Project Architect

Megan grew up in Northamptonshire and completed her Part 1 undergraduate degree at the University of Portsmouth. After finishing university, she began her Part 1 placement year in Woking, Surrey where she worked within the residential sector. She then went on to study for her postgraduate masters at the University of East London.

On completion of her Part 2, Megan joined a practice in London, where she worked on high-end residential London town houses, building down into sub-basements and completing projects in Knightsbridge and Buckingham Gate Road.

Megan joined DCa in March 2018 and was delighted to pass her part 3 qualification in January 2020.

In her spare time Megan loves keeping fit and drawing.

Architectural Assistant

Georgie has always had a passion for architecture and design. She attended Bedford Modern School, where she studied for her GCSE’s and A-Level’s and, throughout school, completed various work experience placements which gave her valuable insights and supported her aspirations of a career in the industry.

Her first full time role after leaving school in September 2020 was working for a major UK contractor in the design and project management team. Having worked closely with architects on a day-day basis, she better understood the processes and skills involved behind the creation of a project and the key skills needed. This experience galvanised her early ambition and desire to become an architect and she is delighted to have joined DCa in January 2022.

She is looking forward to studying for her Part 1 qualification through Oxford Brookes University, whilst working at the practice full time and gaining hands on experience every day. She is also looking forward to new challenges, and in particular to working closely with the team and developing client relationships.

Outside work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends. She loves running and has recently run in aid of Cancer Research UK and hopes to do more charity runs in the near future.

Managing Director, Architect

Julian joined DCa in March 2010 bringing his broad range of experience to the practice.   Since joining us, he has taken the lead role in many of the larger masterplanning and urban design projects working with both smaller independent developers, as well as many of the national housing PLCs.

Julian previously worked for over six years as an Associate in a large architectural practice where his housing experience enabled him to develop a role running many of the large scale residential projects within the office.  This experience built on his earlier role in a London practice where he successfully developed new residential work with several key city developers.

Besides residential schemes, his work in London involved extensive and varied conversion and fit out contracts throughout the country ranging from public houses to university refurbishment projects.  Many of the projects were part of large scale mixed use developments whilst several required the conversion and refurbishment of key Listed Buildings.

Before moving to London, Julian was in a practice in Cardiff, where he acquired considerable residential experience on schemes that involved 600+ units, including local authority estate regeneration projects and new private development.  In addition to the residential work, he had a significant role on several key retail and commercial projects and worked on the refurbishment of an Armed Forces base.

He was also employed in Cardiff County Council's Architects' Department working specifically with the Educational Department on a variety of educational projects ranging from refurbishing and extending existing schools to the construction of new schools and associated teaching facilities.

Julian studied at the Welsh School of Architecture and is a member of the RIBA and ARB.

CEO and Architect

As founder of DCa in 1993, David heads the management of the practice, together with a key responsibility for new business activity and leading the practice towards growth and expansion.  He maintains an active role in projects and with clients at all stages to ensure high quality design and delivery.

Gained over 30 years, David has a wealth of experience in the commercial, retail, industrial, leisure, hotel, housing, education and health sectors, including work for the FCO on the British Embassy in Saudi Arabia.  His particular interest is the planning and concept stage of projects, getting the most out of difficult sites and often achieving high added value consents.  He really enjoys working with clients to add value – in the broadest sense.

David graduated from the University of Manchester and is a member of the RIBA, ARB and the RICS 1921 Club.  He has participated in a three day master class workshop at the Princes Foundation titled ‘Structuring Settlements – Tools for the New Urban Challenges’ and has taken part in the HCA workshops ‘Masterclass on Sustainable Communities’.  He has worked with design codes and ‘enquiry by design’ processes.

David has spoken on the subject of ‘tall buildings’ – ‘expanding upwards not outwards’ at Milton Keynes Council’s ‘Growth Partnership’ at the Stadium MK and has spoken to different professional groups on ‘Conflicting Values’.

David has been a Town Councillor for Olney, Chairman of the Olney Chamber of Trade and a community school governor.  He is a Founder Member of the Milton Keynes Chamber of Commerce and led the ‘health-check’ appraisal for Olney, a government programme to stimulate the regeneration and competitiveness of market towns.

He loves to ski and sail and is a qualified Yachtmaster.

Director

Sheila co-founded DCa in 1993 and is Company Secretary and Finance Director. Formerly she gained wide experience in the public and private sectors whilst working in London for the Ministry of Defence, in the corporate banking sector and latterly for a private confectionery company.

She also continues to improve DCa’s presence with current news updates via social media, effective marketing material, events and exhibitions.

Sheila is a keen sailor and skier and loves to walk her Cockapoo, Fizz.

Office Administrator

Rachel joined DCa in March 2014 as Office Administrator. She will usually be the first member of the team you meet when you visit the practice and will always offer a warm and friendly welcome.

With her strong organisation and communications skills, Rachel ensures the office runs smoothly and efficiently on a day to day basis. She is responsible for a range of duties including general office administration, organising training and professional development seminars and providing support to the team.

Rachel has a background in communications and marketing and has worked in both public and private sector organisations, most recently for the NHS in Bedfordshire.

In her spare time Rachel enjoys walking her cocker spaniel, Oscar, and spending time with family and friends.

Architectural Technologist

Arti studied for a BSc Architectural Technology prior to gaining a masters degree in MSc Technical Architecture at Sheffield Hallam University. She has worked in practices in Nottingham and Sheffield, before joining DCa in December 2021.

Arti has worked across a broad range of sectors including education, healthcare, residential and commercial, on projects of varying scales and complexities. She aims to enhance her experience in the residential sector and is specifically interested in BIM. Her strong fortitude and motivation will allow her to develop into a successful Chartered member of CIAT.

When the working day is over, you will find Arti spending time with her husband and twins. She is passionate about cooking and believes that the good food and architecture brings people together.

Senior Architectural Assistant

Aaron graduated from the University of Bedfordshire with a BA(Hons) degree in Interior Architecture where he focused on space planning and the improvement of existing buildings.

He then spent five years working for a small architectural practice gaining experience in retail developments for well-known high street stores, as well as taking on site visits and surveying across the UK.

Since joining DCa in 2013 Aaron has worked on a hugely varied portfolio of projects ranging from large housing developments to single dwelling designs, as well as projects in the healthcare and education sectors. As a result, he has extensive knowledge of Revit, Lumion and Photoshop, producing a broad range of work from feasibility drawings to building regulations packages and has become a very versatile member of the team. He has a passion for 3D work, particularly focusing on Lumion 3D where he has produced photo realistic images for a number of projects, as well as videos of fully developed sites.

In his spare time Aaron pursues a keen interest in photography which has also been incorporated into his career, regularly photographing completed architectural projects for DCa.

Project Architect

Sarah studied for her Part 1 at Oxford Brookes University and went on to complete her Part 2 at the University of Lincoln.

After successfully completing her Part 3 in practice, she is now is a fully qualified architect who has several years' experience working in small to medium sized practices, specialising in the residential and commercial sectors. She has worked on many projects from inception to completion and is experienced in design, producing tender documents and working drawing packages as well as job running on site.

Sarah joined DCa in 2018 and enjoys working on residential projects from refurbishments to large scale developments. She has successfully dealt with many challenging projects.

Architectural Designer

Kanan is Indian by origin and has been living and working in the UK since 2006. She qualified as an Architect in India, achieving Honors with Merit.

Post qualifying, she gained good work experience in India both in the residential and commercial sectors before she migrated to the UK.

Since then, she has enjoyed working and living in the beautiful seaside city of Brighton, where she worked with one of South East UK’s leading practices in the education sector.

Kanan gained extensive experience on large scale educational projects, Listed Public buildings and multi-residential projects built to high environmental standards.

In April 2018, Kanan relocated to Milton Keynes and has joined the DCa team. Here she aspires to further enhance her experience in housing and her knowledge of Revit.

Kanan thoroughly enjoys family life and loves spending time with her husband and her two young girls.

Fully inclined to all forms of art and creativity; not only applying it in the professional life but also for organising events at personal and community level.

She has deeper interest in spirituality and daily practices Yoga and meditation.

Senior Architect

Simon joined DCa in 2021. His experience of architectural projects ranges from working on small house extensions to entire cities, covering most scales in between using the latest versions of Revit and AutoCAD software. He has been a Revit lead, office BIM coordinator and manager and been involved in the implementation of Revit in multiple offices. He is always keen to explore the different scales, whether it be project sizes or the overview, down to the detailed design of a project.

He lived in Singapore for two years from 2007 and in Poland from 2009 for one year, returning to live in the UK in April 2010.

He became a UK qualified Architect in November 2006 and a LEED Approved Professional in August 2008.

Simon loves to relax by lifting some weights!

Architectural Assistant

Elis graduated from the University of Plymouth with a BA (Hons) in Architecture where he pursued sustainable resourcing and environmentally considerate designs. He finished his last term at university virtually whilst working in Derriford hospital in the first wave of the pandemic.

He has a keen interest in the social benefits of architecture and education to people and as such had extensive volunteering experience aiding social mobility. He has a keen eye for strategic problems and advancing his knowledge of BIM software’s including Revit.

Elis previously worked in a BMS firm which reduced energy and carbon consumption for major universities and offices.

Elis enjoys card games and days out with friends kayaking and playing badminton. He also loves travelling to see historic sites ranging from stately homes of England to the ancient religious sites in Jerusalem.

Associate - Architectural Technologist

Michal completed his MSc in Building and Structural Engineering degree followed by postgraduate diploma in Conservation of Historic Buildings at Silesian University of Technology in Poland.

He joined DCa in 2006 and has worked on numerous projects in the residential, educational, and commercial sectors.  He has a wealth of experience in many fields of construction industry, including structural engineering, as well as building and quantity surveying.

Michal's particular interest is the detailed technical design and coordination of design information, forming the link between the concept and the completed construction.

Associate Director, Architect

Chris studied in Leeds and in Oxford where he qualified as an architect in 2009. During his studies he chose to study the special route of 'Architecture in Regeneration'.

Chris has worked for a number of large practices specialising in residential and commercial architecture. He has been based in offices in London, Manchester, Leeds, Milton Keynes and Bedford and has gained experience working on a selection of projects including large inner city regeneration schemes through to research and development facilities, laboratories, warehouse conversions and community buildings.

Whilst at DCa he has been able to continue his keen interest in regeneration architecture, including obtaining planning approval for a number of sensitively designed contemporary additions to listed buildings within conservation areas.

He enjoys all the RIBA work stages and prides himself on the presentation of his work and his problem solving skills.

In January 2018 Chris became an Associate Director, allowing him to further develop his role within the practice.

Chris is a member of the RIBA and ARB.

Associate Director, Architect

Wallace studied Architectural Technology and Management at the University of Ulster, gaining a first class honours degree with commendation, and an Award for his experience during his placement year. He worked for a medium sized practice in Northern Ireland where he was involved in a number of bespoke houses, apartments and housing developments across the country.

He continued his studies at the University of Lincoln, where he completed his RIBA Part I, Part 2 and Part 3, and qualified as an Architect in 2010.

Wallace has worked in practices in Lincoln, Northampton, Oxford and Stratford Upon Avon. He has gained a wealth of experience in retail developments, offices, hospitals, health centres, mental health accommodation and car showrooms, including contract administration, acting as lead consultant, with day to day running of projects on site.

Since joining DCa, Wallace has been responsible for taking the lead on a number of medium to large sized housing developments, guiding them through the planning stages, dealing with planning policies, 'Lifetime Home' standards, design codes, and renewable technologies, whilst working with other consultants and maintaining close client liaison. Recently, many of these schemes have obtained consent and are moving towards starting on site. Wallace is also currently working on a variety of school projects which are at various stages, including feasibility, planning and on-site. Other projects include bespoke new build homes, major house extensions, London based properties requiring listed building consent, Church extensions and renovation, industrial schemes and conversion projects.

In January 2018 Wallace became an Associate Director at DCa, allowing him to further develop his position within the office and grow with the business. Wallace's role includes liaising with clients on a daily basis, managing projects and providing input to the daily running of the business, in order to achieve project deliverables.

Throughout his career Wallace has always taken great pride in his projects, with attention to detail and presentation. He enjoys seeing schemes through all stages of the RIBA Plan of Work, whilst ensuring client satisfaction remains paramount.

Wallace is a keen cyclist and enjoys the outdoors. Having completed charity bike rides and his first triathlon, he is keen to do more.

He is a member of the RIBA and ARB.