Lara Michael
Partner
Lara passionately believes that experiencing the natural world is vital to a healthy mind and spirit. Having started life in Africa, she is acutely aware of the need to limit the use of natural resources and is concerned for the future of humanity’s well-being as populations move increasingly to live in cities.
Lara’s interest in human justice, organic design and a passive, fabric first approach has driven her architectural career choices, from working in Malaysia, New Zealand and across the UK. Joining Cullinan Studio as a partner in 2002. Lara finds the collective energy and powerful shared vision for the future from her like-minded, ethical partners at Cullinan Studio profoundly inspirational.
Emotionally driven, Lara thrives on getting to know her clients and really understanding their needs. She enjoys the wide diversity of people she meets; from learning about a day-in-the-life of a botanist at Kew Gardens to a day-in-the-life of a clay modeller at Jaguar Land Rover. Working on such a range of projects like these is a dream come true.
Lara is friendly, yet decisive and can play the role of leader and team player with equal measure.
Lara is a Certified Passive House Designer.
Project Experience
Herbarium verbatim
To make more space for the incredible collections at the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew and the scientists who study them, we made a new wing to the herbarium with a simple palette of materials including an exposed fair-face concrete frame. It provides thermal mass to help maintain the stores at 15°C, takes the weight of the vast collection, prevents any potentially damaging insects from nesting in the surface, and is finished beautifully so that fewer materials are used to form the spaces.
When we first met the concrete sub-contractor, he said we would fall out during the course of constructing this building as the specification called for them to take their time to ensure the finish was of the best quality - impacting their profitability. But on a cold winter’s day, just as the concrete frame was finished, we recalled that initial discussion, and with a tear in his eye he said he’d learnt a lot and was very proud of what they had achieved. Lara went on to write a case study about the making of this project which was included in the book 'Sustainable Concrete Architecture' by David Bennett. The project went on to receive an RIBA award.
A new age of manufacturing
The National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC) has arrived when a global mobility revolution is underway and aims to be a stimulus for an optimistic new era of manufacturing in the Midlands. Lara feels proud of what we achieved in making the NAIC, not only in constructing a beautiful building with one of the largest CLT and glulam roofs in the world, but because of the relationships formed there too.
Lara’s role on this project developed from offering to do a feasibility study to becoming the guardian of the design. With a memory like an elephant and shrewd business acumen, Lara has overseen this beautiful and buzzing new centre at the University of Warwick. So passionate is she about its success, Lara has led our first of many post-occupancy studies of NAIC so that we can learn and improve upon our delivery of collaborative, cohesive workplaces that facilitate cross-fertilisation of ideas, not only for the users at NAIC but so we can deliver these outcomes in future projects as well.
A collaborative nirvana
Providing learning environments for future generations at Dudley College, the Institute of Transformational Technologies has just started on site and will be delivered using the Integrated Project Insurance (IPI) model. This is our first time procuring a project in this way and it is proving to be a genuinely collaborative way to deliver a building. As all parties are selected on their skills, ability to add value and team behaviour rather than cost, it really feels like the nirvana when comparing it to the entrenched positions of retreat that a design and build project can cause. The whole team makes joint decisions, everyone has a voice, and there is no blame or claim; if a problem arises, we all have to find the solution. It’s liberating!