James Clague Architects
Project Architect with Heritage and Conservation experience
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Full-Time – On-Site Project Architect (Canterbury, Heritage & Conservation Focus)
About the Role
James Clague Architects, a specialist heritage and conservation-focused architectural practice based in the South East, is seeking a detail-oriented Project Architect to join its team in Canterbury. The role will work across a diverse portfolio of listed building extensions, renovations, barn conversions, and new build developments, delivering projects with exceptional care and attention to historical integrity, conservation standards, and architectural value.
The successful candidate will lead design development, document production, and project coordination from concept through completion on heritage-sensitive sites. Strong technical expertise, collaborative skills, and a deep appreciation for historic buildings will be essential.
This is a pivotal on-site role, blending architectural leadership with hands-on project delivery—ideally for professionals eager to deepen their conservation and planning experience.
Key Responsibilities
Design & Development Leadership
- Lead design development for heritage and conservation-led projects, ensuring design solutions align with historic character, regulatory requirements, and client aspirations.
- Produce technically detailed documentation, including drawings, specifications, and conservation reports.
- Coordinate conservation-led solutions for challenging interventions, balancing sensitivities with modern requirements.
Project Coordination & Approvals
- Manage planning and listed building consent (LBC) applications, from initial concept submissions to final approval, ensuring compliance with UK heritage regulations.
- Oversee technical detailing and collaborative reviews with conservation officers, specialist consultants, and contractors.
- Monitor progress against timelines, budgets, and performance benchmarks, ensuring project goals are met.
- Attend and lead site visits, client meetings, and stakeholder consultations to maintain alignment and mitigate risks.
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Consultation & Client Engagement
- Foster clear, transparent communication with clients, explaining design intentions, feasibility considerations, and regulatory pathways.
- Provide design guidance and problem-solving throughout the project lifecycle, addressing regulatory hurdles and technical challenges.
- Ensure projects meet sustainability criteria (e.g., LEED, Passivhaus) while preserving historical integrity.
Qualifications & Experience
Essential Skills & Qualifications
- Professional architectural qualification and registration (or eligibility) with demonstrated experience in conservation, heritage, and listed building projects.
- Proficient in architectural documentation, including 3D modelling, technical drafting, and heritage-specific detail work:
- Experience producing planning and listed building consent submissions, including detailed research, statements of significance, and condition survey reports.
- Knowledge of conservation principles, heritage management answers/plans, and NPPF/NTCP frameworks.
- Strong working knowledge of BIM (Building Information Modelling) workflows for heritage-sensitive projects, including clash detection and documentation.
- Familiarity with sustainability frameworks such as LEED or BREEAM, with attention applying these standards to historic building retrofit or extension.
- Ability to interpret and apply UK planning and conservation legislation, including listing conditions and area-based planning policies.
- Multitasking aptitude: managing multiple projects from inception to completion in a dynamic, high-detail environment.
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Desirable (but not mandatory)
- Familiarity with Canterbury and the Kent region’s specific heritage challenges, such as medieval, Georgian, and Tudor architecture.
- Experience with traditional craftspecification or restoration of significant buildings.
- Networking with adjacent sister disciplines (e.g., archaeology, conservationists, or engineers) in heritage sectors.
Cultural Fit & Soft Skills
- Passion for heritage architecture: the candidate must genuinely appreciate the ethical and practical challenges of working with historic structures.
- Exceptional attention to detail: precision in documents, site regulations, and conservation practices is paramount.
- Collaborative mindset: strong team player with excellent communication—external (clients, authorities) and internal (consultants, in-house designers).
- Resilience and adaptability: ability to navigate complex regulatory requirements with discretion and pragmatism.
- Problem-solving mindset: confidence in bespoke design solutions where standard guidelines conflict with heritage imperatives.
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