
John has been an Associate Director of FBM for ten years leading on major University projects including a new integrated science and teaching building for the University of East Anglia and the award-winning retrofit of the Cockcroft Building for the University of Brighton. John specialises in the design of sustainable, low-energy buildings. He uses this knowledge to add value to education, residential and commercial sectors for both new builds and refurbishments. He is a qualified Passivhaus Designer and is also a Trustee for the Architects Benevolent Society. In June 2021 he stepped down from his full time post but continues to offer input as a consultant, specialising in sustainable building design.
FBM Architects believe that fantastic architecture makes a positive difference to people’s lives. This is the inspiration that drives all that we do. We aim to create opportunities to reflect on and learn from our work, to share ideas and expertise. We do this in a number of ways:
Design Charrettes
We schedule design charrettes to generate ideas for new projects. Charrettes may involve the whole office or selected members of staff. The idea is to produce a number of different responses to a brief in a short space of time and to present these through a limited number of sketches to the rest of the office. Recent charrettes have helped us to generate design ideas for the redevelopment of four sites in Southwark, to provide new homes for the local council.
Friday Forums
Our Friday Forums take place at least once a month towards the end of the working day. The Forums follow different patterns but the aim is the same – for us to gather and hear from one another about some aspect of our work. The focus of Friday Forums is to give an opportunity for members of staff who aren’t leading projects to present their work to the rest of the office. Recent Friday Forums have included “Project Lucky Dip” which involve us each drawing a question out of a hat and responding to it with reference to one of our current projects. “Show and Tell” involves members of staff working individually or as part of a pair to present some aspect of their current project, often referring to images and drawings. “PechaKucha” are used to present twenty slides in quick succession, with only twenty seconds on each slide.
Learning Lunches
Friday lunchtime sessions are organised periodically to offer more structured continual professional development. Usually delivered by a consultant or supplier the sessions focus on a particular product or area of interest of relevant to current projects. Lunch is provided. These sessions are supplemented by talks by members of staff, sharing knowledge and expertise on a relevant topic or aspect of software/processes.
Study Tours
Periodically we make a study trip to a European city to explore buildings and exhibitions. Recent visits have included a trip to the Venice Architecture Biennale, visits to Basel, Hamburg, Paris, Berlin, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Krakow and Istanbul. The study tours have usually taken place in October or November. The cost of accommodation and travel expenses and one group meal is covered by the practice. When we return to the office, we use Petcha Kuchas to share our favourite sights and discern how we can apply what we have learnt to our own projects.