about
I primarily design modern residential homes working closely with clients to deliver outstanding design to meet the clients brief and budget.
I do this by identifying opportunities, adding value whilst always providing clarity and guidance.
We offer:
design working closely with our clients to imagine their dreams, creating unique and sustainable homes and buildings.
detailing can define a building. Working on the intricacies of large and complex building projects means we understand how structures fit together..
delivery drawing on experience gained on many varied projects in South Africa and beyond, we will plan, execute and manage the implementation your project.
Philosophy - KindDesign
Kind design is a philosophy that puts kindness at the centre of my creative process.
Kindness (n): Quality of being friendly, generous and considerate.
Kind design is about being friendly: approachable, unpretentious and empathetic.
Kind design is about being generous: with your time, your ideas and with space.
Kind design is about being considerate: of people, nature, the planet.
JFCArchitects embraces the kind design philosophy – we want to tread gently on the world and create spaces that are friendly, generous and considerate.
Qualifications
James qualified in the UK with a BSc Honours in Architecture and a Diploma in Advanced Architectural Studies. He has also taken the professional exam with the Association for Project Management.
James is registered with the South African Council for the Architecture Profession (SACAP), professional architect number PrArch21222.
“James has always been completely professional, dedicated and has a personality that will be greatly missed. He will be an enormous asset in whatever company he chooses to join.”
History
James trained at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture in Aberdeen, Scotland. This was followed by 2 years in Malaysia, working for Ken Yeang, then in the UAE, working for RMJM. By the age of 30 he had already worked on coordinating a 36-story tower, an aircraft maintenance hanger, a palace facade and bank headquarters fit out.
Returning to the UK in 1997 to work for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, James ran and coordinated world class projects to international standards including an office business park refurbishment, a large 555 apartment residential development. But the stand-out project was Fleet Place House office development on a narrow site which floated on rubber pads over the railway line below.
A move six years later to work with Mike Rundell opened his eyes to high-end restoration together with a crisp modern architectural approach, working on galleries and workshops for renowned contemporary artists and art collectors.
Moving to South Africa with his South African wife in 2005, James spent 9 years at GAPP where he worked on residential apartments on the foreshore, a luxury game lodge in the Kruger Park and the re-visioning of Artscape, which proved to be a wonderful mix of design, detail and management.
A 3 year stint at dhk followed where James managed a mixed use retail centre in Dainfern, Johannesburg. The award winning development differed from the typical retail offering by creating several cleverly designed spaces for the shopper to experience.
Most recently, James worked with SSH on a residential mixed-use development in Iraq, the extension to a 5-star mountain top resort in Oman and a new maternity hospital in Kuwait.