ARB, PhD, MSc, Dipl.Ing, PGCHE
Consultant

Paola is a highly experienced architect having worked extensively in both Germany and the UK, leading building projects in healthcare, education, commercial, and residential. She is an internationally renowned specialist in sustainable buildings and environmental design, with a focus on ultra-low energy building design and low impact materials. Her recent work has included a pair of low energy, closed loop, sustainable dwellings in Cardiff, and a comprehensive low carbon retrofit of a Victorian terrace in Oxford achieving an 80% reduction in heating energy demand.

Paola has combined her architectural practice with research and postgraduate / undergraduate teaching at the universities of Nottingham, Cardiff, Oxford Brookes, and CAT (Centre for Alternative Technology). She has developed and run new master’s courses in sustainable design and provides guidance to academic institutions, including the Architectural Association, and the universities of Edinburgh and Sheffield. She has published extensively and her book ‘Strategies for Sustainable Architecture’ was runner-up in the RIBA International Book Award. Paola acts as a consultant for Sow Space.

When Paola’s not retrofitting other people’s homes, she’s retrofitting her own. Having previously trained in carpentry, she has a very hands on approach. Paola is a lover of art and enjoys spending any spare time gardening.