Urbis Interview: Ravensbourne's Architecture and IDEAs lookbook URBIS 2016 GRADUATE BOOK | Page 5

Layton Reid

Tom Fitzsimmons

fortune / fortunate, a definition,
to be in regular receipt of good
or charitable benefits without
effort.

Tom is principal of Tom
Fitzsimmons Architects
and a 0.6 Associate Senior
Lecturer at Ravensbourne.
He is leader of the Year 3
Portfolio Development and
of the Major Project + Report
units. The emphasis has been
on preparing the students for
industry, both in portraying
themselves through their
portfolios and in learning a
holistic approach to design.

Associate Dean

That is what my role with the
student colleagues in this
department brings me, working
in a bleeding edge institution
with some of the most talented
individuals the world has to
offer.
As Associate Dean for
Interior Design Environment
Architectures, Architecture and
Urban Landscape, I facilitate a
laboratory of questions about
the inhabited world and its
future manifestation.
This year has been filled
with travel, investigation, live
projects and the development
of new courses at both MA
and BA level. Uniquely we
have worked together on the
co-creation and redefining
of the degrees, which has
brought industry and student
colleagues together, to
exchange views on the future
of these discipline, whilst the
nomadic studio has brought a
closer collaboration between
year groups and a tangible
wish to experiment with the
prototypes and uses to which
we put existing and proposed
built form.
In many ways this mirrors my
own work with Desitecture
- researching the nature of
cultural change, commerce
and social benefit.

Associate senior lecturer

Department of Architecture.
Idrees has been trained as
an award-winning innovation
design engineer, conceptual
architect, experiential interior
designer, urban innovator,
strategic design lead and
creative researcher with a
focus on disruptive market
innovation and a passion for
working on 21st century citizen
and city challenges.

Hilary French
Course leader

Hilary French trained as an
architect at the Architectural
Association and worked in
architectural and design
practice, on a range of projects
including housing, arts, leisure
and retail, before becoming
an academic. Since joining
Ravensbourne in January,
she has been working on
curriculum development and
expansion plans to include
a BA Landscape course and
Masters in Architecture.

Idrees Rasouli
Course leader

Idrees Rasouli is the course
leader for BA (Hons) IDEA /
Interior Design Environment
Architectures course at
Ravensbourne with crossdepartmental responsibility
for directing the design
strand, delivering outstanding
architectural and design
education, and leading
authority on the creative,
technological and technical
aspects of the courses in the

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