Joanne McClelland
Founder and Architect| EAA President | RIAS Sustainability Working Group | RIAS Conservation Committee | Edinburgh University ESALA Tutor | Kings Theatre Redevelopment Board – Conservation and Environmental Urbanism | SpACE Steering Group | Edinburgh Climate Forum Steering Group|PAS2035 Co-ordinator (In Training)|Delft Spatial Circularity Strategies for Sustainable Regional Development (In Training)
Jo is an Accredited Conservation Architect with the RIBA. Jo’s twin passions of conservation and sustainability are shown in her work as well as memberships of the RIAS boards for both areas, as well as well with SEDA, SPAB and IHBC. Jo is currently the EAA President, and collaborator on the Edinburgh Climate Forum Steering Group. She was responsible for the Edinburgh RIAS COP26 activities, including the steering group of SpACE – Space for Architecture Carbon and Environment. SpACE was a multidisciplinary pop-up public exhibition and events venue in Edinburgh that addressed the biggest issue of our time - the climate emergency - and how the built environment affects it.
Jo specialises in the provision of strategic early-stage advice, combining creativity with a keen sense of the benefits of the holistic practice across finance, community, and environment. This has led to conservation management plans, masterplanning work to help rural estates diversify, feasibility advice for charities, sustainable design of rural businesses and routes to net zero for higher education estate portfolios, amongst others. Jo graduated with a First Class Degree from Edinburgh College of Art in 2005. She went on to complete an MA entitled ‘Recycling Urbanism’ in 2007.
During her early career she worked at a broad spread of practices, including Groves Raines Architects, Allan Murray Architects and RMJM in Edinburgh. Following a move to London she worked for Foster + Partners and then at conservation specialist Richard Griffiths Architects where she gained a part-time MSc in conservation with Heriot Watt University. Her MSc paper was entitled ‘Drivers for carbon reduction in existing buildings to meet the carbon neutral Edinburgh 2050 target.’ On every project Jo promotes the multidisciplinary skills of architects and building surveyors as key in the response to the climate emergency.
Jo’s has two lively children who inspire and intrigue her, leading to a passionate interest in the improvement of our society and our world for the future. Jo is passionate about study and education maintaining links to ESALA where she is a first year tutor and guest tutor in the final year Circular Economy module. Jo regularly writes for magazines and blogs. When away from Edinburgh Jo loves the Scottish countryside as well as that of Northumberland and can often be found hiking or wild swimming.