Design Competition: Conversations about Climate Change

Adam Brinkworth is a CEO of Brinkworth, working directly with design teams on the creative content of projects as well as fulfilling the executive role. Adam graduated from Wolverhampton University in 1988 with a BA First Class Honours in Furniture Design, followed by an MA in Furniture Design at the RCA. That year Deyan Sudjic nominated Adam ‘Furniture Designer Of The Year’ at New Designers graduate show, after which he established the company. Adam’s furniture background - and his almost accidental transition into Interior Design - brought a fresh approach to the field. By taking responsibility for the entire the process: from design, through build, and beyond to the maintenance, Adam fostered an end-to-end ethos that grew at the very heart of Brinkworth. Based within a workshop rather than an atelier, Adam’s hands-on approach brought authenticity and practicality to the design work, whilst his long-term relationships with key clients built a rich expertise in commerciality and the desire for next-level client-service. Adam’s focus on these key skills continues to inspire the company 30 years later and runs through everything that Brinkworth does.

Julia Barfield is co-founder of London architecture practice Marks Barfield Architects. Barfield co-founded Marks Barfield Architects with partner David Marks in 1989, after graduating from the Architectural Association. The architecture studio’s projects include the London Eye and British Airways i360 in Brighton. The studio’s most recent projects include a mosque in Cambridge, which aimed to revitalise the social and religious community as well as champion sustainability in design. Marks Barfield recognise that buildings and construction account for nearly 40% of energy related CO2 emissions are therefore a signatory, and a founder, of the Architects/Construction Declares Movement. In 2017 Barfield was a finalist for the Woman Architect of the Year award and the following year she was the chair of the National and International RIBA Awards panel. The studio’s award-winning projects, from cultural and business buildings to bridges and infrastructure, have earned both Marks and Barfield an MBE.

Yinka Ilori is a London-based multidisciplinary artist of a British-Nigerian heritage, who specializes in storytelling by fusing his British and Nigerian heritage to tell new stories in contemporary design. Humorous, provocative and fun, every project that he creates tells a story. Bringing Nigerian verbal traditional into playful conversation with contemporary design, Yinka Ilori’s work touches on various global themes that resonate with different audiences all over the world. He studied Furniture and Product Design at London Metropolitan University and has since exhibited internationally in solo shows and group exhibitions. Major public commissions include the Playground at Cannes Lions Festival, Thessaly Road Bridge and the Colour Palace at Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Leah Riley Brown is the Sustainability Policy Advisor at the British Retail Consortium and covers topics including responsible sourcing, deforestation, food waste, and more. She has a master’s degree in Food Policy from City, University of London and has worked in environmental health, hospitality, and retail sustainability. She is currently working on progressing the policy agenda for climate change by building a common understanding and ambition towards Net Zero. BRC is the trade association for retail businesses with a membership comprises over 5,000 businesses delivering £180bn of retail sales and employing over one and half million employees. Our purpose is to make a positive difference to the retail industry and the customers it serves, today and in the future.

Andrew is a founding director of Waugh Thistleton Architects, a world leading architecture practice dedicated to designing buildings and places of the highest architectural quality that acknowledge their impact on the environment. Fusing sustainability and design Andrew is a passionate advocate of low carbon construction and encourages clients to look at the beauty and benefits of innovative technologies. He has led the practice on award winning schemes from cinemas to synagogues; social housing to offices and was responsible for the design and delivery of Murray Grove, the project which spearheaded the international movement in tall timber construction and Bushey Cemetery which was shortlisted for the prestigious Stirling Prize in 2018. Andrew continues to research from within the practice. He lectures across the world with a focus on sustainability, timber construction and the future of architecture. Andrew is a visiting Professor Architecture at The University of Sheffield.