Practice

Greg is the co-founder of Studio McW and was recently shortlisted for the RIBA Rising Star Award. Driven by a passion for creating highly unique architecture, he employs a rigorous conceptual and storytelling design process, rooted in thoughtful responses to site conditions, context, and client needs. Greg champions adaptive reuse and retrofitting of existing structures, aiming to avoid carbon-intensive demolition wherever possible. His interest in architectural heritage led him to complete a specialist course at the London School of Architecture in 2024.

Greg graduated from Newcastle University, where his thesis project was nominated for the prestigious RIBA President’s Silver Medal. He also won the HB Saint William Bell Memorial Prize for best major design project and the APL Travelling Award, which included a grant to conduct architectural research in Paris. Following graduation, Greg received a commendation in the national RIBA Forgotten Spaces competition and has been a guest speaker at RIBA events, and his work has been exhibited and published internationally.

David co-founded Studio McW following several years working for award winning design practices in London. Having grown up in a family of self-builders, joiners, trades and architects, he was exposed to the building industry from a young age, drawn to the origins of the title of architect and enjoys both an analytical and intuitive approach to design.

His time at the Welsh School of Architecture harnessed a love of honest and natural materials, used within a framework that promoted a ‘fabric first’ approach in construction methods, to deliver thoughtful and ambitious solutions to architectural challenges.

David believes that the benefits of good design should not be reserved for the few, and is drawn to sustainable, low tech design approaches that can be applied at all scales, be that a new building or the furniture that inhabits it.

He enjoys understated simplicity in design solutions, believes pretension has no place in architecture, and that good ideas and concepts excel when presented in a tangible manner, grounded by clear understanding and competence.

The education of architecture is largely self led, as is the business of architecture, and David remains driven to learn how best to develop a practice that provides meaningful architecture for its clients, a platform for professional development within the team, and build in a manner that promotes longevity and lasting relevance.

Alicea studied at Newcastle University and graduated with Distinction. Alicea was awarded the Napper Memorial Prize in recognition of outstanding performance in design and the HB Saint William Bell Award for best major design thesis, as well as being shortlisted for the RIBA President’s Silver Medal.

Before joining Studio McW in 2017, Alicea gained experience at several residential architecture firms and later worked at the renowned Foster + Partners. There, she worked on several high-profile projects including the Museum of Western Australia, the Dubai Design District masterplan, and the BBC headquarters and adjacent mixed-use development in Central Square, Cardiff.

Alicea returned to residential architecture to collaborate more closely with private clients, creating tailored designs that enrich everyday life. She sees architecture as a medium for powerful storytelling—designing spaces that provoke thought, endure over time, and are defined by the experiences they create. 

At Studio McW, Alicea has led a number of the practice’s London and countryside projects, including Follyfield, the sensitive transformation of an 18th -century stone property and Fenland House the transformation of a 1937 Art Deco dwelling in rural Cambridgeshire.

Silvia studied at the IUAV University in Venice, the ENSPM in Paris and the Y-GSA in Tokyo. Prior to joining McW, she worked with internationally renowned practices in London and abroad, including Pritzker Price-winning SANAA, contributing to projects exhibited twice at the Venice Architecture Biennale.

At Studio McW, she is leading the sustainable refurbishment and extension of several period properties in London, including a Grade II listed building. Across all projects, she oversees both the architectural and interior design packages, creating a cohesive design language in which building and space are conceived as a single vision, each continuously informing and enriching the other.

Her approach is characterised by simple, minimal design, with careful attention to materiality, detailing, and the relationship between architecture and landscape.

Andy has a particular interest in craft, materiality and sustainability, having recently led on a full-house retrofit of a North London terraced property for the studio, exploring the use of hemp block, natural insulation and alternatives to clay-fired brickwork – seeking to implement contemporary low-tech solutions, executed with considered detailing and a thoughtful approach to site constraints and spatial quality.

Andy has also been the project lead on the feasibility and initial design of some of the studio’s commercial work within central London, exploring how a temporary, lightweight and considered structural approach could be used to transform previously underutilised amenity space on a heavily constrained site – constructed from a ‘kit-of-parts’ and easily demountable.

Before joining Studio McW in 2022, Andy studied at The University of Kent and The University of Bath, where he was nominated for the RIBA Bronze President’s Medal for his sensitive adaptation of an existing timber drying shed.

Matt joined Studio McW in November 2025, having spent the past year working on architectural projects in India and Tanzania. He is currently working on the careful retrofit of a barn near Windsor, using natural, breathable materials.

At Studio McW, Matt has been working on the extensive refurbishment of a rural barn near Windsor, prioritising expression of the existing structure and using natural sustainable materials.

Outside of work, Matt is interested in film, having produced two short films whilst studying at the Baltic Film and Media School in Estonia. He loves getting outside, learning new languages and meeting new people.

Matt studied at the University of Sheffield, where he won prizes for his writing and his design projects.

George joined Studio McW in September 2025, where he works alongside his MArch studies at the Welsh School of Architecture. He has a strong interest in materiality, co-design and placemaking, with a focus on environmentally responsible architecture.

His third-year project, Build Together: Affordable, Self-Build Housing, responded to the housing crisis through a participatory approach to design and construction. The project was awarded the T Alwyn Lloyd Memorial Travelling Scholarship and demonstrated a commitment to community-led development and sustainable building practices.

George enjoys physical model making and sketching as integral parts of his design process, using them to explore material qualities and spatial organisation.