people
We are design-led and research-orientated. We are critical about what we do, but we have lots of fun as we love the unique challenge each project presents.
helena rivera
Director
A Small Studio Ltd. was founded in 2011 by Helena Rivera. Helena trained in architecture at University College London and the Royal College of Art. She is a fully qualified Architect registered on the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and chartered with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Helena specialises in the British planning system and has a Doctorate (PhD) in Regional Planning from the Bartlett School of Planning (UCL).
Helena is also a visiting lecturer at the University of Greenwich, and together with Kalliopi she leads a Master’s unit in Landscape Architecture & Urbanism. She is a Board member of the local Business Improvement District (BID) and is part of the RIBA mentoring scheme for students.
Helena grew up in the Netherlands and has always ridden a bike in the city. She is actually Colombian and takes her black coffee seriously. She has lived in London 25 years and loves the city.
kalliopi bouzounieraki
Associate Architect
Kalliopi Bouzounieraki is an Associate Architect at A Small Studio and joined the practice in 2017. She is a fully qualified Architect registered on the ARB. Kalliopi grew up on a Greek island, drawing classical columns since an early child. At the age of 18 she moved to the UK where she completed her Architecture studies at Kingston University, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Brighton.
Kalliopi is Visiting Lecturer at the University of Greenwich and together with Helena runs a master’s unit in Landscape Architecture & Urbanism. She is mentoring the students from the London School of Architecture doing their Inter-Practice year in the studio.
Kalliopi is passionate about her reading and writing. She likes walking around the city of London with a sketchpad in her bag and is always on the lookout for new columns to sketch.
iria suárez martínez
Studio Manager
Iria Suárez Martínez is the Studio Manager at A Small Studio. She first joined the studio in 2013 as a Textiles Specialist, trained as a fashion designer in Spain, and came back as a Materials Specialist after completing an MA in the History of Design at the Royal College of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum. She is currently a PhD candidate at the RCA/V&A in the same programme while she remains Studio Manager.
She is interested in the impact that space and materiality have on society and is an advocate for the promotion of sustainability and well-being. Volunteering at the V&A from 2014-2017 is where she consolidated her interest in museums and archiving materiality. Iria is in charge of our materials library, leading the studio’s project on London’s first sustainable material library dedicated to the promotion of net-zero emissions in the construction industry.
alice kim
Architectural Assistant
Alice Kim is a Part 1 Architectural Assistant at A Small Studio. She first joined in 2019 for her “Sandwich Placement” whilst studying for her Part 1 at the University of Bath. On her return to university, she combined her interest in textiles to design a textile manufactory for her final year project, exploring the production of sustainable cloth and clothing. After graduating, Alice returned to the studio for her year-out.
Alice enjoys crafting. With a passion for woodworking, she participated in summer wood workshops at the University of Bath and Hellowood International Summer School for three consecutive years. She also loves model making and has recently taken up a new hobby of knitting.
simon hughes
Architectural Assistant
Simon Hughes is a Part 2 Architectural Assistant at A Small Studio, having joined the practice in 2024 after completing his studies at the Welsh School of Architecture. His Part 1 work at Cardiff University was shortlisted for the Urbanism & Community Award in the WSA Show 2021 and was featured on the RIBA Education Instagram as part of the Class of 2021 Showcase.
Simon enjoys travelling and volunteered on a project to construct a kindergarten in rural Zambia in August 2022, gaining hands-on construction knowledge and learning how to adapt to daily on-site changes in a remote and challenging environment, while engaging with the local community. In his spare time, Simon enjoys running and uses it as a medium to explore new parts of London.