Many architects start their career dreaming of their perfect commission – perhaps the chance of creating an iconic building that defines a city.
Few architects though get the opportunity to totally redefine and reshape whole swathes of a city.
Our guest this week is not an architect but a developer, having made his name at Argent through his acclaimed urban regeneration work, initially at Brindleyplace in Birmingham and then through the vast transformation of Kings Cross in London. Kings Cross has become a defining example of bold well-managed urban regeneration.
In the early 1980s Roger studied Building Management and Engineering at university before entering world of work in the midst of a deep recession.
In 1987 he joined the fledgling developer Argent. Two years later he became a director, and went on to become Chief Executive in 1997.
He was awarded a CBE for services to sustainable development in the 2007 Queen’s Honours List. In 2010 he became an Honorary Fellow of the RIBA
Last year he left Argent to join the FTSE 100 developer British Land, where he’s leading the exciting transformation of 46 acres of land in Canada Water in South East London.
For this week’s episode we join Roger at British Land’s offices in Mayfair.
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