Who Are We

MATT+FIONA is an award-winning social enterprise that asks young people how their built environment might be improved and empower them to bring that vision to life through their work, BUILD, LEARN, CONNECT. We are a small but dynamic organisation led by architects and educators.

MATT+FIONA began 6 years ago through creating a trailblazing young people-centred, co-designed, external performance space for the National Trust’s Sutton House. Since then, we have worked with leading community and cultural organisations, universities and schools to create and deliver almost 30 buildings and installations, collaborating with more than 3,000 young people and almost 200 volunteers across the UK.

Our Team

Matthew Springett

Architect
Dip (Dist) RIBA ARB FRSA

Matthew Springett is one of the founders of MATT+FIONA. He is an ARB qualified architect with his own practice, MSA Ltd. He is also a Senior Lecturer and Teaching Fellow at University College London (UCL). Matthew leads on connecting the pedagogical process and co-design process to creating robust, achievable and award-winning design. 

Fiona MacDonald

Educator
MA DipArch FRSA

Fiona MacDonald is one of the founders of MATT+FIONA. She trained in architecture and has over 15 years’ experience working in cultural learning and outreach at Open City, the RIBA and the Design Museum, where she was Head of Learning. Fiona leads on tailored engagement with children and young people and ensuring there are strong learning outcomes for all. Fiona is a member of Part W Collective, which campaigns for gender equity in the built environment.

 George Pope

George Pope

Strategic Development Manager

 George started their career in the publishing sector, engaging with architecture and the built environment first as a hobby, then as a passion. Having volunteered with VSO Cambodia on a youth engagement programme in 2020, they unite these two strands in their work with us. George is a Young Trustee of the Architecture Foundation.

Jon Shmulevitch

Jon Shmulevitch

Programme Manager

Jon joined M+F in 2023, having previously worked as an architect, specialising in the production of public realm through collaborative design programmes at muf architecture/art. Jon is also an associate lecturer in Architecture at UCA Canterbury. Before working in architecture Jon trained and worked as a carpenter, working on the restoration of historic timber frame buildings. 

Chloe Lai

Chloe Lai

Programme Coordinator

With a background in visual communication design and curation, Chloe has transferred her enthusiasm for arts and culture to developing public exhibitions and educational programmes promoting creativity in young audiences through her previous roles in Hong Kong. She has a growing collection of picture books and a photo series of sauce packets on the streets that she files under the name ‘Lost Sauce’. 

Freelance Team

Jess Mulvey

Jess Mulvey

Jess teaches at Manchester School of Architecture, leading a design studio and teaching model making and drawing skills. Alongside her architecture career she has worked as a playworker. In her spare time, she makes sculptures from carpenter’s offcuts and runs a grassroots women’s football team

Sarah Yates

Sarah Yates

Sarah has worked as a freelance editor, researcher and programme manager for several heritage and built environment organisations including English Heritage, Open-City and New London Architecture, and for major art and architecture publishers.

Previous Team Members

 Lucille Merisio

Lucille Merisio

Let's Build: Brixton, NODA, TCBGC

Lucille is a Part 1 Architect and Freelance Illustrator. Her career connects design and architectural education at STORE projects, SEN learning assistance and 1-2-1 work at ARTBOX London, a charity supporting adults with autism and learning difficulties.

Lucy Eccles

Lucy Eccles

Let's Build: Brixton, Launch, Museum of the Home, Amsterdam, Design Lab, Renew, Paradise Building

Lucy joined M+F as a core team member in 2019.  She is an Architect and lecturer in Construction Technology + Live Build on BA Interior and Spatial Design at UAL. She recently completed a 1 year course in advanced timber construction at the Wood Program in Aalto University, Helsinki.

Rosie Murphy

Rosie Murphy

Let's Build: Brixton, Launch, The Power Of Trees, LFA 2022 ACT-IVATE + Design Lab

Rosie joined M+F in 2022 as a Part 2 Sustainable Architecture graduate. She also volunteers for the Architects Climate Action Network and Black Females in Architecture, working to bring environmentally and socially inclusive design together. 

 Alex Taylor

Alex Taylor

Architect

Alex is a fully-qualified Architect who worked  for Matthew Springett Associates and is a patriot M+F volunteer. Alex enjoys a plethora of outdoor activities but due to recently having a baby finds himself limited one activity; sofa tv watching.

Aggie Fielding

Aggie Fielding

Mallydams RSPCA, Sheltered Spaces, Mega Maker Lab

Having studied Architecture at the Bartlett, UCL, Aggie joined the M+F as a core team member in 2019. Aggie to date has the highest number of counts in the M+F accident book.

Tilly Jeganathan

Tilly Jeganathan

Brixton House, Design Lab, Bartlett Outreach

Tilly joined the team in 2020 and has volunteered with M+F since 2016. She splits her time between art and architecture, but when she is not sketching away you can find her eating tonnes of tasty Sri Lankan food.

Baldeep Heer

Baldeep Heer

Tewkesbury Garden Communities Engagement workshops

Baldeep joined the team in 2024 from January to March on a temporary basis as Programme Manager, leading the development and delivery of our engagement project in Tewkesbury. She is a qualified architect and is passionate about working alongside young people and those in the voluntary charitable sector, so that they can help shape their future built environment and be provided with the services and support they need.

Our Industry Sponsors

MATT+FIONA is incredibly grateful to our Industry Champions for their support of our pioneering mission, to enable children to make their own spaces and places.

The Happold Foundation have been a core support to the Matt+Fiona initiative. They are a charity dedicated to using engineering skills and experience to make a positive impact on people’s lives. They work with young people, educators and researchers to shape a community who want to improve the built environment.

Buro Happold are our inaugural Structural Engineer Industry Champions. They are an international engineering consultancy, delivering creative, value led building and city solutions for an ever changing world. We are so grateful for their constant energy in finding innovative solutions to complex problems and their teams regularly volunteer on our builds with children.

Jestico + Whiles are our inaugural Architecture Industry Champions. They are a  design-led international studio of architects and interior and designers based in London and Prague. They provide invaluable industry expertise and their teams regularly volunteer on our builds with children.

Volunteers

Aaron Jones

Adriano Bravo

Alex Coulin

Alex McCoy

Alex Taylor

Alice Dale

Amirah Gayle

Amy Johnson

Amy Peacock

Andrew Robertson

Anna Crew

Anna O’Leary

Anna Ru

Annikki Mair

Arti Sen

Ben Barfield Marks

Bradley Moore

Cameron Bay

Charlie Donaldson

Charlotte Keime

Chloe Bailey

Chloe Goulding

Christina Pettingale

Daniel Haigh

Daniela Geraldes

Daniele Oudomvilay

Dom Benzecry

Dorata Glab

Duncan Blackmore

Efe Chamay

Elizabeth McLeod

Ellie Pritchard

Elliot Nash

Erolcan Erdogan

Eve Olsen

Evelyn Salt

Fergus Anderson

Flik Cooper

Florence Wong

Freya Parkinson

Fionn Springett

Glenn Wooldridge

Gosia Socha

Grace Simmonds

Hannah Parr

Harriet Orr

Harrison Marshall

Harry Dunn

Helen Farley

Jade Yianni

James Bromley

Jacob Valvis

Jennifer Oguguo

Jess Nash

Jessica Lui

Joanne Cairns

Joe Hazelwood-Horner

Johnathan Jackson

Josie Gebbie

Kara Thompson

Kat Spence

Kate Slattery

Kath Morton-Smith

Kieran Chan

Kit Lee-Smith

Kitty Walker

Lili Zarzycki

Lucy Millichamp

Lochie Springett

Mabel Parsons

Mahalia Henry-Richards

Maite Seimetz

Marco Bencivenga

Mason Song

Maya Whitefield

Milly Wood

Morgan Lewis

Morvi Koochak

Nick Woodward

Niki Sole

Olivia Hoy

Paula Cabiro

Pippa Corbett

Priya Premlal

Rebecca Outterside

Reka Berkes

Rhea Balmforth

Robert Newcombe

Robert McCullough

Rosie Jones

Rosie Helps

Rosie Tillotson

Ruby Thompson

Sally Pickard

Samantha Lim Wei Chi

Sandra Pintos

Sarah Oxley

Shoko Kijima

Sion Pierce

Thomas Draper

Thomas Armston

Tiago Ferreira

Tilly Jeganathan

Tim Lucas

Toby Prest

Tom James

Ubada Muti

Wilson Yau

Xuhong Zheng

Yev Kazannik

Yu Chow

Yue Huang

Zayd Abedi

Call Us

02076925950

Visit Us

Studio 37

Make Space Studios

Newnham Terrace

London

SE1 7DR