Our directors

Jay Gidman and David Kent founded the company in 1993. Simon Lawrence joined the team in 1995, and in 2006 became a fellow director.

Our directors have a wealth of experience between them and in addition to running the practice they remain very involved with every aspect of the design process from conceptual sketching to running in-house design teams and managing external design consultants.

James Gidman
David Kent
Simon Lawrence

James Gidman | Director 
B Arch Sc

Director of DKA with considerable experience in the design and construction of most building types including commercial, education, residential, industrial, military, and health in both the private and public sectors. He is responsible for running design teams both within the office and outside design consultants and retains a personal involvement with projects within the office. Since the inception of the office QA systems in 1994 he has been the QA Manager. Before setting up DKA with David Kent in 1993 he worked in practices in Bristol, Bath, Toronto, Canada, and Kuwait on a wide range of project types and sizes. He studied architecture in Canada and worked there for two years before returning to Britain.

David Kent | Director 
MA DipArch (Cantab) ARB RIBA ACArch

Director of DKA with experience in the design and construction of most building types, including healthcare, educational, commercial, leisure and residential both in the public and private sectors. Experienced in feasibility and urban design studies, he is responsible for running the design studio and retains a personal involvement with projects in the office in all stages of the design process, particularly at concept and sketch design stages. Before setting up DKA in 1993, he worked with practices in Bristol and Cambridge.

Simon Lawrence | Director 
BSc (Hons) Architectural Studies BArch,
Welsh School of Architecture

Director of DKA, Simon joined the team in 1994, and in addition to running the practice with his fellow Directors he remains very involved with every aspect of the design process from conceptual sketching to running in-house design teams and managing external design consultants. Simon also manages the training and CPD programmes for all employees.