Chris Mackenzie
Director, Architect
Chris is the founding director of Designscape Architects. Whilst at Designscape, he has been responsible for a diverse range of projects; Science Studio, art gallery, production and archive facility for Damien Hirst, Hill Farm Dairy, Park Grounds Energy Recovery facility and a number of award winning residential projects including Twinneys House, Innox Lodge and Chilliswood House, Bath. He has a particular interest in sustainable design and creative re-use.
Formerly a senior project architect at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, he held overall responsibility for the £23m Portland Square Building at the University of Plymouth and also worked on the technical design issues of the 2008 RIBA Stirling Prize winning Accordia Housing in Cambridge. Chris regularly contributes to the Masters Degree course at the University of Bath and is a member of The Devon and Somerset Design Review Panel. Chris trained at Portsmouth University and is a former President of the Bristol Society of Architects and Chairman of the RIBA Bristol and Bath Branch.
Spencer Back
Director, Architect
Spencer joined Designscape as co-director in 2010. Whilst at the practice he has been Project Director responsible for a wide range of residential and non-residential projects from inception to completion, including; Exactaform Tools, Coventry; Springfield Farmhouse, 7-9 Bannerdown, Bath and Hillcrest Houses, Bristol and the Avenue Minehead.
Prior to joining Designscape, Spencer was for five years a director of Angus Meek Architects in Bristol, where he was responsible for a range of new build and refurbishment projects for both end user and developer clients, from concept design through to construction and completion. These projects included the headquarters and distribution building for medical supplies company Vygon UK in Swindon, and residential schemes such as the award winning Praedium, a development of 95 apartments and 11 houses in Redland Hill Bristol for Crosby Homes. He has also worked on several student accommodation projects in Bristol, including the 356 room Dean’s Court whilst working for Alec French Architects.
Spencer had previously worked in London for ten years, first for Alsop Lyall and Stormer then John Lyall Architects, on a diverse range of prestigious projects including Tottenham Hale rail and underground stations, Harry Ramsden’s Fish restaurant in Cardiff Bay and Listed Corn Exchange and Third White Cloth Hall in Leeds. Afterwards joining Foggo Associates where he worked on a number of influential and award-winning office buildings in the City of London; 60 Queen Victoria Street, Cannon Street Station and 288 Bishopsgate.
James Palmer
Architect
James studied at Oxford Brookes University where he graduated with Distinction and was awarded for his final year project in Havana. He has completed a selection of digitally fabricated pavilion and furniture projects that informed his MArch dissertation on digital craft, which was nominated for the 2016 RIBA President’s Medal.
James has a keen interest in the interaction between digital and physical making, having contributed to the research and development of robotic tools for cutting fluted joints in bamboo.
jp@dscape.co.uk
Max Stembridge
Architect
Max joined Designscape in 2022, and successfully passed his Part III professional qualification with Distinction in 2024, having had very ”hands on” experience of designing various projects and seeing them through the construction phase.
Max completed his university studies in architecture at both the University of Greenwich and Bath University, graduating with distinction.
His final projects at Bath included a three-month master planning project in Cadiz, and his final design project, ‘The Cadiz wind turbine blade recycling and remanufacturing plant’, a modulating building which explored complex structural solutions and the innovative use of GRP and Polycarbonate.
Prior to his academic studies max undertook his City & Guilds in Marine Construction, Systems Engineering and Maintenance – constructing his own clinker-built boat in this time and developing a keen interest in traditional methods of timber construction and the use of modern materials in marine systems.
Max is currently involved as a Project Architect in a number of varied projects including the local Bath City Farm charity, and various other residential and commercial projects. He has a thorough grasp of BIM modelling and information management, and is also getting to use his building experience running a couple of small projects in the capacity of Construction Manager.
Thomas Harvey
Architectural Assistant
Tom first worked with us in 2023 to complete his “Part 1 Placement” year before returning to Bath University .
He has now successfully completed his Masters with a well deserved 2:1 Masters degree – whilst simultaneously indulging his other pastime of cycling by designing a Velodrome in Madrid.
Tom became something of an @archicad whizz in his first year here, and is now pushing on with some projects which should provide him with ideal hands on experience for his RIBA Part III in the not too distant future. Tom has also recently completed the Passivhaus Designer course at Bath University.
Tom is working as an assistant on all the projects across the office and gaining valuable experience on a wide range of project types and scales, as well as in all aspects of Architectural practice.