EDUCATION Julie Richards studied at the world renowned Architectural Association, School of Architecture in London during the period 1993 – 2005. Julie completed her RIBA Part I in 1996, followed by her RIBA Part II and AA Diploma in Architecture in 2000. She returned to the School to complete her RIBA Part III in 2005.
PRACTICE Julie worked as an Architectural Assistant at the Office of Zaha Hadid in London during the year between her Part I and II studies in 1997. Upon graduating from the AA in 2000, Julie engaged in private work which led to her founding her own practice, Julie Richards Architecture & Design Ltd. in London in 2002. A selection of its projects is presented in the built projects page. She also founded Escapade Retreats Ltd. in London in 2010, the work of which can be viewed in the heritage projects page.
ACADEMIA/RIBA Julie was a Lecturer in Architecture at the University of Nottingham’s School of the Built Environment for a period of 10 years, 2003 – 2013. She taught as a Third Year Design Tutor 2003 – 2007, then as a Third Year Unit Head 2007 – 2012, and finally as a Fourth Year Design Tutor in 2012 – 2013. Since relocating to Nottinghamshire, Julie has become a committee member of NDSA (The Nottingham & Derby Society of Architects) a branch of the RIBA East Midlands, aiming to promote architecture through events and activities.
This is the mainstream activity of the Practice, which has a wide range of experience in the design of both small and large scale projects, from the simple to the highly complex, from green field locations to urban cityscapes. In addition, the Practice has experience of planning, conservation areas and listed building issues.
Some of our projects are carried out on a scale where the careful planning of whole areas rather than individual buildings is essential if an optimum result is to be achieved, both in environmental and commercial terms. Examples of these can be found in the conceptual projects page.
This is an integral part of the overall design process and the Practice uses a variety of methods to produce 3D visualisations, photo images and plan layouts. Different layouts can be explored quickly and efficiently and a wider range of options presented to our clients in graphic form.
The incorporation of interior design into a project arises from our involvement in many projects where an integrated approach is required. Optimal solutions are achieved through visualisation techniques which can produce realistic 3D representations of interior spatial arrangements. The four inter-related aspects of our approach to interior design, spatiality, materiality, lighting and furniture, are detailed in our manifesto.