Guy Rochez, TOWN - unlocking complex sites in a demanding climate

Our next speaker is Guy Rochez of TOWN, the cohousing developer known for its award-winning community-focused development including  Marmalade Lane, Cambridge.

Trained as an architect, Guy moved away from traditional practice early, quickly shifting into placemaking and development with firms including Brick by Brick and now TOWN.

His experience is uniquely relevant to architects eager to understand how projects get built in a demanding climate. TOWN's model, which prioritises community and design quality, allows it to unlock complex sites and form valuable public sector relationships.

He will share his "lessons learned" on how TOWN operates and "which battles to fight and which ones not to," offering unfiltered insight into the mismatch between ambitious government housing targets and funding realities.

Amanda Baillieu and Gus Zogolovitch set up Developer Collective in 2018 to teach professionals how to become design-led property developers and give them the contacts and resources to deliver their projects.

Their book How to be an Architect Developer was published in September '23. The Developer Collective Club was launched in 2026.

The talk will be followed by networking drinks and nibbles.

This event is supported The Society Building.