From the centre of London, to the centre of Perth, Project Leader Martin Bradbury has joined the Western Australian Studio of growing national design firm Hames Sharley.

Martin, who has more than 15 years of architectural experience in Australia and Europe, specialised in large-scale urban regeneration projects while an Associate at London-based firm Allies and Morrison.

WA Studio Leader Brook McGowan said Martin was a welcome addition to Hames Sharley’s western operations.

“Hames Sharley has many exciting developments underway and a strong pipeline of projects coming up. We are thrilled to not only welcome Martin, but also his invaluable international experience,” he said.

While in the United Kingdom, Martin developed a keen interest in how urban regeneration can transform inner-city environments and the role of architects in creating sustainable built environments.

With construction activity contributing so significantly to Australia’s carbon footprint, Martin feels intelligent architecture is one of the keys to reducing this statistic.

“High-quality, environmentally conscious design not only delivers better projects for our clients but better results for the planet,” he said.

“The buildings and spaces we are privileged to design have a duty to both their immediate site and to the wider surrounding context, be they small pop-up interventions or major urban master plans.”

While in London, Martin learnt strategies to navigate often challenging site constraints, including small plot sizes, re-use of existing buildings, legislative impediments and valuable heritage assets.

He said such hurdles had brought about an appreciation of how contextual and historical richness can bring value to design outcomes – no matter where they may be.

“The cross-pollination of ideas, concepts and critical thought is key to a healthy design studio. I am keen to share my experience and knowledge with the team at Hames Sharley, and grow and develop in return,” he said.

With a new studio in the heart of Perth city to operate from, Martin said he was looking forward to immersing himself into studio life again, after spending the better part of the last two years working from home in the UK.

“Our team and clients will benefit from Martin’s hands-on experience, deep technical expertise and strengths in project leadership,” says Brook.