5 minutes with … David Patterson at Able Partners

2025-07-24T06:00:00

David Patterson_head of design at Able Partners

The practice’s head of design on the importance of staying curious and constant, collaborative learning – and why he dislikes postwar, car-focused urban development that prioritises efficiency over quality of life.

Why did you choose construction as a career?

I was always drawing and making things as a child, with a deep fascination for buildings – their stories, who built them, and who lived in them. Growing up near Bristol in the 1970s and 80s, I was acutely aware of the city’s evolving landscape – the contrast between bomb-damaged sites that still remained from the war, areas of dereliction in the city centre, postwar redevelopment and ongoing regeneration.

I became captivated by how buildings reflect history, shape daily life and influence the identity of a place. Studying architecture felt like a natural way to transform that curiosity into something tangible.

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