James Byass

When I was younger I used to work on farms near where I grew up. When something broke down we used to say "how would we fix this if we were stuck in the desert with no tools?" That approach taught me a lot about resourcefulness. It’s a lesson that still resonates with me in my work at Max Fordham.

I favour a direct, simple approach to problem-solving. Often the design can be quite technical, but understanding how it is going to work as simply as possible is the key. Sometimes a minor suggestion on a layout can have huge implications to the complexities of the building services.

One of the things that I think sets Max Fordham apart is the open, friendly and honest conversations that we have in relation to our work. We don’t just show up with an engineer who's only focused on delivering what’s in front of them.

I encourage anyone working with me to talk with clients and design teams just as we talk with each other. Understanding where everyone is coming from – the client, architect, project manager and contractors – helps distil the vision for the project and deliver a better result.