For me, Brexit is personal. I have dual British/Swiss nationality with a Swiss father and British mother, I grew up in Geneva and moved to London soon after graduating in Switzerland to be part of Europe. Having worked in both Switzerland and France I joined Stanton Williams in 1995. Since then London has been my home, and the leave result was a shock and a source of great sorrow.

Brexit is also an issue for Stanton Williams. Leaving the EU runs completely against the spirit of the culture we have built within the practice. It will be a terrible collaborative loss as we believe that architecture is all about pushing boundaries and forging relationships across disciplines and cultures. We enjoy overcoming challenges, being outward-looking and moving out of one’s comfort zone. Being creative is definitely not about closing in and retreating – we don’t want borders.

My co-directors also have a strong background of working in Europe – Alan Stanton was part of the original Pompidou design team, Paul Williams has worked with museums and galleries in Italy, Germany, Spain and France and Gavin Henderson has been involved in many successful competitions in Germany.

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