Review Panellists

Design review panel members are all professionals in their field, in current practice and experienced in all kinds of development projects. They are appointed through competitive interview for a term of two years, pending review and reappointment. Panel members are unpaid and give their time and expertise freely in support of teams aiming to achieve the best possible schemes. The panel is multi-disciplinary, with members coming from the fields of urban and landscape design, architecture, sustainability,planning,engineering and transport.

Design Review Panellist

Jonathan Adams

Jonathan trained at the Welsh School of Architecture and at the Architectural Association School of Architecture before joining Will Alsop's studio and subsequently the Alsop and Stormer practice. Having gathered UK and international experience he returned to Wales in 1998 joining Percy Thomas Architects (now Capita Percy Thomas) in Cardiff, taking the role of lead designer for the Wales Millennium Centre and the Combined Universities Campus near Falmouth. Jonathan is past-president of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW).

Design Review Panellist

Ashley Bateson

Ashley Bateson is a Partner at Hoare Lea and heads the Sustainability Group, providing advice to Developers, Project Sponsors and Architects on sustainable development in the built environment. Ashley is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineering and Member of the Energy Institute. Ashley has worked for over 15 years in the design of low energy, low environmental impact buildings across a range of sectors including residential, office, retail, and public buildings. Consultancy experience also includes strategic advice on sustainable masterplanning, passive design and renewable energy generation.

Design Review Panellist

Ed Colgan

Retired Transport Planner with Arup, Fellow of ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers) and Member of IHT (Institution of Highways and Transportation), Ed brings specialist expertise and a lifetime of practical experience in delivering major projects. He is convinced that design quality is a key aspect of infrastructure and integrated transport projects and in addition to traffic and transport assessment, he is an experienced negotiator and has appeared as an expert witness at planning appeal inquiries.

Design Review Panellist

Kedrick Davies

Holding a diploma in Urban Design, with distinction, and a diploma in Town and Country Planning, Kedrick is director of CDN Planning Ltd, with offices in Pontardawe, Conwy and Cardiff, and a specialist in development appraisal, design briefing, sustainable development and the UK planning system. In addition Kedrick is retained consultant to North Somerset Council and has worked on a number of regeneration projects including Portishead and Weston-Super-Mare - the largest private sector EcoHomes project in the UK.

Design Review Panellist: Co-Chair

Alan Francis

Alan is a co-chair of Design Review and Chairman of the Commission. Alan is also founding partner of Gaunt Francis Architects with offices in Cardiff and London. Alan spent a decade with Hunter & Partners, London becoming director of design there in 1991 and led major projects throughout the UK. Dedicated to championing good design Alan views the role of the Commission as crucial. Alan has particular expertise in the development sector and brings a valuable perspective to the Commission. Gaunt Francis, working with Barratt as development partner, completed in May 2008, the first house to achieve Code Level 6 on the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Design Review Panellist

Michael Griffiths

Co-founder of Latitude Architects and Designers, Michael trained at Nottingham University, qualifying with RIBA part III in 1989. Working for Michael Squire Associates, London, Michael also spent three years in the office of Kisho Kurokawa in Tokyo where he was project designer for the Ehime Prefectural Science Museum in Shikoku. A member of the winning team for the competition for Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, he relocated to KL for a year as practice representative responsible for the scheme design phase. In 1994, Michael joined BAA plc as a project and design manager for the Heathrow Terminal 5 before re-joining Michael Squire and Partners as a partner in 1998. In 2000, Michael co-founded Latitude where he has since concentrated on the development of the 25 strong firm.

Design Review Panellist

Mark Hallett

Director of Igloo Regeneration, and development manager of the Igloo Regeneration Partnership, described by the UN as the world's first sustainable property investor and is the only substantial socially responsible real estate vehicle in the UK. Mark is responsible for Igloo's joint venture with the Welsh Assembly Government for the regeneration of Cardiff Bay's Roath Basin, one of the most significant waterfront developments in the UK. Mark trained at the Welsh School of Architecture, UWIST and Reading University. He has worked as a Project Manager and Development Director for a variety of consultancies, contractors, developers and joint venture companies throughout the UK for over 25 years. His experience encompasses the full range of commercial, residential, retail and leisure projects with responsibility for identifying and unlocking value from major brown field urban regeneration land holdings with a combined development value in excess of 1 billion pounds. These projects have often been delivered in partnerships between public and private sectors, many of which are award winning and recognised as best practice.

Design Review Panellist

Jonathan Hines

Jonathan is an architect and director of Architype, a design led architectural practice specialising in sustainable design and timber construction. Architype won the RIBA Sustainability Award and Sustainable Architecture of the Year in 2007. Jonathan has led the development of Architype's ecological approach, through the successful delivery of a range of pioneering projects. He has been involved in national research projects and regularly speaks at conferences and universities, and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Design Review Panellist: Co-Chair

Ewan Jones

Born in Newport, South Wales Ewan was educated in Porthcawl and at the University of Bath where he gained a first class Bachelor of Architecture degree in addition to a BSc. He is a member of the RIBA and was a visiting critic and studio tutor at the University of Bath. Associate Director with Grimshaw in London, Ewan leads major projects throughout the UK. He is the designer of the Usk footbridge in Newport and has also worked internationally, notably at Ijburg in the Netherlands and in Berlin. Ewan was nominated for the RIBA Silver Medal, in 1990 won a Gradus Detail in Design Prize and is the recipient of the University of Bath Sir Basil Spence Prize.

Design Review Panellist

Martin Knight

Martin Knight founded Knight Architects in 2006 to focus on bridge design, following nine years at Wilkinson Eyre Architects, where he was responsible for projects including the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, the Gatwick Air Bridge and the Swansea 'Sail Bridge'. His public buildings included the National Waterfront Museum Swansea and the Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth. In 2005 he was selected in the AJ/Corus 40 Under 40 Awards and in 2006 he contributed to the Arts Council/RIBA 'Architect in Residence' schools programme.

Design Review Panellist

Kieren Morgan

Principal of Nightingale Associates Architects (Cardiff) Kieren is a specialist in healthcare architecture and sense sensitive design. He has taught at the Welsh School of Architecture and the Faculty of Engineering, Cardiff University and is a member of the NHS Estates Design Review Panel. Formerly Director of Architecture at Capita Property Consultancy Kieren has also worked with David Lea, Greenberg & Hawkes and Nicholas Hare Architects.

Design Review Panellist

Lyn Owen

A professional planner with a background in development plans, development control and policy, in local and central government in Wales. In a former role at the National Assembly for Wales he worked on current policy and technical guidance for Wales in relation to design. Lyn's other areas of policy experience include transport, retail, environmental assessment and the role of the Welsh language in planning. Lyn is active in the Royal Town Planning Institute which he represents on bodies dealing with transport and planning policy in Wales.

Design Review Panellist

Professor Richard Parnaby

Professor of Architecture at the University of the West of England, Richard studied architecture and planning at Liverpool University and holds a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He worked as an architect in Vancouver for several years and was a partner in an Architectural practice in Wales from 1980 to 1996. Richard was project architect for the British Steel low energy house at Garden Festival Wales (1992) and the Rhondda Heritage Park Visitor Centre and from 1982 to 1987 Richard was a lecturer the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff. He has also been a visiting design tutor at Liverpool University and visiting lecturer in the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cardiff University. Founding chair of DCFW and a past president of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales (1997-1999), Richard has also served on the Board and Council of the RIBA and is a member of their Education Committee.

Design Review Panellist: Co-Chair

Professor John Punter

Commissioner and founding Chair of Design Review, John is Professor of Urban Design at Cardiff University School of City and Regional Planning. A planning and urban design academic, he has written extensively on UK design control including detailed studies of design control practices in Reading and Bristol, of design policy and guidance (for the British Government) and of the content and resolution of design appeals. He contributed to 'By Design',1999, wrote the original Welsh Development Agency (WDA) 'Design Strategy',2002 and co-authored with the RTPI 'From Design Policy to Design Quality' in 2002. He has undertaken consultancy for Reading Borough Council, Comedia, the WDA and research for Cardiff County Council. His extensive international research includes major studies of planning in France 1989, Design guidance in Europe 1999, Urban design in Vancouver 2003, and Sydney 2005 and Suzhou, Xiamen and Zhenjiang in China 2004/05. He is a member of the RTPI and serves on its Urban Design Network. He is an honorary member of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales and a member of the Urban Design Group.

Design Review Panellist

Phil Roberts

Chief Executive and Director of Development with the Gwalia Housing Group Phil's experience in housing is underpinned by his interest in the role of environmental architecture in the construction of sustainable housing. In this leadership capacity he has developed and driven strategic networks and the consequent growth of group. Phil's experience in affordable housing is a particular strength. He has delivered several award winning schemes throughout Wales, is former Chair of the development committee of the Welsh Federation of Housing Associations and Chair of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales Committee on Housing Design.

Design Review Panellist

Elfed Roberts

Elfed is currently Architect & Deputy Director of Development at Gwalia Housing Association where he acts as a 'Design Champion' within the organisation. Prior to this, as Swansea City Council's Urban Designer, Elfed promoted good design through the planning system and major Council projects. His previous roles include that of Urban Initiatives Manager with Gloucester City Council, heading a team of built environment specialists; Principal Conservation and Design Officer at Cotswold District Council; and Environment Officer at Gwynedd Council, providing design advice on town centre regeneration projects. Elfed is a member of the RSAW and IHBC.

Design Review Panellist: Co-Chair

Wendy Richards

Development Director at the Commission Wendy is qualified in both landscape architecture and urban design, and was formerly an Associate with Austin Smith Lord, Cardiff. Wendy first joined DCFW as a Design Review Panel member, and was appointed a Commissioner between 2006 and 2007. During that time Wendy was Principal Urban Designer at Newport City Council with responsibility for large applications linked to the large scale regeneration in the city. Wendy has considerable international experience of design and the development context, notably South East Asia, and is a representative of the Landscape Institute Wales.

Design Review Panellist

Gerard Ryan

Gerard studied architecture at South Bank Polytechnic and the University of Virginia and holds a Masters degree from the Bartlett School of Architecture. He is a member of the RIBA. Gerard taught architecture and occasionally still lectures. Formerly an associate at Shepheard Epstein Hunter plc he is currently a project leader at Nicholas Hare Architects LLP where he lead the architectural team responsible for No 1 Callaghan Square in Cardiff which won the Alwynn Lloyd Gold Medal at the National Eisteddfod in 2003. Gerard is determined to promote and support the DCfW's vision for design excellence in Wales as endorsed by the WAG. Gerard is also chair of the Kingsland Conservation Area Advisory Committee and sits on Hackney's Planning Forum.

Design Review Panellist

Ben Sibert

An Associate with Arup, Ben has particular interested in bridges and transportation infrastructure. Ben views the application of the design process as a vital element in adding value and quality to major schemes. Having worked in a leading capacity on large scale highway, rail and footway projects including underground rail Ben is particularly interested in the role of the consulting engineer in the design process and in procurement methods.

Design Review Panellist

Anne-Marie Smale

Ann-Marie has over 15 years experience in architecture, eleven years of those with Powell Dobson developing a dedicated residential & lifestyle team. Ann-Maries has been a director since 2000 and has been responsible for the majority of the practices residential commissions during this time. The schemes have varied from multi-storey apartment blocks to award winning waterfront developments such as Pentre Nicklaus Village in Llanelli. Ann-Marie has also maintained strong links with the Welsh School of Architecture, having taught there for four years prior to joining Powell Dobson.

Design Review Panellist

Steve Smith

A Planner-Urban Designer trained at Oxford Brookes University, Steve is The City and County of Swansea's Principal Urban Designer where his role is to raise standards of design via the planning system and to promote high quality design in the Councils regeneration projects. Previously Steve was Urban Designer with Rhondda Cynon Taff Council where he set up the design service from scratch. Steve has also worked as an urban design for Local Authorities in Bath and the South-east of England. His experience represents the front line Local Authority challenge of raising standards via negotiations and proactive projects. His special interest is raising design quality in everyday places where we all spend the majority of our lives.

Design Review Panellist

Lynn Sullivan

Lynne Sullivan is an Architect and Director of Inbuilt, a recently-formed multidisciplinary company delivering sustainable design, engineering and sustainability consultancy. Lynne has acted as project architect for many low-carbon building projects including the International Building for University of London, winner of a 1999 RIBA Regional Design Award, and a new community at The Bridge, finalist in the 2007 Housing Design Awards. She won the 1999 DETR/RIBA Zero CO2 Housing Competition, was a finalist in the 2008 Carbon Challenge competition, and is a government advisor on Building Regulations.

Design Review Panellist

Howard Wainwright

A director of Powell Dobson, Howard is also charged with heading up their internal Design Group task force. This expert team engage in design reviews and maintain input throughout the lifespan of projects led by the practice. Howard is a strong advocate for the design process as means of improving quality and value in schemes and enthusiastically disseminates this message to a variety of professional and other groups. This passion is matched by strong attachment to best practice and he has served on the RIBA Professional Conduct Committee.