Graham Ford

Graham is the founder of GFA overseeing the firm’s operations and design. Since 2006, he has directed efforts to extend the firm’s specialist skills in sustainability, sport and adaptive reuse. Graham received his BArch and MArch (post graduate master’s degree in sustainability) from Victoria University of Wellington. Graham received his PhD in practise-based research from RMIT University in 2022. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including a Victoria University Master’s Scholarship and a Todd Foundation Scholarship. Graham spent one year on an exchange scholarship at the University of California at Berkeley.

Graham has been working for over 22 years in residential, academic, institutional and sports projects including the London 2012 Olympic Games and MIST university in Abu Dhabi with Landolt and Brown Architects. Recently completed projects include Leiths School of Food and Wine and West Reading Station. He is currently working on the River Club masterplan which includes a new gym and swimming pool and project managing the renovation of grade 2 listed retail spaces above Paddington Station. Graham has been involved in several projects that have received design awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects including the Roundhouse Theatre in Camden Town (for John McAslan and Partners and the Jodrell Laboratory in Kew Gardens (for Wilkinson Eyre Architects).

Graham is author of the ‘The Total Environment Masterplan’ which was recently shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. He has taught design at Cardiff, Nottingham and Reading Universities and has been invited to lecture at the University of Bologna and the University of Manchester. Graham is currently a senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth teaching urban design, professional practice and supervising PhD students.