SPEAKERS

CHRIS STEWART PRIAS, Architect, Collective Architecture

Chris Stewart was elected RIAS President in June 2022. He is passionate about sustainable, inclusive architecture for all. Chris is a Architect and founder of the employee-owned practice Collective Architecture. Chris is also a Director of the Scottish Ecological Design Association, former Convenor of the Glasgow Institute of Architects (GIA), Sustainability Committee and helped establish the RIAS Sustainable Working Group.

CHRISTINA MCKELVIE MSP, Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development

Christina McKelvie was appointed as Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development in March 2023. Her role supports the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture.

Born in Glasgow, Christina went to St Leonard's Secondary School and her studies included the University of St Andrews.

Christina, who has two sons, has been MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse since May 2011. She was previously MSP for Central Scotland and has been chair of the Equalities and Human Rights Committee.

RORY OLCAYTO, Writer and critic, Pollard Thomas Edwards

Rory Olcayto is writer and critic at Pollard Thomas Edwards. A former editor of The Architects' Journal and chief executive of Open City, the organisation behind Open House London, Rory has worked in architectural practice, as a videogames designer, and a journalist, in Glasgow, Liège, Istanbul and London. He has written and edited books on Mimar Sinan (The First Starchitect), Richard Rogers (British Museum World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre) and Charles Rennie Mackintosh (The Hill House: Not Forever with Carmody Groarke). Rory studied architecture (BSc and MSc) at the University of Strathclyde. Rory lives in Walthamstow with his daughter. 

NATASHA HUQ, Senior Associate, GRAS

Natasha Huq is a conservation accredited architect at GRAS in Edinburgh with over ten years experience working with historic buildings and monuments. She believes that retaining and reusing existing buildings is a fundamental part of sustainable development, contributing to the cultural identity and social value of our built environment.  

Outside architectural practice, Natasha enjoys fostering broad conversations about design through various roles including university tutor, mentor, cultural events programmer and broadcaster.  She co-organises the design series ‘Talks at the Lane’, has been a contributor for a number of architectural journals and magazines, and has co-presented Grand Designs the Streets and Grand Designs House of the Year. 

MUYIWA OKI PRIBA, Senior Architectural Manager, MACE Ltd

Muyiwa Oki is a Senior Architect at Mace Ltd and will serve as President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) from 2023-25. Muyiwa was elected following a campaign which included pledges to promote more flexible routes into the profession, increase transparency, dial up efforts to improve diversity, and embrace digital culture.

As an Architect at Mace, Muyiwa is focused on technology, innovation, modern methods of construction. Throughout his career, Muyiwa has worked on large-scale infrastructure projects - including Qiddiya, HS2 Euston and the North London Heat and Power Project – and projects with public estate clients that have a strategic mission to revitalise cities.

Muyiwa is an ambassador, speaker and mentor for aspiring architects via programmes such as Mayor of London Design Challenge, Scale Rule, and POC in Architecture which exists to encourage greater social mobility within the profession.

MURRAY KERR, Director, Denizen Works

Murray Kerr founded the award winning Denizen Works over ten years ago. As a denizen is, among other things, a plant naturalised on foreign soil, Murray and the Denizen Works team aim to make architecture that is rooted in an understanding of place.

Denizen Works projects, though scattered across the UK and beyond, are all linked by an approach which taps into local history, landscape, microclimate and community.

Murray is a visiting critic at architecture schools across the UK and has presented the work of the office in various universities and conferences across Europe. In addition, Murray has been a judge for numerous design awards, including the RIAS Awards and the Doolan Prize.

ISLA JACKSON, Director, Civic Engineers

Isla is a Director of Civic Engineers. She is passionate about buildings and the spaces in between them. As a chartered engineer, she aims to create inspirational structures and places that have a positive impact on the environment and enable people to lead happier and healthier lives.

The skills Isla has developed coupled with the active role engineers are playing in addressing the climate emergency have found her looking at five key principles when designing projects: Exploring not exploiting; Building not destroying; Re-using not just using; listening and learning; and climate resilience. Her work includes leading on all structural, civil and transport engineering projects for the practice in Scotland include The Edinburgh Innovation Hub, The Arthouse Canonmills and Block A of the transformative Glasgow Avenues scheme which will dramatically improve the quality of city centre Glasgow, putting people at its heart. . Isla is also an approved SER certifier of design (Building structures) and a trained Principal Designer under CDM 2015.

ANNE MARIE GALMSTRUP, Director, Galmstrup Architects

Anne Marie is an Architect specialised in cultural and community projects. Her strengths are in visioning and crafting original design concepts driven from a place's context and culture, collection and communities.

Her practice Galmstrup Architects work revolves around the civic sphere from new build and transformation of museums, galleries, visitor- and community centres, to master planning of entire cultural districts and heritage sites.

With 20 years of international experience working on cultural projects as an architect, Masterplanner and client advisor, she leads multidisciplinary design- and client teams forward often in complex settings and on sensitive projects with many stakeholders.

In Scotland she has worked with the National Trust for Scotland for a number of years on various sites in the Western Islands and Highlands, and earlier this year completed the Eyemouth Pavilion in the South Borders.

She graduated from the Bartlett School of Architecture and is the founding director of Imaginations Cross Cultures, a non-profit co-creating summer schools for young people. 

DAN BENHAM, Director, Benham Architects

Part of Benham Architects, who have recently completed Grange Pavilion, alongside the IBI Group, Dan believes in people being central to all places we create and aims to create strong design ethos for practice, working on many key projects, with people, community and place at the heart of the process and final resolutions. As the youngest President of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales, returning again for a second term, Dan has been part of many thought-provoking exhibitions and talks that have allowed people to engage with the design community of Wales and ask key questions about the future of Welsh Architecture and what does it mean for the country of Wales. As a tutor and visiting lecturer of the Value Unit within the Master’s course in Cardiff University / Welsh School of Architecture, Dan has strong design credentials with a notions of architecture that stem from simple place making and pushing the boundaries of spatial understanding. Enveloped in these curiosities is a passion to understand what it means to build and create a sense of ‘home’ within a Welsh context that is rich in heritage, culture and tectonics. Dan recently extended this passion, presenting a paper in Prague this year, alongside the RSAW, about the Welsh Terrace and how its historic and social context, leads to design principles can be utilised for successful future housing designs.

ALEX ELY, Founding Director, Mæ

Alex Ely is Founding Director of Mæ, a London based architecture and urban design studio. The studio has established an international reputation for sustainable urbanism and for the design of innovative housing and social infrastructure. Alex leads Mæ’s design direction and has twice been shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize. Alex also advises government and the Mayor of London on urban and planning policy promoting an agenda of design excellence. He has recently published ‘Towards a Resilient Architecture’, a book that explores how we can design more inclusive and environmentally conscientious buildings and places.

DENISE BENNETTS, Founding Director, Bennetts Associates

Denise co-founded Bennetts Associates in 1987, with her partner Rab Bennetts, and played a strategic role in the overall design direction of the practice.  She has been involved across the practice’s wide range of award-winning and highly sustainable projects including major headquarters and City office developments, theatres and hotels. She is a respected architectural critic, is an assessor for several awards schemes and is currently chair of the RIBA National and International Awards Group.  She also serves as an external examiner at all stages of education at architecture schools across the UK, is a member of the British School at Rome’s Faculty of Architecture and chairs the RIAS Nominations Committee, was the chair of Usable Buildings Trust and became a trustee of Article 25 in 2019 and chair in 2021. Denise took lead responsibility for the practice’s financial and legal affairs and undertook the key role in transferring ownership of the practice to an Employee Ownership Trust in 2016.   

Note: full list of speakers to be added once confirmed