Thomas Heatherwick

Founder, Heatherwick Studio

Thomas Heatherwick is a British designer whose prolific and varied work over two decades is characterised by its ingenuity, inventiveness and originality. 

Defying the conventional classification of design disciplines, Thomas founded Heatherwick Studio in 1994 to bring the practices of design, architecture and urban planning together in a single workspace. 

Thomas leads the design of all Heatherwick Studio projects, working in collaboration with a team of highly-skilled architects, designers, and makers. Thomas’ unusual approach applies artistic thinking to the needs of each project, resulting in some of the most acclaimed designs of our time. 

Based in London, Heatherwick Studio is currently working on approximately 30 projects in ten countries. Following the Gold Award success of the UK Pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, Heatherwick Studio has gone on to win exciting design briefs including 1000 Trees, a mixed-use development in Shanghai; and new headquarters for Google in Silicon Valley and London (in collaboration with BIG, currently under construction). 

The studio has recently completed a new public centrepiece for Hudson Yards in New York; the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town, the first museum of its kind on the continent; and Coal Drops Yard, a major new retail district in King’s Cross, London. 

Thomas has been appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, a Royal Academician and in 2004 became the youngest Royal Designer for Industry. Thomas was also awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 2007.

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