Clare Wright

Clare Wright founded Wright & Wright with Sandy Wright and has co-led the practice for nearly three decades. Instrumental in all projects in the practice portfolio, including the Architectural Association masterplan, the Women’s Library, the National Gallery, the RIBA Reading Rooms at the Victoria & Albert Museum, St John’s College in Oxford, the Museum of the Home, Lambeth Palace Library, Corpus Christi College in Oxford and the British Museum.

After studying at the Mackintosh School of Architecture under the tutelage of Andy MacMillan and Isi Metzstein, Clare worked at Rock Townsend in London. She then joined Howell Killick Partridge and Amis where she found alignment with core values such as the legibility of buildings, coherent use of heavyweight materials and construction that stands the test of time.

From 1990-1994 Clare worked as Design Manager for Circle 33 Housing Trust where she was responsible for design across a £45 million annual development programme. She helped develop ideas about housing design based on research, built strong relationships with local authorities and developed policies for energy, access and security. During her time at Circle 33, the trust won four RIBA Awards.

Instrumental in developing Lifetime Homes for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Clare has also sat on the Historic England Urban Panel, advising UK towns and cities on their development; and on the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, contributing in particular to provisions for the disabled and the elderly, as well as sustainability in construction. She has been an awards assessor for the Arts Council of England, the RIBA, the RIAS and Civic Trust and is a former Vice-President of the RIBA. In addition to her active service on associations, she has taught in UK architecture schools throughout her career.

Clare currently sits on the Design Council Review Panel and is a Fellow of the Scottish Royal Academy. She was awarded an MBE for Services to Architecture in 2005.