hcl architects - Billie Lee

Billie Lee is Owner and Managing Director of HCL Architects and now solely leads the practice.

With over 30 years of experience, Billie has overseen the design and delivery of major commercial and residential developments across London. His work is defined by clarity of strategy, precision of detailing and a deep understanding of planning and development processes.

Key projects include:

1 Finsbury Square for NatWest Property
1 Park Place, a 1 million sq ft landmark office building in London Docklands
Colin Campbell Court, a mixed retail and residential scheme
Newfoundland, a 58-storey, 226m residential tower at Canary Wharf — the first residential planning consent within the Canary Wharf regeneration area zoned for employment use, constructed over underground infrastructure

Billie has maintained long-standing relationships with major clients including Lancer Asset Management, Canary Wharf Group and European Land, delivering high-quality commercial refurbishments, listed building transformations and new-build developments.

His approach begins with listening carefully to client objectives and interrogating the brief analytically. Development opportunities are tested rigorously to ensure architectural ambition aligns with commercial viability.

Billie believes that in an age of accelerated communication, clarity, responsiveness and precision are essential. Strong relationships — built on trust, strategic insight and design intelligence — remain fundamental to delivering enduring architecture.

Previous Experience

In 1989 Billie joined Richard Horden Associates working initially on the Queens Stand at Epsom Racecourse and Eland House an office building for Land Securities in Westminster. During quieter times at the office Billie worked with Jan Kaplicky and Amanda Levete at Future Systems and Sevil Peach and Gary Turnbull and SPGA and briefly for Anouska Hempel. When Richard Horden became Professor at the Technical University in Munich, Billie returned to RHA and became a director helping Richard look after the London office and deliver projects including the Sainsbury Wing at St Marks Hospital, Millennium Tower Glasgow, The Study Gallery Poole and House on Evening Hill for Richard.

Whilst working for RHA Billie studied part time to become a qualified Architect; with Christeen Hawley Thomas Decker and David Porter at the University of East London, Sand Hessel and Bill Goodwin and briefly with Peter Smithson at the Architectural association.

Billie is fortunate to have designed and completed projects early in his career. He has over the years built on this valuable experience and developed a strong ability to understand client objectives and to design and deliver projects in a responsible, enjoyable and hard working and effective way.

Early Work

Billie initially studied interior design and first started working when he was 20 for Maurice Broughton in South Molton Street London in 1987. Maurice Broughton worked for many years with the Architect Denys Lennon, then when he started his studio in the 1960’s he created the first Way-In for Harrods, a new idea then of combing fashion retail with music and drinking and eating. Billie worked very closely with Maurice on projects including the Dress Circle restaurant in Harrods, re-building of the Jaeger store on Regent Street and Fenwick on Bond Street, the refurbishment of an apartment building in Kensington and the refurbishment of an apartment in no1 St James place designed by Sir Denis Lasdun and owned by the art collector Stanley Sieger.

Teaching

Billie enjoys design and analytical thinking. He encourages the youngest office members to participate and contribute without fear, and the more experienced to share and monitor work quality. He occasionally teaches and has been a visiting professor at the Technical University Vienna and Plymouth College of Art and Design and a visiting critic at the Architectural Association and Imperial College London. He has also held independent teaching workshops at Casa Malaparte on Capri, working with the students to develop their observation and design skils.