Tom is a Director of and co-founder of Emmett Russell Architects and retains a hands-on approach to the design and delivery of projects within the practice. He has a particular interest in the design of sustainable housing, liveable neighborhoods, and new approaches to retirement housing.
After training at Cambridge and Harvard Universities, Tom worked in London for Tony Fretton Architects before returning to his native Bristol where he first set up in practice in 2001. Tom has had extensive experience teaching architecture and urban design at Cardiff University, Bath University, and University of the West of England and has been an external examiner at Plymouth and De Montfort Universities. He has been a member of the Bristol Urban Design Forum and is currently a trustee of Design West and an Academician at the Royal West of England Academy. Tom is also a serial self-builder.
Victoria Emmett is a Director and co-founder of Emmett Russell Architects. She is experienced in the design and delivery of housing, community, and education projects at a range of scales. Key areas of interest include housing design, master planning, conservation of historic buildings, and sustainable construction. Victoria also has extensive experience in teaching at the Welsh School of Architecture and the University of the West of England. She is a member of the Bristol Urban Design Forum and spent a number of years as an examiner for the UWE Part 3 Professional Practice Course.
Victoria studied architecture at Cambridge University where she graduated with distinction. Before moving to Bristol in 2003, Vicky worked in London, initially for Eric Parry Architects and then later for Hawkins Brown Architects where she was an associate.
Jack is an Associate and has been instrumental in a number of the practices biggest projects over the last seven years. He has been project architect on several significant social housing projects for Bristol City Council including Branwhite Close, Lawrence Weston and the award winning New Kingsland.
Prior to joining ERA, Jack gained over 8 years of experience in London where he played a key role in library redevelopment projects for the University of Westminster, through to complex infrastructure projects for London Overground & TfL. Working at Pitman Tozer he helped steer the transition into BIM on a variety of large-scale projects for local authority housing companies. Jack is our in-house BIM champion.
Jack undertook his undergraduate and MArch studies at the Welsh School of Architecture and completed his professional diploma (Part 3) with Distinction from London Metropolitan University in 2015.
Rachel is an Associate and has been a key member of the practice since 2011. Her projects have included Challender Court and Suffolk Close for Bristol City Council and the new house in Redland as well as a number of other private residential projects at various scales. She is passionate about designing buildings and interventions that are rooted in both their physical and social context.
Rachel has been a professional design tutor at the Welsh School of Architecture, for a number of years and has previously taught on the Masters course at Newcastle University. Rachel studied at the Welsh School of Architecture graduating with a First Class honors in her BSc and a Distinction in her Master’s. She was awarded the T Alwyn Lloyd Memorial Travelling Scholarship for her BSc and the TALM Prize for her MArch for best performance in her year.
Al is a project architect and has been a main stay of the practice for over ten years. He studied Architecture and Planning at the University of the West of England. He has led on a range of residential projects for the practice and has a particular expertise in works to Listed Buildings. Prior to joining the practice Al worked for Gianni Botsford Architects in London.
Brandon is a native of Bristol but has experiences from across the country, having studied in both Plymouth and Edinburgh. He brings home a knowledge from a range of different sectors of architecture but finds the most enjoyable challenges to be within the domestic scale. Since joining Emmett Russell he has been working on the design of new social housing for Bristol City Council.
Madeline is an ARB registered Architect who studied at UWE and Plymouth University. She has diverse experience at a variety of scales of residential and community projects. Madeline has a keen interest in sustainability and building with natural materials. Prior to joining the practice, she worked in the Bristol office of Hayhurst & Co on the competition winning project to overhaul Filwood Community Centre.
Jessica, originally from Germany, started her career in 2002 with an apprenticeship as a draft person. This practical experience gave her a strong foundation in her technical skills and developed her keen eye for detail before obtaining a diploma in architecture in 2009. During and after her studies, she worked for Angelis & Partner on a broad range of residential and commercial projects.
After moving to the UK in 2012, Jessica worked for Ash Sakula Architects in London, where she worked on the award winning housing at The Malings, Ouseburn, Newcastle. After moving to Bristol she went on to establish a successful furniture and joinery company in Bristol, before pivoting back to architecture at ERA in 2025.