Thea McMillan

Thea McMillan

Design Director

chambers mcmillan architects

Thea is Design Director at Chambers McMillan Architects. Her  design considers how spaces can improve people’s lives. Co-designing her own, award winning wheelchair accessible home, The Ramp House, has led to a greater interest in the relationship between design and use. She is currently researching children and their use of space: understanding how space is used informs the practice’s design process. She has also co-written the chapter: The Ramp House, building inclusivity for Disability, Space, Architecture, A reader by Jos Boys, Having co-led first year architecture at the University of Edinburgh for seven years, she values the ability to question, to listen and exploration through models.

As a parent, Thea was involved in the process to design Edinburgh’s new Royal Hospital for Sick Children, where she was co-chair for the consultation and engagement group, and instigated a programme of architectural engagement workshops with children hospital users and their siblings. She also contributed to the overall design process as a parent with experience of hospital everyday life, bringing an understanding of how the built environment can support this. Her aims are through communication and engagement to make architecture accessible to all.