MENU
Rosanna is a global leader in placemaking, celebrated for her ability to uncover and articulate the unique narratives of urban spaces and culturally significant landscapes. With extensive international experience, she is a collaborative and trusted guide to the people who make a place — including city governments, masterplanners, communities and cultural institutions. Trained in Design for Public Space and Communication Design, Rosanna refined her craft with acclaimed studios, including Bruce Mau Design in Toronto and Ralph Appelbaum Associates in New York. Research remains core to her ethos and she is a Research Associate at Central Saint Martins.
Tess is a cultural placemaking strategist, producer and communicator. Her work focuses on developing cultural insights, foresight, visions and place principles, then seamlessly integrating this into creative and impactful design and activations. She has led on strategic projects for Snaefellsnes Regional Park (Iceland), Bristol City Council, Kennedy Wilson (Dublin) and The Crown Estate (Haymarket, London) and holds an MA in Brands, Communication and Culture from Goldsmiths.
Christos is an architect working at all scales and styles, from rethinking urban spaces to crafting intricate architectural projects. He is inspired by global trends and pop culture, creating spaces that inspire, excite, and connect with the world around them. With an MSc in Urban Strategies from Die Angewandte in Vienna, his career has taken him from Greece to China, Italy, and the UK, teaming up with design giants like Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) and Fuksas.
Sarah is an urbanist and cultural producer with over a decade of experience leading cultural projects — building collaborative relationships across sectors and driving initiatives that amplify local assets and enhance cultural landscapes. Sarah has worked with The Place Bureau on developing a new contemporary art foundation in Parma, Italy, and has previously worked with the City of San Antonio and the Van Alen Institute in New York.
Allison is a cultural interpretation strategist and a writer. Her work focuses on crafting place-making strategies that arise from the power of people's stories. Allison has worked in the museums and heritage sector for 25 years at renowned institutions such as The American Museum of Natural History and MoMA, and for global exhibition design firms before co-founding the Narrative Threads Collective.
Gemma specialises in decoding culture using semiotics, ethnography and trends analysis. She has led global projects including the semiotics of the outdoors, city strategies for youth sports coaching, and the future of department stores. She's led cultural strategy teams working with brands like Microsoft, IHG, Nike and Discord as well as start-ups and community organisations. Gemma is also co-founder of School of Critical Design where she developed the Place Futures Course with The Place Bureau.
Marcus was a collaborative public space designer whose inspiration continues to guide our work — helping people connect with places through co-design, human-scale urbanism, and socially responsive design. He worked with The Place Bureau on creative engagement for Bristol Western Harbour and co-founded Urban Lexicons with Rosanna — a 20-year partnership that continues to influence our approach. He brought extensive experience as an urban designer with Sustrans, a Research Fellow in Public Space at Central Saint Martins, and a Design Council Built Environment expert. His legacy lives on in the people, places, and practices he shaped.
Marta is a service designer driven by curiosity about how people, places and systems connect. With a background in design thinking and visual communication, she explores how collaborative processes can activate communities and reimagine the future of urban spaces. Her work bridges research, strategy, system mapping and storytelling to make complexity visible and actionable. At The Place Bureau, she has contributed to the Collaborative Places Toolkit and the Crown Estate East Hemel project.
Elena is a multidisciplinary researcher specialising in integrating research, design and policy to address urban challenges. She has led research for clients including The Crown Estate, Bristol City Council and a global brand in Spain. Elena holds a Major in International Relations from ITAM in Mexico City and an MSc in City Design and Social Science from the London School of Economics.
Noel is a researcher and documentary photographer whose work explores the relationship between societies and landscape. Noel studied Geography at Cambridge University and has worked with The Place Bureau to uncover ‘sense of place’ through photography and film on projects including Thamesmead Waterfront, Huntingdonshire 2050 and OPDC’s Western Lands.
Joshua is an architectural designer, lecturer and researcher with a specific interest in the relationship between narrative and place. He has taught across design disciplines ranging from textiles design to architectural design at institutions such as London MET to the University of Westminster. He currently teaches first and second year interior architecture students at UWL, and holds a BA Architecture from the University of Westminster, an MRes: Art Theory and Philosophy from CSM and is currently pursuing a PhD at Kingston School of Art, which explores the relationship between community narratives, histories and the production of space.