We are a multilingual team of Architects, Creatives, Computational Designers, Interior Designers, Engineers, Project Managers, Technicians, and Visualisation Artists.
Directors
Jonas Upton-Hansen
Founding Director
english,
danish,
french
Jonas Upton-Hansen
Founding Director
english,
danish,
french
Jonas Upton-Hansen was educated at the Architectural Association in London. After graduating in the year 2000, he joined Foster + Partners where he collaborated on projects including the McLaren Formula 1 UK headquarters and Monaco Yacht Club amongst others.
In 2005, Jonas joined the office of Murphy Jahn in Chicago as Associate Principal. Under the direction of Helmut Jahn, Jonas collaborated on numerous prestigious projects including the 40 storey Fairbanks Court residential tower in Chicago; the 60 storey West Street hotel and condominium tower in Manhattan; the LEED Gold certified 1999 K Street in Washington DC for Vornado; and various other large scale projects across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Jonas is a registered Architect in England, France and Denmark.
Ricardo Mateu
Director
english,
spanish
Ricardo Mateu
Director
english,
spanish
Ricardo Mateu studied Architecture at Kingston University in London, where his diploma project was awarded the BCA Prize for best concrete structure. He graduated in 1995 and was elected as a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1996. More recently, in 2011, Ricardo completed a Master in Architectural Management and Design at the prestigious IE Business School in Madrid, Spain.
In 20 years of professional practice Ricardo has worked with renowned international practices such as Rafael Viñoly Architects, Santiago Calatrava and Foster + Partners where, in a career spanning over 15 years, he rose through the ranks to Partner in 2008 and acting Director of Foster + Partners Madrid from 2007 until 2010. As Director he was responsible for projects such as the award winning Torre Caja Madrid, which at 250m in height, is the tallest building in Spain.
20
Nationalities
16
Languages
7
Global offices
Senior Associates
Atul Bhandari
Head of India
english,
hindi
Atul Bhandari
Head of India
english,
hindi
Atul joined our Mumbai office in 2024 as Head of Design, India, to oversee our growing portfolio of design-driven projects in India.
He studied architecture at Lucknow University, graduated in 1995, and is registered with the Indian Council of Architecture.
In almost 30 years of professional practice, Atul has handled key leadership roles as Head of Design for EMAAR India for 4 years, and Design Director and Project for RSP India for 15 years. He has collaborated as a key decision maker and solution provider with renowned international architects and practices such as HOK, Broadway Malyan, Nelson, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, James Law Cybertecture, Gensler, RSP Singapore & Dubai, for iconic projects pan-India.
Atul has significant experience in delivering award-winning, large mixed-use masterplans, IT parks, commercial and high-rise buildings across India.
Barna Bozso
Head of Visualisation
english,
hungarian
Barna Bozso
Head of Visualisation
english,
hungarian
Barna is our Head of Visualisations and runs our Budapest office. He joined our London office in 2017 before moving back to Hungary where he now leads the Visualisation team.
He studied at Széchenyi István University in Győr, where he obtained his master's degree in 2014. After completing his studies, Barna joined KÖZTI where he worked on various projects including Puskás Ferenc Stadium and the Buda Castle Guards Building.
Bruno Clark
Head of Lisbon
english,
portuguese
Dimitris Akritopoulos
Senior Associate
english,
french,
greek
Dimitris Akritopoulos
Senior Associate
english,
french,
greek
Dimitris is our longest-standing team member having joined UHA in 2012. He has been a Senior Associate since 2021. Working on a wide range of projects within the practice, his main focus is to oversee our growing portfolio of design-driven projects in Athens.
He holds a Diploma degree in Architecture from The London Metropolitan University, after which he spent three years st Nikolaos Sideris & Partners in Athens. In 2005, Dimitris relocated back to London where he obtained a master’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the Architectural Association.
After obtaining his master's, Dimitris joined Zaha Hadid Architects where he worked for over six years as Lead Designer. With exceptional design and 3D skills, he was involved in a range of prestigious projects throughout all design stages and numerous competition entries.
Erin Upton-Hansen
Head of Interiors
english
Erin Upton-Hansen
Head of Interiors
english
Erin is a founding member of UHA, and as Head of Interiors she focuses primarily on luxury residential projects in London and abroad.
Erin studied interior design at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio graduating Suma Cum Laude. After a student internship with NBBJ in Columbus, Erin moved to London in 2002 and was able to continue working with NBBJ in their London office as an architectural assistant. She continued her journey in London at Allies and Morrison as an integral team member on Southbank 123 and the University of Cambridge.
In 2005, Erin returned to America and began working at Gensler Chicago as an interior designer. Here she collaborated on a variety of high end residential and corporate projects including British Petroleum Chicago, Reyes Holding, Shelbourne Development the World Food Prize and a large private residence in Chicago’s Gold Coast.
Fanor Serrano
Head of Sustainability
english,
spanish
Fanor Serrano
Head of Sustainability
english,
spanish
Fanor is our Head of Sustainability.
After graduating with honours in Colombia with a bachelor’s degree in architecture (2003), Fanor worked in well-known firms in Bogota specialising in residential projects.
Between 2009 and 2012 he obtained a master’s degree in sustainable and environmental design at the Architectural Association in London. On returning to Colombia in 2012 he focused on the architectural design and implementation of environmental strategies for high-energy performance buildings as part of the Gustavo Perry Architects team. Fanor joined UHA in 2018 and specialises in sustainable design.
Gonçalo Martins Pinheiro
Head of Operations
english,
portuguese,
spanish
Gonçalo Martins Pinheiro
Head of Operations
english,
portuguese,
spanish
Gonçalo is the Head of Operations in our London office.
After graduating with honours with a Master's in Architecture, Gonçalo has had the opportunity to collaborate with a number of leading offices and architects, while finishing a Master’s of Advanced Study and pursuing a PhD in Landscape Architecture and Urban Ecology. He has designed and led to completion, with on-site technical management, projects of various types and scales in different countries, environments, and climates around the world. He specialises in office and educational facilities.
Before joining UHA, Gonçalo was collaborating with João Luís Carrilho da Graça in Lisbon. Prior to that, he established and managed the DARC (Design and Research Cell) for RSP Design Consultants in Bangalore and Singapore, serving as its Design Director from 2014 to 2017, in charge of the design team for singular projects of every scale and function all across India.
From 2006 to 2014, Gonçalo worked at GJP as a lead architect, successfully delivering a large range of residential, commercial, educational, and retail spaces. From 1999 to 2006, Gonçalo was working with Pedro Matos Gameiro and Carlos Crespo (becoming a Partner of the firm in 2004), where he worked on a number of award-winning projects.
Joseph R. Goodwin
Head of Brand & Creative
english
Joseph R. Goodwin
Head of Brand & Creative
english
Joseph joined UHA in 2019 as the Head of Brand & Creative to develop and manage the creative output, brand identity, and global marketing strategy of the studio. As the Creative Team Lead he has won international competitions and awards for the studio, directed over a dozen animations and videos, and spearheaded the signage and wayfinding package for a 113,600 m² Fintech campus.
After completing his BA Architecture at Newcastle University, Joseph went on to complete a Graduate Certificate in Architectural Practice and received a distinction in his MArch from the University of Greenwich. His design approach is research-led, collaborative, and cross-industry, involving the combination of animation, curation, film, and photography to translate complex concepts spatially.
Joseph has over 10 years experience encompassing working in high end residential and large scale high-rise and masterplans across all the RIBA project stages. He was the Creative Director of London-based BUJ Architects for 3 years working on multi-award winning projects, alongside organising and curating talks and exhibitions for Open House and the London Festival of Architecture.
He has served as a visiting critic on undergraduate and postgraduate courses across the UK and as a Lecturer in Architecture for the University of Huddersfield. He is a mentor at Narrative Practice providing design and career advice for consistently underrepresented groups throughout the construction industry.
Paulo Ribeiro
Head of Innovation
english,
portuguese
Petros Trapezaris
Senior Project Manager
english,
greek
Petros Trapezaris
Senior Project Manager
english,
greek
Petros is a Senior Project Manager in our Limassol office.
He is a Professional Civil Engineer with eight years of experience in Structural Engineering and Project Management roles in the UK and Cyprus. Working in the engineering consulting and building construction industry has allowed him to develop vital technical knowledge, design management and commercial skills that are essential for the successful delivery and completion of complex building projects.
Petros is currently working as Project Manager on a £15 million, six storey luxury residential development in London, that includes the construction of a double basement structure as well as high end finishes.
He has extensive experience with design procedures and standards such as Eurocodes and British Standards, and a broad knowledge of Quality Management Systems such as ISO9001.
Vincent Nowak
Senior Associate
english,
french,
german,
italian
Vincent Nowak
Senior Associate
english,
french,
german,
italian
Vincent is a Senior Associate in our London office.
He studied architecture and obtained his Diploma at the RWTH Aachen (Germany) in the department of Prof. Vladimir Nikolic in 2004, which included an Erasmus grant at L’Ecole nationale supérieure d’architecture Paris-Malaquais (2001–2002). As a student he gained professional experience at the offices of Jean Nouvel, Jacques Moussafir and Gerkan, Marg und Partner (gmp) in Aachen and Paris.
He joined Zaha Hadid Architects in 2004, and as Lead Architect he led a number of high-rise projects in the Middle East and China. Vincent was in charge of design and development of the OPUS Office Tower, the flagship building for one of Dubai’s leading private developers. He was Project Architect of the Youth Olympic Centre in Nanjing (China), a 500,000 m² mixed-use development composed of two high-rise towers and a conference centre.
Prior to joining UHA, Vincent completed the Courtyard House for Flow Architecture, a boutique architectural practice focusing on bespoke residential projects.
Vincent has extensive experience in high-rise building design and luxury residential developments, and is a specialist in BIM and computational design development.
Wen-Kai Li
Senior Associate
chinese,
english
Wen-Kai Li
Senior Associate
chinese,
english
Wen-Kai is a Senior Associate in our London office.
He completed his bachelor's degree in Architecture from Taiwan’s top University, TamKang University, and his master's degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the Architectural Association in London. Wen-Kai received an award for outstanding performance on his graduate thesis.
He worked for a number of studios in Taiwan including Stonehenge Architects and A+B Studio before taking his master’s degree and graduating in 2009. After completing his master's degree Wen-Kai joined Zaha Hadid Architects where he worked for over five years, and was promoted to Senior Designer. He was the key designer for Al Wakrah Stadium for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Wen-Kai joined UHA in 2014 and specialises in complex 3D modeling and parametric design. Through the use of parametric tools such as Grasshopper, MEL scripting (Maya Embedded Language) and Archicad live connection, Wen-Kai is able to rationalise complex geometries and set up fully generative models that can be regularly updated in both Rhino and BIM, which is essential on large masterplan projects.
Vikram Gaikwad
Senior Associate
english,
hindi
Associates
Akbar Agniputra
Associate
english
Andreas Ieridis
Associate
english,
greek
Andreas Ieridis
Associate
english,
greek
Andreas is an Associate in our Limassol office.
Since 2009 he has been working as an architect at international practices in London, Rotterdam, Athens, and Cyprus. He holds a Diploma of Architect Engineer from NTUA Athens and an MSc from TU Delft. He joined UHA in 2018 to assist in the construction of luxury residential projects in Cyprus, and was promoted to Associate in 2019.
In London, Andreas worked on large-scale projects in construction stages using BIM. These include Al Rayyan football stadium in Qatar with Pattern architects, East Wick & Sweetwater residential development, and the £600 million expansion of Westfield shopping centre in London, with Sheppard Robson Architects.
Before moving to London, he worked for OMA/Rem Koolhaas in Rotterdam on significant projects in Italy. These include Fondaco dei Tendeschi in Venice, the Venice Biennale 2014, and Prada in Milan. In Cyprus, he worked as a Project Architect for IMA studio. He is a registered architect in ARB (UK) and ETEK (CY).
Gianluca Malvestio
Associate
english,
italian
Gianluca Malvestio
Associate
english,
italian
Gianluca joined UHA in 2018 and became an Associate in 2021. He oversees and maintains our drawing standards and protocols across the studio, and is responsible for delivering drawing packages and coordinating with consultants on large projects.
Gianluca completed his BA and MA degrees in Architecture at the Architecture University of Venice (IUAV), graduating with honours. During his Master's he studied for six months at the Y-GSA of Yokohama in Japan, and then completed an internship at the Belgian architecture firm GAFPA.
During his six years in our London office Gianluca has worked on various high profile mixed-use and residential projects, gaining knowledge of technical architectural details and BIM modelling.
Lizzie Sharp
Senior Graphic Designer
english
Satvik Ambre
Associate
english,
hindi
Shinnosuke Takayanagi
Associate
english,
japanese
Shinnosuke Takayanagi
Associate
english,
japanese
Shinnosuke is an Associate in our Tokyo office. He joined UHA in 2016 and specialises in complex 3D modelling and visualisation. His skills are crucial at concept and design development stages, and he has been involved in many of our mixed-use and residential projects, as well as the Serp & Molot masterplan in Moscow.
He completed his BA degree with honours in Architecture at the Manchester School of Architecture and obtained his MA degree in Architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL in London.
Before returning to the UK to complete his MA he worked for Kengo Kuma and Associates. During his two years at KKAA he worked on several significant cultural buildings in Europe, including the V&A Museum in Dundee, and Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. While studying at the Bartlett he joined as a local KKAA member and completed the pavilion ‘Sensing Spaces’ at Royal Academy in London.
Shinnosuke moved back to Japan in 2017, where he continues his work with UHA as well as collaborating with local Japanese architects, designers, and manufactures, including renowned architect Terunobu Fujimori.
Zed Huang
Associate
chinese,
english,
german
Zed Huang
Associate
chinese,
english,
german
Yung-Chieh (Zed) is a registered Architect in Taiwan with near 20 years of experience across the UK and Asia.
As an Associate at UHA, he works across many project types, specialising in complex geometry and parametric design, and has played key roles in our competition teams. He now plays a crucial role in our business development around Taiwan.
Prior to joining the UHA Taipei office, he worked at Zaha Hadid Architects in London and Beijing for over 5 years as a Senior Designer, completing various award-winning projects including d’Leedon Singapore, Wangjing SOHO Beijing and Leeza SOHO Beijing. He has taught as an adjunct associate professor in several prestigious architectural faculties such as National Cheng Kung University, and was invited to tutor AA Visiting School in Beijing and Shanghai.
His educational background has also spanned continents. Zed holds a master’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the Architectural Association (2009), and studied Architecture at TungHai University (BArch 2002), Taiwan and D-Arch ETH, Zurich (2005–2007).
Design Team
Daniel Dosa
Visualiser
english,
hungarian
Iryna Mykytenko
Visualiser
english
István Sady
Senior 3D Visualiser
english,
hungarian
Jacob Holman
Senior Architect
english,
portuguese
Jimena Arena
Architectural Designer
english,
spanish
Kashish Singh
Architect
english,
hindi
Kiro Tsuchiya
Architect
english,
japanese
Leo Liao-Briere
Digital Designer
english,
french,
mandarin
Lyndon Fernandes
Architect
english,
hindi
Manan Hingoo
Junior Architect
english,
hindi
Márk Halász
Junior 3D Artist
english,
german,
hungarian
Mátyás Kovács
Senior 3D Visualiser
english,
hungarian
Naixiang Gao
Architectural Assistant
chinese,
english
Nasr Finianos
Visualiser
english,
hungarian
Nicola Secci
Architectural Designer
english,
italian
Nidhi Shah
Junior Architect
english,
hindi
Péter Buchinger
Visualiser
english,
hungarian
Réka Süttő
3D Visualiser
english,
german,
hungarian
Rita Lobo de Almeida
Architect
english,
portuguese
Ruchira Kelaskar
Architect
english,
hindi
Saashaa Agaskar
Architectural Assistant
english,
hindi
Sachita Thakur
Architect
english,
hindi
Samiksha Khedkar
Junior Architect
english,
hindi
Taha Bharmal
Architect
english,
hindi
Tamika Batalova
Digital Designer
english,
russian
Vrushali Nevreker
Architect
english,
hindi
Zsuzsanna Sapi
Visualiser
english,
hungarian
Support Team
Archana Tiwari
Office Manager
english,
hindi
Nicola Dickins
Head of Human Resources
english
Nicola Dickins
Head of Human Resources
english
Nicola oversees all aspects of human resources for UHA across the studios. This includes implementing policies and procedures, whilst delivering future company HR strategies. In 2014, Nicola achieved a distinction in MSc Organisational Psychology at City University. She recently completed a CIPD Level 5 Qualification in Human Resources Management. After working for a bespoke human resources company for 4 years, Nicola joined us as Head of Human Resources in 2020.