Paul Thompson – Associate Director

Paul is a highly accomplished architect and project leader with extensive international experience in delivering award winning, high-profile projects across various scales and sectors. His portfolio includes the Mossbourne Community Academy and Maggie’s Centre West London, the latter of which won the prestigious Stirling Prize in 2009.

With a career spanning diverse typologies and global locations, Paul is currently leading the London team for the design of five metro stations in Melbourne, Australia. Each station is designed to reflect its local character while collectively enhancing urban connectivity and driving city-wide regeneration.

Paul previously co-led RSHP’s Sydney office for five years, where he played a pivotal role in designing the Barangaroo Masterplan and the International Towers, Sydney, which achieved the highest 6-star Green  Star rating. He also led the competition team for Sydney Metro and North West Rail and served as project architect for the Victoria Harbour Masterplan in Melbourne. 

Since returning to the UK, Paul has worked on the adaptive reuse of The Berkeley Hotel, where he designed an innovative entrance canopy and ballrooms, working to a programme that kept the hotel operational during construction. His work on the neighbouring Emory involved overcoming significant structural challenges, including proximity to the Piccadilly Line tunnels and subterranean support structures, by integrating a stability framework with a suspended floor system that contributes to the building’s skyline expression. 

Paul has also secured planning permission for major projects, including a 42-storey office tower in Canary Wharf and a residential tower in Elephant and Castle. His expertise in sustainable and affordable housing was demonstrated as project architect for an innovative low-cost housing solution, which won the UK Government’s Design for Manufacture competition and was later adapted for high-density urban sites, earning the Manser Medal in 2008. 

In addition to his architectural contributions, Paul actively shapes industry discourse as a member of the NLA Expert Panel for Transport & Infrastructure.