Judges
With Special Thanks to Our 2025 Judging Panel
Alan McCartney – Partner, Howells
Alan has led on a wide variety of schemes and has a keen focus on how existing communities and contexts integrate with and inform the new places Howells creates. He has gained experience on a wide variety of major mixed-use projects, including Royal Wharf, the Birmingham Institute of Translational Medicine, Wirral Waters, the NEC and Salford Central masterplans. He has also delivered several residential and student housing schemes across the country.
Alex Carter – Partner, Structural Engineering, Cundall
Following a BEng (Hons) degree in Civil Engineering and a period working in Birmingham, Alex spent a decade working overseas designing buildings in various geographies and gaining Chartership status with both the Institution of Structural Engineers and Institution of Civil Engineers, along with an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School.
JENNY BURRIDGE – heaD of structural enginnering, mpa the concrete centre
Jenny is a chartered civil and structural engineer. She chairs the BSI strategic committee on Engineering Design and Construction and sits on the Construction and Built Environment Sector Policy and Strategy Committee. These committees are advisory committees looking at the built environment.
Ricardo baptista – DESIGN DIRECTOR, AKTII
Ricardo Baptista is a design director at AKT II, joining in 2005 after completing a Master’s at Imperial College London. He oversees design and technical matters of projects within different teams, allowing him to infuse each with his design-led approach, with an emphasis on creativity and innovation.
Simon Robins – Partner, MAKE Architects
Simon joined Make in 2010 and has worked on a number of the practice’s key projects. These projects range from major master-plans in Saudi Arabia, Earls Court and the London Olympic Park to the design and planning approval of significant residential towers in Croydon and the Isle of Dogs. Simon has also had significant commercial and mixed used experience with office buildings in Mayfair and Fitzrovia as well as a Student housing scheme on the site of the Hammersmith Palais.
Steve McKechnie – Director, Arup
Steve is an award winning structural engineer with extensive experience in the design of buildings. He leads a multidisciplinary design team in London within the engineering design firm Arup. Steve is co-author of the Concrete Centre guide to the design of tall buildings. He has spoken recently within the industry on tall building design methods; BIM and scripted optimisation; approaches to high risk structures; viscous damping; core prestressing; design for manufacture and the design and construction of T5, Heathrow.
Susan Mantle – Director, Heyne Tillett Steel
Susan is a highly skilled and experienced engineer with over 18 years’ experience in the industry. She enjoys collaborating with design teams to achieve the best structural solution for a project and relishes the creative nature of the design process. Susan champions technical excellence and sustainable low carbon design and leads HTS+ Innovation and Research, our dedicated team who work on research projects to help resolve engineering challenges.
Steve watts – Director, turner & townsend
Steve has over 25 years of experience in the industry. Steve has unrivalled knowledge and experience in the economics of tall buildings, working on a number of high profile towers. He is an active member of the Council on Tall Buildings & Urban Habitat (and a Trustee), producing a number of key papers and cost models, and regularly presenting on the subject. Steve enjoys a challenge, possesses a forensic attention to detail as well as the ability to see the bigger picture.
Fredrico ortiz – head of programme, nla
Federico Ortiz is an architect, curator, and teacher. As Head of Programme at NLA, he leads research, publications, exhibitions, and events that shape discourse on the built environment. He holds an MA in History and Critical Thinking from the Architectural Association and is a Design History Tutor at the London School of Architecture.
mark wakeford – chairman, evo energy
Mark is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, with over thirty years in the construction industry including Chair of one of the solar sectors longest established UK solar businesses at EvoEnergy Ltd. He has been a full member of the Solar Taskforce, chairing the Skills Group and contributing to the Supply Chain Group.
