About – Harbinder Birdi

Harbinder Birdi

I am the founder and Creative Director of Birdi & Partners, a London based consultancy that provides guidance on design and procurement to government bodies, academic institutions, and the private sector; particularly within the infrastructure and regeneration sectors.

As a chartered Architect and formally, Head of Infrastructure at Hawkins\Brown Architects, I have over 25 years experience, delivered several of the largest projects in the UK, notably the Elizabeth Line and Thames Tideway. I am a Fellow of the RIBA and ICE; working collaboratively to inform education and innovation, within the construction industry.

As a visiting Professor at the University of Cambridge, I lecture on inter-disciplinary design, as well as teaching architectural apprentices.

I have experience of board level governance within the arts and culture sector and am currently a Trustee of the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, London.

“Harbinder has a rare ability to recognise gaps in the industry, and goes one step further to capitalise on them through striving to influence change and shake-up norms.”
– Lucy Davison
ICE President Future Leader

“Harbinder’s understanding of how to navigate design challenges, without losing touch with human experience is quite unique.”
– Deborah Denner
Director, Frame Projects

My portrait was kindly taken by Muge Karatas

Connect with me

Testimonials

They Say

“Harbinder has a rare ability to recognise gaps in the industry, and goes one step further to capitalise on them through striving to influence change and shake-up norms.”

— Lucy Davison

ICE President Future Leader

“Harbinder’s passion and knowledge of what constitutes good design, combined with his excellent research and story-telling combined to produce impactful insights for the ICE commissioned, Design Champion role.”

— Mark Hansford

Director of Engineering, ICE

“We’ve had over 300 talks from creatives within the built environment and Harbinder has been thought of as one of our most engaging and informed speakers to date.”

— Kirstin Meikle

Gardiner & Theobald

“Harbinder is a great asset to our board, applying his design and architecture expertise in a pragmatic way, recognising the funding constraints faced by charities and is always happy to leverage his extensive contacts to support the organisation.”

— Lorraine Heggessey

Chair, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre

“Having worked with Harbinder on several design panel, I have come to rely on his sharp and insightful understanding of architectural design and the context in which it sits. His knowledge reflects his experience in practice at the highest level.”

— Prof Peter Bishop

Chair, Camden Hs2 Design Review Panel

“Delighted that Harbinder has joined the teaching team for our revolutionary Level 7 Architecture Apprenticeship. We aspire to the very best from the day the course was launched, and he brings with him exceptional expertise and care in teaching.”

— Dr Timothy Brittain-Catlin

University of Cambridge