John A Murray has developed JAM Architecture following many years in architectural practice and working with development led briefs. In order to provide a wide range of services to the client, John knows that a reliable and trustworthy team is needed to see every project through from design to completion. Each project therefore, will have individual requirements and the design team needs to be flexible and vary in size to suit the scale of the development. As the lead designer and principal team leader, JAM Architecture will put together a bespoke consultancy team consisting of Architecture, Engineering, Mechanical & Electrical Consultancy, Fire Consultancy, Assigned Certification, Health & Safety Consultancy, Interior Design and Property Management (post-construction).
John first started working with P&B Gregory Architects in Belfast where he worked with the principals on schools, churches and teacher training facilities. John put himself through a part-time college course in construction which he finished in Nottingham. John went on to work with Kent Porter Warren Architects in Leicester, Brooker Flynn Architects in Melton Mowbray and SGP Architects in Leicester UK. John’s experience in the UK covered a wide range of building types including sheltered housing for the elderly, a 200+ seated lecture hall for De Montfort University, various light industrial buildings and the Bluewater Shopping Centre. John experienced land surveying, roads & drainage design, fire safety design as well as design development and on-site supervision of his own property portfolio. Through the 12 years spent in the UK, John put himself through architecture school at De Montfort University, Leicester and the University of Central England in Birmingham.
John returned to Ireland in 1999 and worked on the Croke Park Stadium with Gilroy McMahon Architects. John moved on to work briefly with O’Brien & Kaye before becoming head of architecture at the offices of Spain Courtney Doyle. The unique set-up of Spain Courtney Doyle showed how large-scale projects could be undertaken with a small core team of highly skilled individuals. The company was a one-stop-shop for clients where they could have a building site acquired, feasibility brief developed into a planning application leading onto site supervision and completion with a sales & letting team on board through the development phase and a property team ready to manage the building from first tenant occupation. John was the design architect for many of the projects developed by Spain Courtney Doyle including the Pillo Hotel, Galway, Housing in Kerry, Mixed Development in Clifden, Main Street in Tullamore, Retail & Apartments in Tallaght and Offices on Pembroke Road, Dublin to name only a few.
Following the financial crash of 2007/08, John formed Active Facilities & Property Management along with some colleagues, providing experienced property management services to international clients in the commercial, retail and housing sector. Throughout this period, architectural membership was maintained and design feasibility was also provided to clients in order to maximise values on distressed properties. Active worked with clients, banks, receivers and NAMA and most importantly, occupants and tenants through a very difficult period, maintaining services on the property portfolio and delivering manageable payment plans for rents and service charges.
John continued to work on site feasibility to indicate future potential, in hand with changing development plan and building control standards. This helped clients identify financing opportunities or work with banks in achieving maximum sales values.
John expanded architectural services and client development through the merging of Active to form Benchmark Property Consultants and has gone on to set up JAM Architecture to concentrate on his core values of client focused, quality, design led development.