Gianmaria Givanni is an established architect with a career that spans over 25 years in the construction industry. 

 

Gian was born in London to Italian and Guyanese parents. After a brief spell in the Merchant Navy, Gian started out in the construction industry producing working drawings for large-scale industrial installations at a steelwork fabricator. He then went on to become a structural engineering technician before studying architecture at the Polytechnic of Central London.   

 
In 2001 he set up his first office, Minus-one, which focused on interior architecture and exhibition design. His intimate understanding of materials and construction afforded him a special craftsmen's sensibility with the technical ability to precisely realize ambitious visions as seen in projects like the Jam Factory redevelopment in Bermondsey South London. 

 
Gian has collaborated with several high-profile architects over the years most notably Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners where he spent 11 years leading award-winning projects such as the Riverlight development and Merano Residencies. At Rogers, he mastered the art of delivering large-scale housing, master planning, and mixed-use schemes of increasing technical, political, and urban complexity.  

 
Gian's eclectic influences range from contemporary art, music, and film to the civic life of cities and global economics. He is also a passionate advocate for egalitarian principles as a result. Good design should be accessible to all members of society regardless of background and social standing he believes. It is this belief alongside the desire to produce high-quality crafted buildings that underpins his choice of collaborators and projects. 

 
Gian has produced beautifully composed housing projects, educational buildings to personal artist studios.   

 
It is this depth and range of experience and an intimate way of working with clients to produce unique visions that form the basis of his current practice Studio Givanni.