Expert Panels

NLA brings people together to shape a better city and improve quality of life across London. Our vision is a better planned, designed and managed built environment, as set out in the New London Charter.

We do this by seeking to guide policymakers and professionals and engaging a wider audience in the debate. Our year round programme includes research, public events and debates, training, roundtables, industry viewpoints and exhibitions. As an independent member-supported organisation, our audience brings together the public, government, and cross-sector professionals both in London and internationally.

Our new series of NLA Expert Panels bring together industry experts from across the NLA membership to advise on our core programmes, provide thought-leadership on design, development and construction in London and respond to new policies or consultations.

Panels are formed of 12-15 individuals, representing the public and private sectors across development, design, planning and construction in London, and providing a unique voice to comment on the key issues facing the capital. Members are invited to commit to joining the Panel for one year.

Panels meet 3-4 times a year, setting out key lines of enquiry which shape our forward agendas and inform our year-round programmes. Reports from each meeting are shared with NLA members and the broader network, alongside a selection of contributions and viewpoints from Panel members.

Built Environment Technology

Technology and the use of data are already transforming how people live in cities. Innovation in technology used in the built environment can contribute to address critical issues such as reducing carbon emissions, improving mobility and promoting more effective community engagement approaches. London is a hub of innovation and the need to harness the potential of technology to create a better city needs to be supported by the right policies, governance and collaboration. This Panel will focus on how technology and better use of data can contribute to create a better city while addressing the challenges that the adoption of new technology brings with it.

Chair: Camilla Siggaard Andersen, Hassell
Theo Blackwell MBE, GLA
Niall Bolger, LB Hounslow
David Bullock, Hayes Davidson
Jan Bunge, Squint/Opera
Marta Granda Nistal, Arup
Milos Halecka, MiccleCap
Danny Hall, The Crown Estate
Ruth Hynes, Atkins
Candice Lemaitre, Transport for London
Susan Mantle, Heyne Tillett Steel
Anna Matic, Scott Brownrigg
Laurel Nyberg, Be First
Simone Pagani, GIA
Matt Rimmer, Hadley
Bridget Wilkins, DLUCH

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Education

Focusing on the future needs of the education, healthcare and knowledge economy sector, The Panel will explore how we make sure we plan and design the right spaces for high tech, life sciences and innovation that will lead the UK economic recovery in the future years.

Chair: Ben Marston, Jestico + Whiles
Tom Bentham, Max Fordham
Lorna Edwards, RSHP
Marta Galinanes-Garcia, AKT II
Bruce Glockling, LB Southwark
Rhiannon Klein, Gerald Eve
Jess Mailey, BDP
Neil Pinder, Wandsworth Borough Council
Quinton Pop, HOK
Julian Robinson, LSE
Dan Tassell, Haworth Tompkins
Crawford Wright, Department for Education

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Healthcare

The healthcare sector is set to see a new level of government investment not seen in over a decade. This Panel will focus on the delivery of new healthcare buildings for London, best practice in design, health and adaptability, as well as the opportunities for wider regeneration and integration into the urban environment.

Chair: Anisha Mayor, WSP
Mark Carter, Ryder
Joanne de la Porte, Gleeds
Lienelle Geldenhuys, White Arkitekter
Simon Hodson, JLL
Jane McElroy, NBBJ
Josephine Neill, IBI Group
Ian Rae, LB Waltham Forest
Mark Row, Penoyre & Prasad
Sam Shooter, Hoare Lea
Magali Thomson, Great Ormond Street

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Housing

Delivering the quality and quantity of housing Londoners need remains perhaps the biggest challenge for London. This Panel will focus on developing thought-leadership around housing design and the impact that the coronavirus pandemic is likely to have in shaping housing design in the future; moving on with the Net Zero agenda across our housing stock; housing tenure including housing for key workers; and the future delivery of housing through offsite technology.

Chair: Jo McCafferty, Levitt Bernstein
Rachel Bagenal, Hackney Council
Jennifer Daothong, LB Lewisham
Rachel Ferguson, Pocket Living
James Green, City of Westminster
Alice Hawkins, Turley
John Lewis, Peabody
Miranda MacLaren, Morris+Company
Oliver Maury, Montagu Evans
Darren Parker, L&Q
Isabel Pietri, Lendlease
Sarah Beth Riley, Be First
Mariana Schiller, GLA
Prisca Thielmann, Maccreanor Lavingon
Kathryn Tombling, BDP
Carl Vann, Pollard Thomas Edwards
Sarah Wardle, BECG

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Industrial & Logistics

Supporting the urban logistics that keep the capital functioning, The Panel will examine the evolution of London’s industrial and logistics sectors which support London as a world-leading centre and in its post-COVID recovery.

Chair: Tom Alexander, Aukett Swanke
Adam Blacker, DMWR
Hugo Braddick, Haworth Tompkins
Melinda Cross, JLL
Catrina Fraser, Turley
Caroline Harper, LB Barking & Dagenham
Steve Harrington, Regal London
Neil Impiazzi, SEGRO
Francis Moss, LB Ealing
Carita Ogden, Amazon Logistics
Bridget Outtrim, Savills
Emily Pearson, Gerald Eve
Tim Smith, DP World
Gwyn Stubbings, GLP
Victoria Towers, Forsters
James Trimmer, Port of London Authority
Tim Ward, Chetwoods
Robin Woodbridge, Prologis

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INNOVATION DISTRICTS

London and the Golden Triangle contains the strongest biosciences cluster in Europe studying genomics, digital health, artificial intelligence in healthcare, and neuroscience; the greatest concentration of top universities in the world; as well as clusters of global tech companies. This panel will develop findings from NLA’s recent Knowledge Networks report, to focus on the design and delivery of spaces for the science, tech and innovation sectors to support the burgeoning knowledge economy, and the clustering of businesses across the region to foster innovation.

Chair: Jonathan Burroughs, Creative Places
John Anderson, Imperial College London
Peter Baird, Perkins&Will
David Burns, LB Camden
Alla Elmahadi, BGY
Matt Flood, Related Argent
Emma Frost, LLDC
Elie Gamburg, Kohn Peterson Fox Associates
Kat Hanna, Avison Young
Faaiza Lalji, Precis Advisory
Jonathan Martin, LB Waltham Forest
James Morgan, Heyne Tillett Steel
Maja Nesdale, IBI Group
Rob Partridge, AKT II
David Reay, Stanhope
Georgina Rizik, SC1
Emily Slupek, Bidwells

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Net Zero

To meet the Paris Agreement declaration the Mayor of London has declared a climate emergency, committing to become carbon neutral by 2050. This Panel will focus on understanding the priorities for London to achieve Net Zero, and the role that the built environment has to play in meeting this target. Topics of focus will include London and local leadership, adaptability and flexibility of building stock, resilience and green infrastructure, and a prioritising a green recovery for London.

Chair: Ashley Bateson, Hoare Lea
Gareth Atkinson, Civic Engineers
Lucy Atlee, Transport for London
Marion Baeli, PDP London
Louisa Bowles, Hawkins\Brown
Jenny Coalville, Landsec
Kristen Guida, GLA
Simon Hatherley, AHMM
Golnaz Ighany, Stanton Williams
Kerstin Kane, City of London
Georgia Laganakou, Hopkins
Juliette Morgan, Gensler
Rachael Owens, Buckley Gray Yeoman
More Rich Jorgensen, Elementa
Charlie Scott, Waterman Group

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Planning

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the digitalisation of the planning system, leading to significant, and potentially long-lasting, changes in the way we approach consultation and accessibility of information and data. This Panel will focus on best practice in the planning system to support London’s development, including new approaches to community consultation and trust in the development process; accessibility and transparency of data; the role of local and regional plans; and how the planning system can better support London’s economic recovery.

Chair: Jonny Popper, London Communications Agency
Deidra Armsby, City of Westminster
Lucy Bird, Berkeley Group
Patricia Cazes-Potgieter, Transport for London
Celia Guerrerio, John McAslan
Andrew Jones, AECOM
Spyridon Katsaros, PRP
Peter Kemp, GLA
Rob Krzyszowski, LB Haringey
Piers Mulroney, VU City
Riette Oosthuizen, HTA Design
Rebekah Paczek, The Earls Court Development Company
Francesca Prestinoni, Hilson Moran
Hilary Satchwell, Tibbalds
Craig Tabb, DP9
Lisa Webb, Gerald Eve
Joanne Woodward, LB Hammersmith & Fulham

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Public Realm

The coronavirus pandemic has evidenced the need for providing streets, parks and pedestrian-friendly public spaces to improve people’s health and quality of life. Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion have contested the democratic role of public spaces, demanding for a city that truly responds to the climate crisis, reconsiders representation in the public realm, and ensures equal access to all Londoners.

In 2022 this new Panel will focus on safety, diversity and wellbeing in the public realm; accessibility to and management of green and blue open spaces; and best practice in placemaking through new and existing public places that support London’s recovery and resilience.

Chair: Hazel Rounding, Shedkm
Frank Anatole, Network Rail
Philip Askew, Peabody
Michelle Burton, Ballymore
Anjna Farmah, Transport for London
Julia Finlayson, Argent
Katherine Fleming, The Northbank BID
Simon Glynn, City of London Corporation
Mark Gordon, Price&Myers
Sara Grohmann, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Peter Heath, Atkins
Cannon Ivers, LDA Design
James Lord, HTA Design
Sam Parry, Grosvenor
Binki Taylor, Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm
Kathryn Timmins, GLA
Ruth Lin, LLDC

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High Streets

The retail and hospitality sector faces an unprecedented era of flux. Probably one of the sectors most affected by COVID-19, the successive lockdowns and social distancing measures drove the collapse of retail giants and the drop in international tourism left food and beverage outlets and hotels with minimum occupancy rates, causing central business districts to lose their vibrancy. The Panel will focus on how the built environment sector can adapt successfully and promote the recovery of London’s town centres and high streets?

Chair: James Mitchell, Axiom Architects
Rumi Bose, GLA
Mark Bruce, EPR Architects
Bev Churchill, Churchill Husband / Related Argent
Dee Corsi, New West End Company
John Eaglesham, Barr Gazetas
Olivia Jackson, HLM Architects
Owain Lloyd-James, Historic England
Connor McDonagh, LB Ealing
Katya Samokhvalova, Nexus Planning
Giles Semper, Cadogan
Steve Tennant, Ballymore
Abigail Thomas, Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands
Jamie Webb, Benoy
Ciara Whelehan, LB Brent

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Tall Buildings

London is now a city of tall buildings, a city traditionally associated with a low-rise, low-density character. In the past decade, major new clusters of tall buildings have emerged in areas such as Nine Elms, Elephant and Castle, the Isle of Dogs and the City of London. And still more are to come, with a pipeline of over 500 tall buildings either in planning, approved or under construction in the capital. NLA has played a vital role in this debate and this Panel will play in key role in developing NLA’s contribution, including placemaking and environmental impacts of towers, construction of towers post Grenfell, and attitudes to tall buildings for those living and working in the capital.

Chair: Stuart Baillie, Knight Frank
Luke Askwith, Gensler
Joanna Bacon, Allies and Morrison
John Bushell, KPF
Joon Chung, Prior + Partners
David English, Historic England
David Isherwood, Lockton Companies
Peter Jackson, Skidmore Owings & Merrill
Joe Morris, Morris+Company
Ender Ozkan, RWDI
Gordon Roy, City of London Corporation
Sripriya Sudhakar, LB Tower Hamlets
Emma Talbot, LB Lewisham
Kevin Vinson, Otis
Russell Whitehead, Robert Bird

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Technical Competency

In the aftermath of Grenfell, the relationship between architects, project managers and contractors’ roles the delivery of buildings is under question. In a world dominated by BIM the building team need to understand how different elements of their buildings go together. This Panel will share thought-leadership on improving technical competency in the detailed design and delivery of buildings in London, and advise NLA on the development of a new technical programme. Topics of focus will include fire safety and material performance, building regulations and procurement, modern methods of construction, digital collaboration, and training and education.

Chair: Arita Morris, Child Graddon Lewis
Luca Berasaluce, Haptic Architects
Balazs Bicsak, Price & Myers
Liam Bryant, Webb Yates Engineers
Chris Charlton, Stride Teglown
Simon He, Farrells
Kin Kay Lee, PDP London
Andrew Parker, Forsters
John Robertson, JRA

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Transport & Infrastructure

The Mayor of London has launched ambitious new plans that will dramatically transform London’s streets to accommodate new cycle lanes and space for walking. As lockdown restrictions are eased, public transport will face challenges to respond to social distancing rules while meeting demand. This Panel will focus on the future of mobility and modal share of streets for all users, as well as the impact of transport infrastructure in unlocking growth and accessibility across the capital.

Chair: Bruce McVean, City of London
Mike Axon, Vectos
Neil Baker, Atkins
Vanessa Bold, Gardiner & Theobald
Anthony Dewar, Network Rail
Ayako Henson, HOK
Kosh Kar, GLA
Bosco Lam, Wilkinson Eyre
Hazel Needham, Expedition Engineering
Annabel Precious, Civic Engineers
Mandar Puranik, LB Ealing
Laura Putt, Transport for London
Sophie Thompson, LDA Design
Chris Williamson, Weston Williamson

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Wellbeing

Understanding the impact of the places we live, work and spend free time on our physical and mental health. This Expert Panel will share thought-leadership on the relationship between the urban environment and mental health; physical wellbeing – improving air quality, physical activity and health outcomes for all Londoners; and social sustainability – understanding how the design of the physical environment links with infrastructure to support social and cultural life, social amenities and systems for citizen engagement.

Chair: Romy Rawlings, Vestre
Shaun Andrews, Nexus
Diaa Bahopia, Sweco UK
Carrie Behar, Useful Projects
Phil Coffey, Coffey Architects
Ruch French, Ryder Architecture
Amira Hashemi, Frasers Property
Richard Hywel Evans, Studio RHE
James Mark, Therme Group
Linda Monckton, Historic England
Nivene Powell, EcoWorld London
Soki So, RSHP
Natalie Thomson, Buckley Gray Yeoman
Lisa Woo, LB Enfield

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Work

The way we work has been particularly impacted over the last few months, leading to potentially significant changes to the requirements of workspaces across the capital. This Panel will consider what the future holds for London’s office space; the adaptation of spaces as we emerge from lockdown; alongside longer term implications for office requirements, space standards, flexibility, wellbeing and changes in worker behaviours and travelling patterns.

Chair: Katrina Kostic Samen, KKS Savills
Jason Balls, EPR Architects
Jane Clay, Gensler
Matthew Dillon, Arup
Ben Eley, City of London
Shelley Frost, Cumming Group
Matthew Holloway, Grimshaw
Puja Jain, Transport for London
Sascha Lewin, W.RE
Jason Margrave, Quintain
Clive Nichol, Fabrix
Steven Skinner, HB Reavis
Chris Waite, Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands
Amanda Whittington, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Laura Woolcock, KKS Saville

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