Duncan joined HLM’s Sheffield studio in 2022 as a masterplanner and architect, progressing to the role of design director in 2026.
In his role, Duncan works closely with Ross Barratt, our Glasgow-based design director, to champion design excellence across the practice, fostering a strong studio culture and ensuring our projects are delivered to the highest standard.
Duncan is passionate about building strong communities designed to positively respond to the climate and biodiversity crises – using placemaking to create memorable places that benefit health and wellbeing and create habitat-rich landscapes.
For over 15 years, Duncan has led design teams across education, residential and commercial sectors. He is skilled at generating consensus through collaboration and engagement with clients, planning authorities, stakeholders and the wider community. He has a thorough understanding of how to translate vision into masterplan principles which can be written into design codes and robust planning documents.
Duncan brings extensive experience in estate management – covering analysis, consolidation, planned decant, demolition, retrofit, and new build – combined with a rigorous masterplanning approach that tests development scenarios through rapid design development, which has enabled him to bring clarity to complex masterplans by translating multifaceted challenges into simple principles and compelling narratives; his work is grounded in collaborative vision building through hands-on stakeholder engagement, a context-driven approach to placemaking that fosters authenticity and meaningful place experience, and the production of strategic guidance to support long-term capital investment.
He’s passionate about designing memorable new places, building strong communities and regenerating our towns and cities.