Maura joined Austin-Smith:Lord in 2024 as Senior Architect. She is dedicated to conservation and sustainable design principles, and works closely with our Conservation Team.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Maura is committed to nurturing the next generation of architects. As a part-time visiting tutor at ESALA and with previous teaching positions at ECA and Napier University, she is invested in shaping the future of our profession.

Being a member of the Scottish Ecological Design Association (SEDA) Maura is actively engaged in industry events and lectures, facilitating the sharing of best practices and knowledge.

Kati is a chartered Landscape Architect of the Chamber of Hungarian Architects (2013) and the Landscape Institute (2023).

She has gained a variety of work experience, including RIBA Stage 1 to Stage 5. Kati has mainly worked on landscape strategies, landscape and visual impact assessment reports, landscape masterplanning, sophisticated planting plans, tender packages and contract administration. Her strengths include producing concept and planting plans and designing levels/terrain formation.

Graduating from The University of South Wales in 2018 with a First-Class Honours in Interior Design, Kate has gained almost 6 years of industry experience within the Architectural and Design industry acquiring valuable experience as an Architectural Visualiser and Interior Designer.

Kate joined Austin-Smith:Lord in early 2024 and is an enthusiastic and creative designer, always keen to develop her skills and knowledge and ensure a strategic and pragmatic approach to projects.

In the short time Kate has been at Austin-Smith:Lord, she has been involved in a number of projects within the Educational sector and looks forward to expanding her skillset and involvement in future projects and sectors.

In her spare time, you can find Kate on the coast with her cockapoo Bonnie.

Emma is a Finance Assistant at Austin-Smith:Lord, where she supports the finance team with day-to-day operations. Before joining us in 2024 she worked in a similar role in the construction industry, gaining practical experience in financial administration.

In her free time, Emma enjoys running and going to the gym when she can fit it into her schedule.

George joined the Austin-Smith:Lord Landscape team in 2023. He has a strong background in education-focused projects and has shaped external spaces for many schools, taking concepts from design to reality. He has also left his mark on numerous residential and commercial projects, offering innovative design solutions with a practical mindset.

George has a keen eye for detailing and is dedicated to problem-solving in challenging schemes.

James is an accomplished and skilled technically focused architect with experience in various sectors, most notably in heritage, conservation, community and leisure projects.

He enjoys working closely with clients, stakeholders, and the wider design team to understand the complexities and challenges of each project and develop the most efficient and effective design solutions.

His recent projects include the sustainable reuse and repurposing of Old College, a Grade I and II listed building in Aberystwyth, and the adaptive reuse of a former Debenhams store in Carmarthen to create a Community Hub.

James also forms part of our BIM and Quality Management working groups, which focus on driving efficient workflows and the best quality outputs for the practice. Outside of the office, James enjoys keeping active and has a passion for music, cycling and rugby.

Róisín joined Austin-Smith: Lord in 2023, having previously worked in practices in several fields including; education, conservation, residential and third sector. Her most recent projects were largely Education – delivering prestigious University, College and School facilities. Her passion for creating high quality teaching spaces is informed by her other role as a part-time Design Tutor at the University of Liverpool.  She has a keen interest in architectural education generally, particularly in making it as open and accessible as possible.

Róisín has an interest in concept driven design, and enjoys engaging with stakeholders to place people at the centre of design. A keen writer, Róisín has also written columns were she endeavours to introduce architectural subjects to a broad audience in an accessible way. 

Joanne joined Austin-Smith:Lord in 2023 as Bid Coordinator. She provides practice-wide support to our sector leaders and technical teams submitting proposals for new projects, particularly those with a strong regeneration focus delivering social and environmental improvements.

Joanne has a keen interest in journalism and modern languages with a background in the translation and production of design services proposal documents for projects in the far east.

Omkar joined the practice as a RIBA Part II Architectural Assistant after having completed his Architecture Degree at the University of Pune, India, and his Masters at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

Omkar has a keen interest in exploring and sculpting designs in a dense context integrated with the urban aquatic network. His thesis was based on the integration of the River Clyde with Glasgow through interventions of different typologies and spatial combinations which also helped to catalyse growth of the communities along the River Clyde. The Masters Dissertation explored in detail the urban-water dynamics of different cities in order to highlight its effects on climate change mitigation.

Apart from architecture, Omkar is also passionate about the environment and loves travelling, hillwalking and photography.

Abbi studied at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, before joining Austin-Smith:Lord at the end of August 2022 as a Part II Architectural Assistant. Our one-studio approach enabled Abbi to relocate from Glasgow to Cardiff, where she is now based.