Michael Macias

Michael has over 10 years’ experience in architecture on a variety of projects both in the UK and abroad, ranging from private high-end residential developments to affordable housing, place making, and cultural schemes.

Prior to joining JRA, Michael worked in the residential sector delivering award winning housing schemes in London. Following this he was appointed as Head of Design for a developer where he honed his expertise in sustainable architecture to deliver climate conscious schemes. His work involved defining company visions, sustainability strategies and KPIs, producing
ESGs, providing building material and system audits, and Circular Economy initiatives.

Since joining JRA, Michael has been involved in reviewing and advising on sustainability strategies for Bermondsey Yards, Weybridge Community Hospital, Minerva House and Tavistock Square. He is also responsible for the ongoing expansion of JRA’s sustainability offering by developing the practice’s overall strategy.

At Minerva House he was involved with proposing lower carbon alternatives to existing materials specifications, to align with client’s ambitions. In collaboration with the consultants, the total amount of carbon emitted would decrease from 420 kgCO2em2 to under 400 kgCO2em2. At Brindley Place Michael undertook an embodied carbon study to determine the difference in carbon savings between two circular focused fit out options where re-use would be the main driver. JRA’s proposal significantly reduced carbon compared to the baseline proposal: Baseline Proposal Embodied Carbon: 710.1 tCO2e JRA Proposal Embodied Carbon: 2.6 tCO2e

Michael completed the first course of its kind for Circular Economy and Sustainability Strategies at the University of Cambridge and is an active member of the Architects’ Climate Action Network Circular Economy group.