Richard Paynter, RIBA
Partner
Richard is a Partner at Barker and leads the Architecture Department. He is dual-qualified (...)
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Residential Building Consultants
The housing and residential sector is under growing pressure to deliver better homes, faster and more sustainably. Our role is to help clients meet those demands.
We support housing associations, local authorities, developers, investors, and private clients in creating high-quality homes and thriving residential communities.
From estate regeneration and new build developments to high-rise residential schemes and luxury homes, we provide the strategic advice, technical expertise, and delivery support needed to move projects forward.
By bringing architecture, surveying, engineering, and project management together from the outset, we help clients reduce risk and maximise project value to deliver homes that meet the needs of both residents and communities.
Mixed-use developments succeed when every element, from homes, workplaces, and amenities, works together as a coherent whole. We help clients shape places that are commercially strong and attractive to the people who use them. Our role is to bring clarity to complex sites to align design vision with planning realities and long-term value.
Delivering affordable homes calls for long‑term thinking as well as technical expertise. We work closely with housing associations and local authorities to strengthen their housing portfolios and support clear, achievable asset strategies.
Our team helps bring order to complex programmes, offering straightforward guidance that supports confident decision‑making. Whether assessing new development opportunities, planning future investment or shaping wider estate strategies, we help clients manage their homes responsibly and meet the expectations of residents, boards and funding partners.
Delivering tall buildings requires a level of technical and strategic insight that goes far beyond standard residential design. These projects face distinct challenges, and our role is to guide clients through each of them with clarity and confidence.
The result is residential towers that perform as well as they look; safe, efficient, and ready to meet the expectations of residents, investors, and city authorities alike. Our aim is always the same: to deliver high-rise buildings that contribute positively to the urban environment and deliver long-term value for our clients.
Every estate holds potential. Untapped space, underused assets, and communities ready for change. Our role is to reveal that potential and turn it into deliverable plans. We work with clients to reimagine what a neighbourhood can be, then shape a clear route from ambition to construction.
Regeneration brings disruption as well as opportunity, and we help clients navigate both.
Our prime residential work at this level is defined by thoughtful design, precision, and an unwavering commitment to quality. We create homes that are crafted around the way our clients live, with spaces that feel effortless and highly personal. Discretion sits at the heart of our approach.
We design and deliver homes that feel deeply personal. Spaces that reflect individual taste, support day‑to‑day living and bring long‑term comfort. Every project begins with understanding how our clients want to live, and translating that into a home that is functional, elegant and built to last. From the first ideas through to the final details, we manage the entire process with care and discretion.
Partner
Richard is a Partner at Barker and leads the Architecture Department. He is dual-qualified (...)
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Partner
Gareth joined Barker in 2024, based in our Essex head office. He is a Chartered Civil Engin(...)
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Partner
Adam has over 12 years of experience working as a consultant in the construction industry, (...)
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Associate Partner Architect
Sebastian has over 16 years of experience delivering high-end architectural design and mana(...)
See profilePartner
Richard is a Partner at Barker and leads the Architecture Department. He is dual-qualified as a chartered architect and professionally certified project manager with over twenty-five years’ experience in the public and private sectors.
A diverse portfolio of completed projects includes new school buildings, visitor centres, courthouses, commercial offices, and a variety of residential and mixed-use projects both in the UK and overseas. Richard led the development and managed Staffordshire County Council’s first strategic construction partnership after several years of leading an architectural team and has a broad knowledge of construction procurement.
Email: rpaynter@barker-associates.co.uk
Tel: 01279 648086
Partner
Gareth joined Barker in 2024, based in our Essex head office.
He is a Chartered Civil Engineer with more than 20 years of experience in Civil Engineering solutions & has led both Civil & Structural Engineering teams on projects from conception to project delivery, with values exceeding a billion pounds both nationally and internationally.
He holds a deep understanding of Infrastructure Engineering, focused on a value-led design ethos to complex situations, which has allowed the positive integration of infrastructure into coordinated design masterplans across all sectors.
Email: garethwebber@barker-associates.co.uk
Tel: 01279 701 984
Partner
Adam has over 12 years of experience working as a consultant in the construction industry, delivering building services and design solutions for new and existing buildings, across all sectors.
He has extensive knowledge of working both client-side with developers on large residential and industrial schemes, as well as delivering retrofit building services projects in education estates, collaborating with stakeholders throughout the design stages.
Adam’s key focus is leading the building services design team to deliver innovative solutions to Barker’s client base across the education, residential, and commercial sectors.
Associate Partner Architect
Sebastian has over 16 years of experience delivering high-end architectural design and managing complex development projects across the residential, high-rise, and large-scale sectors.
As an Associate Partner Architect at Barker, Sebastian brings extensive expertise in leading ambitious schemes. His portfolio features super-prime residential developments, large mixed-use towers, and luxury housing projects.
Sebastian’s key focus is to strengthen Barker’s architectural capability and support clients with a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary service that integrates design with our engineering and BIM expertise. He is also working towards being listed on the RIBA Principal Designer Register (General and High-Risk Buildings), underlining his commitment to excellence in managing complex, high-profile developments.
Email: sebastianpitman@barker-associates.co.uk
Tel: 01279 648 053
