James Nelmes

James Nelmes joined Bennetts Associates in 2004 and became a Director in 2019. He brings over 25 years’ experience across higher education, cultural and commercial sectors. Alongside his role in practice-wide management, he leads the Edinburgh studio and has directed many of our landmark projects in Scotland. These include the transformation of the Grade A-listed Royal Infirmary into the University of Edinburgh’s Futures Institute, Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre and the refurbishment of the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh.

His earlier projects include the Informatics Forum and Bayes Centre at the University of Edinburgh, the Suttie Centre at the University of Aberdeen and Jaguar Land Rover’s Advanced Product Creation Centre in Warwickshire.

James has an intuitive understanding of complex briefs and a particular interest in how arts and education buildings can adapt to changing cultural, social and environmental needs. His approach is creative and pragmatic when it comes to uniting the dual imperatives of environmental performance and user experience.

Outside work, James is a visiting critic at several UK architecture schools and a regular speaker at industry events. Active in the cultural industries, he has served as a Trustee of Edinburgh Printmakers and as a consultee to the Scottish Futures Trust.