Gerard Evenden

Gerard Evenden studied architecture at the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, graduating in 1985. He joined the practice in 1991 and is now head of studio and part of the Design Board and Partnership Board. His current work includes Coral Bloom, an ambitious regenerative tourism project on the Red Sea coast, two airports in the Middle East, and the Mobility Pavilion at the 2021 Dubai Expo. He is also leading the Circular Quay Tower, which will include the highest commercial floorplate in Australia. Gerard is also responsible for number of significant masterplans and high-rise tower projects in Thailand and China.

Recently his team completed the Bund Finance Center in Shanghai, a 420,000-square-metre mixed use development of eight buildings combining offices with a boutique hotel, a cultural centre and a variety of luxury retail spaces, the Capital Square Development in Cardiff, a mixed-use scheme which includes a new office for the BBC, a transport interchange and surrounding amenities, a private house development in the UK, and the House of Wisdom – a community library in Sharjah.

Gerard has led the team on the design of a number of towers in North America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East, including the first LEED Gold accredited tower in New York, the Hearst Headquarters. Other award-winning, high-rise projects include Lumière Apartments and Deutsche Bank in Sydney and The Troika, a residential development in Kuala Lumpur.

Gerard has been responsible for a number of schemes in the United Arab Emirates, including the Reem Island Residences, Sheikh Zayed National Museum, The Index, World Trade Center Souk and Masdar City. In response to the problems of mass housing his team has developed the design of modular housing for manufacture and distribution in large numbers, and realised a prototype in Abu Dhabi. The theme of sustainability that runs through these projects is also demonstrated by two UAE Pavilion’s designed for the Shanghai and Milan World Expo’s, which were constructed in China and Milan respectively, and subsequently dismantled and relocated to a permanent home in Abu Dhabi.

Gerard’s experience spans contemporary interventions with old buildings as seen at the Capella Resort Sentosa, Singapore which integrates two 1880s Tanah Merah military buildings with a new hotel, villas, extensive event spaces and a spa. Other early projects include Sarriko Station on the Bilbao Metro, masterplan for Imperial College London, the ITN Headquarters and a house in Corsica. He subsequently led the design teams on Canary Wharf Underground Station in London, Expo Station in Singapore and the High-Speed Rail Station in Florence, currently under construction.