Rebekah joined the firm from university in 2017 and it quickly became obvious that she had the talent to become a most valuable member of the practice. She has cemented her position as a highly capable architect who is very well respected by clients and fellow professionals alike.  

She feels that the architect’s role is that of a guardian; being the conscience of both the built and unbuilt environment and needing to ensure that we adapt to the ever-changing natural environment, whilst simultaneously protecting it and improving it.

She cites how, for example, JCA specialises in retaining the beauty and intrinsic detail of the classical Georgian and Palladian styles of many of their projects, while at the same time magically combining them with the modern conveniences of 21st century living.

Her input in the delivery of JCA projects extends from inception through to successful completion, and her careful approach has been instrumental in their success.

David approaches each project afresh but with an over-riding focus on delivering timeless architecture using materials to their best advantage; through careful detailing and planning of how spaces might interconnect and be enjoyed. 

He strives to listen carefully to client’s needs and seeks to deliver a process and outcome that exceed their expectations and to provide them with high quality buildings which are logically executed and beautifully finished.

David became a director at JCA in 2021 having joined in 2011 and with a background in high profile educational works and private houses. 

David’s particular interests include the management of teams, working with fellow consultants and mentoring colleagues as they complete their formal training. He is very grateful to have the opportunity to deliver projects which are sensitive to the particular challenges of historic buildings as part of the talented team at JCA.

Above all, he is totally committed to the delivery of high quality projects and building upon lasting relationships with clients and fellow professionals alike.

Gabriela first joined JCA part way through her architecture degree, and returned to us after completing her studies.  She has since become a fully qualified architect and we are delighted that she is developing her career with us, bringing both people and project management skills together with her flair for design.

Alongside her focus on the delivery of high quality projects with us, Gabriela is concerned by global issues such as climate change generating natural disasters. Conflict and migration she notes, often require rapid and makeshift solutions, but as an architect she understands that it is often hard to strike the right balance between meeting an immediate need and building for the future.

Gabriela recognises the positive contribution that traditional skills and the use of natural materials bring to building works which have stood the test of time. Her work at JCA often involves the interplay between introducing new technologies whilst respecting lessons learned to produce great buildings.

It is a philosophy that fits in extremely well at JCA and we benefit greatly from her hard work, insight and talent.

Fatima is the latest member of staff to join us, having demonstrated real focus and clear design intent which meant we were thrilled when she agreed to become part of the team.

She has since demonstrated her excellent work ethic and has settled into the working approach of JCA very quickly .

Fatima believes that architecture has a special physical relationship with life which is very much the ethos that JCA stands for. A house is not the sum of its walls; it’s a place that should be a home. As Fatima beautifully puts it “a sensitive container for the development of our daily life”.

She is inspired by clients’ needs and how to best achieve them in the most effective way and making sure that it enhances their lifestyle.

We look forward to working with Fatima as she completes her final professional examinations, and into the future.

Claire has brought a high level of creativity to JCA, and has instilled a strong focus upon the importance of sensitive design.  She equally possesses strong organisation skills and maintains control of the programme in order to achieve smooth running projects.

Above all she aspires to the careful creation of respectful but innovative design. As a new generation of highly experienced architects, she has not only absorbed the knowledge of the past, in particular traditional architectural design skills, but is keen to apply her skills using a fresh, open, and sometimes contemporary mindset.

She says that Johnston Cave Associates is the perfect setting for this, surrounded by years of experience and skill, but with an interesting juxtaposition of younger architects with new exciting ideas.

Thomas brings with him previous experience of working on residential and commercial projects within the heritage and conservation area. He is already making his mark at JCA and is well on his way to achieving his full Architecture qualification and status.

He sees the re-use and re-purposing of structures and materials not just as a method of reducing the building's whole-life carbon impact, but also an opportunity to create architecturally exciting structures.

This neatly ties in with his interest in blending historic and modern styles of design and of course making full use of modern techniques to create comfortable environments, which minimise energy use.

Having started in London, working for Alan Baxter Ltd on the transformation of redundant 19th century warehousing and brewery buildings in Bermondsey into modern dwellings, and contributed to the initial development scheme of Canary Warf, Chris decided to move to Oxfordshire and JCA in order to work on a large country estate and house project for John Paul Getty. When he joined JCA in 1987, he developed his skills in a practice then run by the founders, Nicholas Johnston and Peter Cave. And if he never left, it is because Chris’s enduring passion is about the transformative powers of architecture. In JCA, which he now leads with Rory Duncan and David Rhodes, architecture was, and still is practised as the art of finding solutions: sketching, scheming, converting or building from scratch. This is what Chris is enthusiastic about.

This is, in many ways, a humble endeavour as it requires practising architecture with a careful attention to detail, which means a genuine dedication to the needs and dreams, not of the architect, but of the client. 

Informed by a keen interest in architectural history spanning countries, styles and centuries, Chris enjoys working with all those who seek excellence, at JCA first of all, but also all around the huge web of trades that make the projects come to life to the standards that he sets.

His job is a rewarding one in this sense, as there aren’t many things in life that give him as much satisfaction as seeing a building complete.

Gill joined JCA in 2014 having come from a background in lecturing Psychology and becoming trained in accountancy.  At JCA, she fulfils the dual role of both managing the office and personnel, and also that of financial control.

Gill’s teaching background has instilled in her a calming influence and demonstration of empathy to any challenge that arises; she ensures the smooth running of the practice, and provides liaison with our clients, professional colleagues and suppliers. 

Contractors and clients alike appreciate Gill’s prompt and efficient handling of document issues, and when managing the company invoicing she ensures that all communication is both accurate and clearly presented.

The practice and its staff rely heavily upon her competence, sound advice, and detailed knowledge, all of which contribute greatly to the running of the office.

Pippa Hoath

Having joined in 2001, Pippa is now one our longest serving and invaluable staff members. 

Pippa trained as a physiotherapist in the 1970’s and uses that science-based grounding to keep JCA back office administration processes and tasks flowing smoothly and efficiently.

She is highly computer literate and makes sure records are accurate and up to date and that Architect’s Instructions for example, are issued promptly.

Pippa is a delight and is very happy to turn her hand to anything. If a task needs doing, she’s invariable done it already as she sees the bigger picture and intuitively understands what is required.

Nigel’s speciality within JCA is conservation – with particular emphasis on Church work where he is the approved architect for the dioceses of Oxford, Guildford and Gloucester – making full use of his RIBA accreditation in Conservation at SCA level.

Before fully qualifying as an architect at Edinburgh University, Nigel started his career as an apprentice to a Master Thatcher. 

His first architect job was as Conservation Officer for the Bath Preservation Trust. Since then he has worked as an RIBA architect on Cathedrals, Oxford Colleges and too many Grade I and Grade II buildings to mention where he has won multiple conservation awards.

His extensive knowledge and experience means that he has acted as expert witness at public enquiries, lectured on topics from thatching to specialist craft techniques such as marbling and graining and has been mentioned in multiple Country Life magazine articles.

If there’s a conservation repair issue to overcome, Nigel will not only have a view of what needs to be done, but will have likely solved the issue multiple times on other projects.

Having trained, qualified and practised in Edinburgh, this exceptional city imbued Rory with an interest in old buildings. He became particularly fascinated in the use of natural materials and traditional building details as well as the design response of traditional buildings to location, context and purpose.

From Edinburgh, the transition to working in Oxford was an obvious and blissful move to an equally historic city.

Rory seeks to use his observations in the careful repair of historic buildings, and the understanding of how they can be sensitively adapted to suit contemporary needs. He aims to blend his work seamlessly into the patina and character of our surviving historic buildings.

Rory and Chris took over the practice in 2009 forming the generation to follow in the inspiring footsteps of Nicky Johnston and Peter Cave, the founders of JCA.

Having worked solo for ten years on a variety of highly prestigious projects and consulting at JCA, he returned to take up a directorship and eventual ownership. He constantly feels privileged to be borne along by his massively talented, tolerant and perennially cheerful colleagues at JCA.

Since moving to London from Scotland in 1996, Ross has worked on high end, private residential projects in the UK, Ireland, Italy & Kuwait. 

After working for interior design practices for 14 years, he set up as a sole practitioner focusing on his passion for interior architecture, cabinetry design and interior design. 

Over time, Ross was asked to work on larger and historically sensitive projects. Realising that the scale and complexity of these projects were beyond the scope of what a sole practitioner could efficiently deliver, he sought the assistance of JCA, with whom he subsequently worked collaboratively to bring them to successful conclusion. Having found this an enjoyable and creatively stimulating experience, Ross was delighted to be asked to join the JCA team in spring 2019.

Being very client focused, Ross believes that the most successful projects are the product of a positive and creative relationship between architect and client. 

He views his role as a facilitator whose role is to distil and enhance a client’s aspirations so that the resulting home and its interior successfully reflect and combine their practical requirements, personalities, and aesthetic sensibilities.

Erik worked as an Art Director in various top ten International Advertising Agencies in New York, Oslo and London, on accounts as varied as National Geographic, The Royal Bank of Scotland, Max Factor, British Gas, Gillette, Grolsh Beer and Electrolux to name a few.

He has also lectured in Advertising & Marketing at The London College of Communication - both at undergraduate and post-graduate levels.

He has brought his experience to bare on JCA’s communication material; from a new Corporate Identity to the company web site. He says that aim is simply to bring JCA’s expertise and design prowess to the fore. 

Adrian is one of JCA's longest serving staff members having joined JCA in 1990.

He has proved to be an invaluable member of the team with an incredible knowledge of the technical aspects of all periods of buildings and can be relied on to deliver at the highest quality.

His architectural style preferences lean towards Elizabethan and Arts & Crafts buildings and firmly believes that domestic buildings should relate to the natural environment and be amongst greenery where possible.

Renovation he says, of old (and even derelict) buildings for re-use, should always be considered before new builds as with clever design, 'mod cons' can be incorporated within a home, but he feels should be concealed as opposed to dominating a room.

James joined the team at Johnston Cave Associates in 2012 having previously gained extensive experience across various sectors including defence; residential (private and social); and healthcare (public and commercial).

He strives to be rigorous and efficient in his design and delivery approach providing clear and effective communication across the Design Team and enjoys problem solving.

James specialises in the careful detail working up of designs and is committed to the highest standard of quality.

Michael is one of the most experienced and longest serving JCA staff members having joined the practice in 1978.

Amazingly he is still working on some of the prestigious properties that he first started out on at JCA, though mostly not with the original owners, which is testament to his unrivalled knowledge, expertise and ability.

Having completed his architectural degree at Oxford, Michael worked on commercial projects, a Ministry housing project for the USAF and a wealth of new and old buildings including at one time for JCA, the UK’s most expensive private house new build – which on completion, featured in Country Life magazine.

Many people think that architects have their heads in the clouds. With Michael you will see from his photo this is literally true – at least at weekends. Thankfully his feet remain firmly grounded in designing and managing many of the firm’s most demanding architectural projects as well as being a terrific mentor to JCA’s youngest architects.

Tom joined JCA in 2014 as a very able junior architect and after two years qualified as a full architect.

Following his undergraduate architectural degree at Manchester University, he took himself off to Melbourne, Australia where he worked on commercial, hospital and care developments.

However he realised that he really enjoys heritage projects in which JCA specialises. It’s essential he says, to fully understand the building’s history when writing his projects’ Design & Access and Heritage Statements. Part of that process which he also excels at, is creating 3D models of the proposal in its setting. These together afford the best chance of obtaining Planning consents and getting his project client’s hopes off and running.

Archie graduated with a BA in architecture and joined JCA on his placement year on his way to becoming a fully qualified architect.

His initial degree gave him a firm understanding of technical drawing, analysing and surveying data, and in creating graphic presentations which he is now putting to good use in the professional environment.

As a firm we are keen to bring on the next generation of architects. We provide full opportunities to work with JCA teams in the design and organisation of various projects as well as chances to assist and follow these projects through to site visits and client meetings.

The possibilities seem to suit Archie and over the course of the year it will be interesting to see if he retains his interest for the design of interior space and furniture or will further specialise in the built environment.