Architect Sue Emms has been appointed as Principal at Manchester-headquartered BDP, one of the world’s largest inter-disciplinary design practices.
Sue leads the practice’s education sector in the north of England and is currently working on projects for universities at Coventry, Keele, Sheffield Hallam and Warwick.
Sue, from Bramhall, Cheshire, has delivered some of BDP’s most innovative and award-winning educational projects and aged 44 is the youngest of the seven Principals at BDP’s Manchester Studio.
She says she is passionate about supporting new talent into architecture. “I am heavily committed to nurturing new talent by supporting and mentoring the next generation into the profession,” says Sue, who is a Visiting Practice Professor at the University of Sheffield and External Examiner at the Manchester School of Architecture.
“We need to see new pathways to support the diversification of new entrants, so that we are a profession which reflects the society we design for,” she says.
Her role includes supporting BDP as one of the Trailblazer group of practices, which have recently defined the standards for new architecture apprenticeships.
She adds: “I am extremely passionate about the value of good design and will also be focusing on the maintaining and enhancing design quality, both of the profession and of BDP.”
The BDP Manchester Studio is one of the most award-winning architecture design studios in the city over the past decade. Sue says: “I want to raise our bar even higher.”
Sue is expected to take more of a visible and pro-active senior leadership role in the dynamic property development landscape of Manchester and the North.
She is an active champion of a holistic, sustainable approach to building, seen in her designs for the acclaimed St John Bosco Arts College and Enterprise South Liverpool Academy. Sue has worked for BDP since graduating from Sheffield University in 1999 and won the Architect of the Year category at the 2015 Women in Construction Awards.
Chair of BDP’s Manchester Studio Gavin Elliott said; “We are delighted to invite Sue Emms to become a principal. Sue is a superb designer and a fantastic communicator and I am convinced that her star will continue to rise, both nationally and in Manchester, as her role brings greater profile to her expertise and projects.”
BDP has also appointed Simon Thurstan, a Building Services Engineer at the Manchester Studio, as a Director.
