Photo - Claire Kramer
About
Gareth Stapleton OBE is a British Architect, project leader, and author whose 27-year international career spans architecture, cultural transformation, and delivery.
His practice is defined by a commitment to architectural excellence and collaborative leadership, shaped through early work with WilkinsonEyre and Hawkins\Brown, both Stirling Prize-winning studios known for design innovation. Gareth has led major cultural, civic, and commercial projects across the UK, USA, China, Thailand, Oman, and Germany. His portfolio includes the Queen’s Green Canopy, the Royal Opera House: Open Up, the Serpentine Gallery, and multiple commissions for the University of Oxford. He is a founding partner of Host, a strategic design and project management consultancy recognised for delivering complex, high-profile projects for clients such as Apple, Amazon, and leading public institutions.
Host (Formerly Rise) was named Construction Consultancy of the Year by Construction News in 2015, reflecting the practice’s purpose-driven ethos and Gareth’s reputation as an “agent of industry change”. His collaborative work includes projects with Ai Weiwei, Thomas Heatherwick, and other leading figures in the arts and cultural sectors. His buildings and projects have received numerous national and international awards for design, delivery, and innovation.
Beyond practice, Gareth is a contributor to the Elgar Encyclopaedia of Leadership (2025), and his book The Architect’s Edge: Innovation, Leadership and Practice (2025) is now available. He is completing a doctorate at Henley Business School on ideation, leadership, and complexity theory in architectural practice.
Gareth also works across education and the wider creative industries. He serves as a Non-Executive Director to MOBO Award-winning artist Guvna B, advises the Branch Trust, and supports several educational institutions, including Regent’s Park College at Oxford University.
Gareth was awarded an OBE in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours for his services to Architecture, Project Management, and Construction Management.