James Mitchell

Overview

Visionary architect James Mitchell founded Orkidstudio in 2008 while still a student determined to bring the benefits of professional design and high quality construction healthy dignified living and working spaces to the people who really need them disadvantaged urban and rural communities around the world. At first James designed and built schools orphanages and affordable homes in Sierra Leone Cambodia Bolivia Uganda Cameroon Kenya and Zambia gradually building specialist expertise in the design and delivery of projects within the healthcare education and housing sectors in remote highly challenging and under developed environments. In 2016 he incorporated Orkidstudio in Kenya and now leads a team of over 20 professionals creating high quality affordable and healthy buildings through an exceptional end to end design and construction process which use local materials and promote opportunities for women in East and Southern Africa James recognizes the design and build process as an economic empowerment opportunity for women and to drive for gender equality in this vital and growing sector Orkidstudio employs and trains at least 50% women at all its construction sites. Celebrated in Impact Design Hub s 40 under 40 in 2017 James has also led Orkidstudio to international recognition including the Royal Scottish Academy Medal for Architecture in 2013 and honoured as a Curry Stone Design Prize Social Design Circle member. In 2017 James was selected for the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship GSBI program. James has previously worked for renowned architects Shigeru Ban in Tokyo and Theo Hotz in Switzerland and lectured at the Mackintosh School of Architecture (Glasgow School of Art) in Architecture in International Development. James holds two Masters degrees in Architecture from Cardiff University and in Fine Art (Visual Arts) from Camberwell College of Art University of the Arts London.