BCO Conference Photography Competition 2022 Judges
May 20, 2022 
The BCO’s photography competition is back, with fantastic cash prizes for the lucky winners! If you’re attending the BCO’s annual conference in Manchester this June, you could stand a chance of winning up to £1000 by entering your best photographs from the event.
As an inclusive competition open to all BCO Conference attendees, from all disciplines and skill levels, this year we’ve made it easier than ever to enter, either via:
- Posting on Instagram with the hashtag #LeadingLightManchester
- Uploading to the official conference app (download the app to your phone to enter, remember to add your name).
- Or, by e-mailing your photo(s) to mail@bco.org.uk
Meet the esteemed panel behind the competition, as they share what they’ll be looking out for in your submissions:
Patricia de Isidoro, Architect & Artist, Sheppard Robson, Photography Competition Judging Chair
Patricia de Isidoro is a Spanish artist and architect based in London, where she has been residing since 2005, developing her art practice and producing a number of large art installations. She has also led the design of a number of complex, large-scale architectural schemes and has worked on international projects in Madrid, Milan and London.
Both an artist and architect, the perception of space is a fundamental aspect of Patricia’s practice. Perhaps the epitome of her work is 245 Hammersmith Road, a large commercial office building that she not only helped to design as an architect, but she also created a site-specific artwork installation – with the client commissioning her largest work to date ‘3000 threads 3000 hands’ which crowns the main reception space.
Patricia’s ethos towards creativity lies in her belief in the ‘synthesis of the Arts’. Her curiosity in the creative process and her playful approach to experimentation leads her to a multidisciplinary approach in her practice. To her, there are no boundaries between disciplines, only opportunities to expand the work without limits.
Through her art and the act of storytelling, she hopes to evoke powerful feelings in and inspire a deeper connection with the observer by communicating the poetic aspect of life.
Mark Kowal, RIBA, Partner, Sheppard Robson, BCO President, 2022 Manchester Conference Chair
Mark Kowal has over 25 years of experience designing offices. His expertise covers speculative and headquarters buildings, as well as both new-build and refurbishment solutions. He recently worked on 245 Hammersmith Road, which integrates a series of new public spaces, Building 2 at the Future Works development in Slough, and on the Siemens Middle East Headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
Having been recently appointed to the role of BCO president, Mark is well-placed to observe the great disruption and change that office life is going through. As such, he understands the need to re-think or re-set the office of the future – the focal point of this year’s conference.
For this year’s photography competition, Mark decided to put Manchester, a cosmopolitan modern powerhouse, in the spotlight with the ‘Leading Light Manchester’ theme. He hopes that participants will share their unique perspectives on the city’s architecture, vibrant arts and culture, and capture Manchester’s distinctive essence in their submissions.
“A pointer I would give to anyone thinking of taking part: Look for a unique angle in order to tell a story – go beyond the individual photograph in order to communicate Manchester’s relationship with space and time.”
Robin Brodie Cooper, Director, Gleeds, BCO, immediate past president
In his capacity as the BCO’s long-time Treasurer and previous president, Robin Brodie Cooper has built a deep understanding of the office industry. He has been with Gleeds for almost 35 years now and has risen to become an Equity Partner, holding numerous directorships within the company.
Focusing on the commercial aspects of the City of London, Robin has recently worked on delivering 52 Lime Street (also known as The Scalpel) and 10 Fen Court, celebrated for its rooftop public garden. Robin is the Honorary Treasurer of The City Architecture Forum.
While Covid disrupted the 2020 BCO Conference, Robin chaired a virtual – or partly virtual –conference later in the year which explored the future of the post-Covid workplace. A keen ‘Instaman’ himself, Robin has an appreciation for artistic still life photography and joins the panel this year eager to see which buildings entrants will select and how they take on the challenge of showcasing the structure’s most aesthetically pleasing parts.
Alex Lawlor, MRICS, Associate Director, Faithful + Gould
Alex Lawlor, an Associate Director at Faithful+Gould, works within the corporate real estate sector delivering office fit-out and refurbishment projects for clients and occupiers across London. With an array of nominations and accolades under her belt, she received the Atkins’ President’s Award in 2018, was a finalist for BCO NextGen Rising Star L&SE in 2019, and was awarded the Faithful+Gould’s Employee of the Year in 2019. Her diverse qualifications in project management, structural engineering and architecture, coupled with a personal interest in photography, make her the perfect panelist for this competition. She has a keen appreciation for creative design and an eye for detail.
Vasiliki Bowler, Senior Project Manager, Faithful + Gould
Vasiliki Bowler is a Senior Project Manager at Faithful+Gould. She represents their Corporate Real Estate Forum and digital services and specialises in client and stakeholder management, building prosperous relationships around her. Having recently been awarded the CIOB Rising Star Award, she now acts as a mentor and supports professional development within Faithful+Gould as an APC supervisor and guest assessor. Vasiliki has always had a passion for the arts including visualisations, graphics, and photography, appreciating its power to generate emotion and dialogue.
Giles Martin, Director, BA (Hons) DipArch RIBA, WilkinsonEyre
Giles Martin joined WilkinsonEyre in 2004 and has since led a number of the practice’s high-profile commercial projects. He is inspired by precise construction detailing and material technology and is intrigued by the possibilities of developing these themes on large, complex urban developments.
At the heart of Giles’s design approach is the use of contemporary systems and new materials to add an important dimension to the design repertoire – one that results in enhancing the experience of architecture in people’s lives.
Giles took home the 1st place prize at the last BCO Conference photography competition with his winning entry of Maersk Tower whilst exploring the architectural views at the conference in Copenhagen. The 2019 panel praised his photograph’s composition, calling his entry ‘visually delicious.’
Take a look at some inspiration on Instagram:
By BCO Media 
