Delivering Innovative Decarbonisation Solutions

As an Architect, Passivhaus Designer and recognised RIBA Rising Star, Catherine combines technical rigour with creative thinking to generate intelligent low-carbon design solutions. Her commitment to sustainable design and the decarbonisation of the built environment led to her appointment as SPACE Architects’ first Head of Research. In this role, she is not only guiding projects but embedding a long-term research culture within the practice, ensuring carbon literacy becomes second nature to design teams.

Catherine joined SPACE Architects in 2023 through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Northumbria University, a collaboration that reflected her belief in bridging academia and practice. Specialising in Whole Life Carbon, she worked alongside Director Chris Holmes to develop D-CARB, an open-access digital tool that enables architects to measure carbon emissions at the earliest stages of design. The tool reflects Catherine’s conviction that meaningful change must begin with informed decision-making.

In 2025, her contribution to the industry was recognised with the G4C Future Leader Award at the Constructing Excellence Generation4Change awards, celebrating not just her technical expertise but her ability to influence wider thinking across the built environment sector. Catherine regularly shares her research through thought leadership sessions, industry panels and the annual _shift climate conference, where she advocates for measurable, data-driven approaches to achieving net zero.

Known for her analytical clarity and calm determination, Catherine brings focus and purpose to every conversation. Colleagues value her ability to translate complex environmental data into practical design action, helping teams move confidently from ambition to delivery.

Outside of her research, Catherine is at her happiest outdoors, whether hiking, cycling or teaching her dog to paddleboard. She often cycles to the office, aligning her daily routine with the environmental principles she champions in practice. Her connection to landscape and environment extends beyond her professional role; sustainability for Catherine is not simply a discipline, but a lived value.

Catherine is a central figure in SPACE Architects’ commitment to whole life carbon reduction. Through her leadership, the practice continues to strengthen its position at the forefront of research-led, climate-conscious design.