Studio Gil is an architecture and design practice established in 2009. We blend design sensibility and craft with social agency, working closely with global majority groups and organisations. We listen to the often unheard voices of marginalised communities; translating their stories into architectural propositions. We are passionate about design from the scale of neighbourhood to a child’s toy, approaching all our projects with sensitivity, care and playfulness. We are an energetic team, based at our studio in Ilford, Redbridge, with buildings in the UK and Latin America. Studio Gil was selected by the Architects Journal AJ100 (2020) as one of 25 ‘Disruptor’ practices, demonstrating an alternative approach to British practice through our socially engaged work.
Pedro Gil
(he/him)
Director – BA(Hons), Dip.Arch, Dip.PP, ARB, RIBA
Pedro is passionate about the creative process of crafting buildings and the subtleties of designing for people, places, and communities. In 2020, he was appointed as one of 15 panel members for the Mayor of London’s Diversity in the Public Realm Commission. His lived experience, as a second generation migrant of Black-Colombian dual heritage, allows him to engage with often hard to reach ethnic groups in a meaningful and collaborative way. He is a member of RIBA Architects for Change, as well as a trustee for Carnaval del Pueblo, a charity that serves to increase awareness of Latin American culture. He combines practice with teaching, as Associate Professor at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, focusing on narratives around The Global South and Latin American diaspora communities in London.
Jemima Harold-Sodipo
(she/her)
Architect – BArch(Hons), M.Arch, ARB
Jemima is a Nigerian-British architect with a keen interest in social impact work and inclusivity through design. She completed her Masters research at the Mackintosh School of Architecture on how public libraries support communities in building social resilience. Having previously achieved her Part II at the same institution, her final thesis project investigated the role places of social infrastructure play in urban environments, alongside her research project on the longevity of humanitarian architecture. Previously, she has worked on a diverse portfolio of residential projects, as well as on humanitarian architecture projects located in Haiti and Tanzania with the architecture charity, Article 25.
Marcela Florez
(she/her)
Studio Manager – BA Modern Languages, PG Cert. Education
Marcela is of Colombian heritage, who grew up in Ibague, and now lives in London. She is the team’s administrative lead, in charge of maintaining the smooth running of everyday life in the studio. She has strong organisational skills coupled with keen problem-solving instincts. Marcela has a background in teaching having taught Primary and Secondary schools in both Latin America and the UK and continues to be a mentor and positive role model for younger generations.
Sara Eldeib
(she/her)
Architectural Assistant – BA (Hons), M.Arch
Sara is an Egyptian-British architectural designer with a keen passion for designing for communities and preservation. She has recently completed her Part II at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, exploring the anthropological roots of tribal communities of Egypt. Previously, she worked on adaptive reuse projects at conservation practice Purcell, as well as designing a school project located in the suburbs of Giza, Egypt, which was nominated for the Aga Khan Architecture Award in 2019.
Christo Meyer
(he/him)
Architect – B.Arch, Dip.Arch, PG Cert. Professional Practice, ARB, RIBA
Christo is a South African architect and designer, who has worked on a variety of Studio Gil projects that have been published nationally and internationally in both print and online books and publications. Alongside practice, he has taught architecture at various academic institutions in the UK which include The Bartlett School of Architecture UCL and University of Greenwich School of Architecture. He is Adjunct Professor at the University of Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand (CUINDA).
Clients
Lendlease
Peabody
London Borough of Southwark
London Borough of Enfield
London Borough of Redbridge
Freud
Carnaval Del Pueblo Association
Latin Elephant
University College London ( UCL)
University of Brighton
Roy Kinnear Foundation
New Testament Church of God
Distriandina Ltd
Yoo Group
Woodcote High School
Greater London Authority (GLA)
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
Atelier RED Ltd
Ubele Initiative
OrganicLea
British Council