Neil Garrioch was appointed Studio Director at SVA in 2008. In this role, he is responsible for architectural design and for coordination of design staff, project management and office oversight. Neil works closely with Stephen Varenhorst to execute designs with the same careful attention to detail for which the firm is known. Neil’s strong design and organizational skills will enable SVA to maintain and develop quality and innovation as the firm grows.
Neil has more than 17 years of design experience for firms in New York , Philadelphia and the United Kingdom . Prior to joining SVA, Neil managed design operations, client relations and market development for small multi-disciplinary design studios, a mid sized firm, and latterly, he served as a design principal for a major regional A/E firm. He has designed projects in the US , the UK , the Netherlands , Mexico , Russia , Malaysia , Singapore , Taiwan , and Saudi Arabia . His work has been recognized with the Sapporo Japan 2000 Urban Design Jury Selection Award; 1997 Japan Ceramic Tile Association Award for Innovative Housing Design and Materials Application; and with a Shinkenchiku Japan Architect Residential Design Competition Honorable Mention.
Neil holds a Master of Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design. During his time at Harvard, Neil earned an AIA Merit Scholarship, the Alcalay Prize for Excellence in Studio Arts, and a full NATO Research Scholarship. Following an Honors Bachelor’s degree in Geology with Chemistry from Exeter University in England , Neil took graduate courses in mineral exploration geology and global geochemistry at Harvard. Neil’s interdisciplinary background helps him enrich design relationships between architecture, the environment, materials, emergent technologies, and earth-science related disciplines. He has been a guest juror for graduate and undergraduate courses at the University of Pennsylvania , Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Temple University . He also is an active participant in the development and application of new and adaptive materials and technologies to the design professions, including two US patents in his name: one for structural glass; and another for a soft polymer rehabilitation device.
