Great Northern Warehouse and Beetham Tower

John Assael (born 1950) is a prominent British

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. He is particularly known for his work at the Royal Institute of British Architects(RIBA) and for his commitment to being an exemplar employer.

Early life and education

John Assael was born in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city prope ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. He spent the early years of his life in Africa but attended school in England from the age of 11. He studied architecture at

Oxford Polytechnic Polytechnic is most commonly used to refer to schools, colleges, or universities that qualify as an institute of technology or vocational university also sometimes called universities of applied sciences. Polytechnic may also refer to: Educati ...

, which renamed in 1992 to

Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic) is a public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. The university was named ...

. He has a Master's degree in Urban & Regional Planning from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...

. He also holds a Post Graduate Diploma from the

Architectural Association School of Architecture The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in the world. Its wide-ranging programme ...

in Conservation Studies. In 2017 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Design by Oxford Brookes University and in 2023 was made an Honorary Professor by the University of Nottingham.

Career

John Assael is currently the Chairman and a co-founder of the London-based practice Assael Architecture.

Architecture

After qualifying as an Architect, he worked for several architectural companies until the age of 28, when he started his first practice. In 1994 he founded the London-based practice Assael Architecture along with co-founder Russell Pedley. His practice was named Architect of the Year in 2016 at

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, wh ...

British Homes Awards.

Professional

In 2019 he was made a Fellow of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

(RIBA). In 2014 he had been elected to act as a national member of the RIBA Council, the governing body of the RIBA and was later appointed as Honorary Treasurer. He had previously held various other posts at the RIBA, including Vice President for Professional Services and was a trustee of the RIBA Board. He is a former chairman of the

RIBA Journal The ''RIBA Journal'', (often known simply as the ''RIBAJ''), is an architecture magazine and website published by the Royal Institute of British Architects, based in London. It has the largest circulation of any UK-originating architecture magazin ...

. He was an elected member to the Architect's Registration Board (ARB) where he has sat on the Prescription Committee. He is a co-opted member of the Council of the Association of Consultant Architects. He sits on the Executive Committee and has been a trustee of the Architects Benevolent Society since 2004. and was a judge for the annual WAN (World Architecture News) Awards.

Involvement in Higher Education

He been a visiting fellow at Oxford Brookes University since 2000. He is an external examiner at The Bartlett and London Metropolitan University and has lectured at Cardiff, Nottingham, Huddersfield, Manchester and Westminster Universities. He holds the post of Master of Students at the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects

Notable work

* 21 Young Street * Queen's Wharf & Riverside Studios, Hammersmith * Great West Quarter, Brentford * Century Buildings, Manchester * Wallis House - conversion of Art Deco landmark on the Golden Mile, Brentford, London. * Ten Rochester Row * Tachbrook Triangle SW1, Vauxhall Bridge Road, London * Rainsborough Square, Farm Lane, Fulham * Osiers Gate * Lumiere Apartments, Former Granada Cinema, Clapham * Paynes and Borthwick Wharves, London * Quebec Way, Canada Water, London * Doddington Estate, Cheshire

Selected awards

* ''

'' British Homes Awards, Architect of the Year in 2008, 2014 and 2016 * '' Building magazine's'' Good Employer Guide, Winner 2014 and 2015 * ''

Architects' Journal ''Architects' Journal'' is an architectural magazine published in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It sta ...

'' AJ120 Business Pioneer of the Year in 2015

References

External links

John Assael
interviewed by Adrian Dobson, Director of Practice at the RIBA
RIBA Council members
at the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Board member profile
at the Architects Registration Board (ARB).
ACA Council members
at Association of Consulting Architects
Official website
of Assael Architecture. {{DEFAULTSORT:Assael, John Living people Architects from Oxford Alumni of Oxford Brookes University 1950 births People from Nairobi