AfH AGM elections 2022 - candidate statements

Please read through all the candidates statements listed below.

There are 2 pairs of candidates for Joint Chair and 8 candidates for 3 places on the Executive Committee. When you are deciding on who to vote for please remember to choose:

  • One pair of AfH Joint Chairs
  • Three Executive Committee Members

You will also be asked to vote on an addendum to the Rules of Architects for Health to provide for Joint Chairs.

  • A link to the voting page is at the bottom of this page

AfH joint Chairs

Alice Green, P+HS Architects

I am a practicing Architect, Interior Designer, Associate and Healthcare Lead at P+HS Architects based in Leeds. Specialising in healthcare, I have led multiple complex and diverse healthcare schemes nationally ranging from community primary care centres, mental health, acute inpatient ward environments to whole hospital masterplans.

Improving our healthcare environments and contributing to the realisation of this, from both a patient and staff perspective through high quality design is a passion for me. Implementing knowledge sharing of global best practice, innovation and growing our diverse network within the AfH community is something I would endeavour to continue to develop with the exec team.

I have been a member of the executive committee for the last 3 years, working with Gareth for the previous 2, during which time we have worked closely together and helped curate many successful events. We strongly believe that by acting as Co-chairs of AfH we can be more representative of the membership and will be better able to meet the demands of the role, building on the work of Chris and moving AfH into the next phase of its development. To illustrate our initial thoughts, we have produced a short manifesto which provides more detail of the direction we wish to take AfH and how this will be achieved and include this also.

Gareth Banks, AHR Architects

I am a practicing architect and Regional Director of AHR Architects based in Manchester with 30 years’ experience. For the last 15 years I have been engaged in designing and running projects within the healthcare sector and have completed several NHS projects, as well as leading healthcare design right across the world from Hong Kong to the UAE.

My enthusiasm for complex problem solving has enabled me to generate innovative responses which resolve multiple issues simultaneously, creating exciting, highly efficient and effective places that clients and users feel a genuine affection for. I feel this pragmatic approach will be essential as we look to increase the influence of AfH for the benefit of its members and the wider Health community.

Alice and I have worked closely together for the last 2 years on the executive, during which time we have helped curate many successful events. We strongly believe that by acting as Co-chairs of AfH we can be more representative of the membership and will be better able to meet the demands of the role, building on the work of Chris and moving AfH into the next phase of its development. To illustrate our initial thoughts, we have produced a short manifesto which provides more detail of the direction we wish to take AfH and how this will be achieved.

Gareth Banks + Alice Green
AfH Joint Chair manifesto

AfH joint Chairs

Stephanie Williamson, GSTT

I submit my nomination for the role of Chair of Architects for Health jointly with Jaime Bishop. We are a strong pairing, both with experience of the Exec Committee and with a shared passion for healthcare design and its impact on building users. I have 20 years experience as a client. My most recent posts include:

  • Exec Director of Built Environment at Great Ormond Street
  • Director of Design & Development at Guy’s and St Thomas’.

Our combined experience gives us a broad perspective and useful insight on healthcare design and development.

So what will I do:

  • grow the organisation and more ably address the geographical divide in activities and events.
  • Continue to support the European Design Congress.
  • Refresh the Student Awards encouraging clients and members to participate.
  • Continue to promote passion and expertise in the hospital environment and arts through awards and filed trips.
  • Continue to improve the networking opportunities making them creative and enjoyable events.
  • Grow our connections with similar organisations overseas.

Finally I have years of experience chairing meetings and working with execs and volunteers running organisations.

Jaime Bishop, Fleet Architects

Stephanie and I are a complementary pairing, with AfH experience and a shared passion for healthcare design and its impact on all building users.

I am a director of Fleet, a practice focussed on social value. Previous roles include MAAP, SBA and Coda, amassing over 20 years of healthcare experience since studying at Bath and the RCA.

I have been involved with NHS boards; a Governor at HUHFT and NED at City and Hackney CCG, chairing Primary Care and PPI.

Fleet are based in London but our work is national, when combined with Stephanies’ Yorkshire base will buttress the advances AfH has made in engaging with welcomed geographical reach.

When first involved in AfH I was challenged by the chair, Ann Noble, to improve the appeal of healthcare design to young architects. This resulted in the founding of the Student Awards. This is still an important role of AfH alongside greater collaboration and engagement with our clinical counterparts and policy leaders. Stephanie is the ideal partner to pursue these goals.

Having dedicated my professional career to design in healthcare and, if successful, we will continue to campaign and advocate for the value of good design in this incredibly vital sector.

Jaime Bishop + Stephanie Williamson
AfH Joint Chair manifesto

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ORDINARY MEMBER - 8 CANDIDATES

Matthew Hird, BDP

I graduated into Nightingale Associates in 2001 and joined BDP in Manchester 2005, where I am an Associate in the Healthcare team. I have worked on Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, both in Liverpool. Most recently, I was part of the team which delivered the Manchester Nightingale Hospital. I have also been a Professional Studies Advisor for the RIBA
Part 3 course since 2018.

I am an advocate of quality in healthcare design, and its vitality to the patients and staff alike and the important role we play in delivering these facilities in a post Covid world. I would seek to maintain the showcasing of good design to AfH members.

I would like to support a wider geographical demographic in AfH. We could explore the creation of a ‘Northern chapter’ for AfH. This could be nationally and internationally inclusive, but delivered from the north, where new AfH memberships could be targeted.

Finally, like many of us, I feel that we are only just ‘scratching the surface’ in our response to the climate change emergency. My multi‐disciplinary background could bring extensive experiences of working alongside engineering colleagues (from NZC to MMC) to the executive committee.

Caroline Mulholland, Sir Robert McAlpine

My time to date on the Architects for Health Committee (2019 onwards) has reinforced my belief that the AfH has the breadth of experience and expertise to take a leadership role in driving design excellence in the widest range of healthcare environments.

The New Hospital Programme and wider capital investment in the NHS provides real opportunities to think more holistically about design and the benefits that it can bring to people and an organisation. As a qualified business case practitioner, I understand the criteria that NHS organisations need to fulfil, particularly Modern Methods of Construction, Net Zero Carbon and Digital. Healthcare design can influence, and be influenced, by these – with AfH at the forefront of sharing best practice and innovation.

My working relationships with numerous NHS organisations enables me to increase awareness of AfH within the NHS, as well as feedback some of the working challenges that could potentially be resolved through design solutions. This access to NHS Trusts could also provide a repository of information to support future research projects.

In continuing as an Executive Committee member and Membership Secretary for AfH I would bring to the table my enthusiasm, pragmatism, and ongoing support for the work of AfH.

Andrew Street, IBI Group

I have been involved in the design of healthcare buildings since 2002. I have always been fascinated by the contribution that data, research, and evidence have in shaping design solutions for environments that deliver real and tangible results for patients, staff members and services as a whole. I’m also interested in the role education plays for the Architect and am currently supporting the MArch Course at the Welsh School of Architecture as a consultant tutor and examiner. Given this experience and interest, I would like to contribute by supporting the events and editorials that AfH host with a view to reinforcing the role of data, research, and evidence in design solutions. I would also be keen to contribute to the AfH Student Design Awards to encourage young designers to be part of the future of healthcare facilities. I would hope I could talk with course leaders at the Welsh School about opportunities to develop a unit that focuses on healthcare. Finally, due to being based in Cardiff, I would hope to contribute a regional focus by showcasing and sharing best practice from the work that is being done in Wales. Thank you for considering my nomination.

Dr Evangelia Chrysikou, UCL

As Associate Professor and Director of the MSc Healthcare Facilities at the Bartlett UCL, an internationally unique programme on healthcare built-environments, I developed an excellent understanding of the international state of the art on architecture for health. I am active in international policy, having collaborated with several governments and institutions in conducting leading research, therefore I will promote those aspects for AfH. Working in academia provides a great understanding of the needs and aspirations of the new generation of healthcare architects and professionals from multiple disciplines relevant to healthcare buildings. I supervise and mentor PhD students and post-Doctoral researchers in healthcare. I am passionate about fostering links between AfH and the younger generation, encouraging them to join AfH and create links that will enable them to create networks and become engaged and active. I am planning to reach out to research and young professional communities, including the European Public Health Association, which I am currently Vice President of Urban Health Section and various academic groups and fora. I am determined to continue and grow the successful collaboration between the MSc, its Alumni and AfH working closely with AfH commitee and members.

Sophie Crocker, HKS Architects

I’ve been in healthcare design for over 7 years and am very passionate about the sector. I’ve worked in Shanghai and London on a variety of domestic and international healthcare projects. In addition, I gained a Masters from the University of Pennsylvania in healthcare design history and theory.

During my M.Arch at the University of Edinburgh, I was Lecture Coordinator for the Edinburgh University Student Architecture Society (EUSAS) and then elected President. I experienced working in a team to promote and support a group within the wider student body and learnt how to deliver on promises made to members. At HKS I am on an elected five-member committee representing over 400 untitled employees globally. We span three time zones connecting with leadership and promoting the interests of junior employees.

AfH is a critical organisation in the UK and is even more vital now when decisions are being made which will shape healthcare design for decades to come. If elected, I will work to expand relationships across our industry to ensure that the expertise of the AfH community is being heard. I would also aim to enable the involvement of clinicians in the society to promote mutual education and development which will be crucial for this next phase of projects.

Linda Jordan, Stride Treglown

I am an Associate healthcare architect at Stride Treglown based in the Manchester studio. An advocate for diversity and inclusion, I have worked in practice for 14 years on projects ranging from small refurbishments to very large complex projects with a multitude of stakeholders. I am experienced in the briefing, design, and delivery of healthcare buildings across the UK.

If elected, I would promote the sharing of good design between architects, clients and contractors working in healthcare, and in developing ways of learning from each other both nationally and internationally. With a degree in psychology, I have a keen interest in the user experience of the built environment and how we can use research to enhance the design of healthcare environments. I was accepted to speak at the European Healthcare Design Conference 2020 on research I had undertaken into Metabolic syndrome and architecture with a focus on mental health.

I would encourage participation amongst members so that their views are represented. As a member of the Stride Treglown Healthcare team with a head office in Bristol and offices throughout the UK, I can bring a voice of regional representation.

Ruairi Reeves, Medical Architeture

I’ve enjoyed inspiring talks, visited great healthcare facilities and met inspiring people during 15 years of AfH membership. I now feel it’s time to contribute more. So I’d like to be considered as a member of the committee.

I am an architect and a director of Medical Architecture. I am based in London and my projects take me across the country and overseas. I’ve worked in healthcare design for almost twenty years and developed a passion for creating effective, therapeutic environments.

As a committee member I want to continue AfH’s programme of high quality and diverse talks and visits. I want to reinforce AfH’s position as a widely recognised and respected centre of knowledge. I want to help AfH reach all regions as well as drawing knowledge from the best examples internationally. Finally, I want to promote healthcare design in education as the rewarding career choice that it can be.

Emma Smyth, HDS Architects

Emma is a healthcare architect with 15 years’ experience on a wide variety of acute and primary care projects. She is Associate Director at HDS Architects, a small yet highly experienced practice based between London and Brighton.

She possesses an infectious enthusiasm for design and is dedicated to improving healthcare environments for the benefit of patients and clinicians alike. She enjoys the complexity of working within existing buildings and actively seeks opportunities to be involved with forward-thinking, design-focused organisations. Emma undertakes research into emerging medical technologies and is a writer and speaker at various industry events in the UK and abroad. Earlier this year, she was selected to be on the Sensing Spaces Working Group committee in association with W3 and Bristol University.

Emma sees AfH as a collaborative organisation, where ideas can be shared for the overall benefit and improvement of the healthcare sector. She wishes to work alongside other ambitious, knowledgeable industry experts within AfH; she brings a future-focused perspective to design, which she hopes will inform and encourage improvements to health policy and design guidance. She is well organised, hardworking and focused, making her an ideal candidate for a position on the Executive Board of AfH.

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