Following graduation from the West of England College of Art with a BA in 3-dimensional Design, James found that he was increasingly working in the field of architecture. He returned to study architecture at the Architectural Association, London and graduated in 1980.

Between 1980 and 1985 he worked for John Simpson & Partners, London, England – hospital design; Harry Pellow Associates, Toronto, Canada – retail malls and commercial; Terry Farrell Partnership, London, England – media and urban conservation area redevelopment.

James joined CZWG in 1985, becoming an associate in 1994 and a partner in 2006.  His range of project involvement as a principal and collaborative designer and planner, project administrator and team manager has reflected the growth of the practice itself and the practice’s involvement in commissions of increasing scale and complexity.

From early projects requiring the transformation of existing buildings, project involvement has developed through new build innovative high density housing, workplaces and leisure use buildings with a more recent emphasis on mixed-use schemes and development frameworks.

Recent project involvement includes development proposals for Phoenix Quarter, Lewes, East Sussex – masterplan for a 7-hectare site for the South Downs market town; Bournemouth Pavilion/Casino, Bournemouth – a new park for Bournemouth incorporating 9,000 sq m of casino and restaurant and 600 basement car spaces; Carpenters Road, Stratford – development framework for a 17-hectare riverside site in East London;  Brighton Marina, Brighton – proposals for a mixed-use development of 273 apartments and 3,679 sq m of retail space and cliff-top leisure unit.

Completed projects include Westferry Studios and social housing, Limehouse, London – 27 live/work units, 9 B1 units and 40 residential units; Carysfort Road, Stoke Newington, London – new 4-storey mews live/work community of 115 units; Bankside Studios, Southwark, London – loft style work units over 6 storey development of approx 4000 sq m; Steedman Street, Elephant & Castle, London – new mid-rise residential building of 88 variable apartments and 12 ground level live/work units and accompanying affordable housing block (25 units).