Alex Folliss

Senior Urban Designer

Alex is an urban designer who wants to use his powers to create fun, creative, and sustainable places for us all to enjoy. He loves the idea that his work can have a real impact on peoples’ lives and hopes to make his own positive change where he can.

He originally studied in Cardiff as a planning undergraduate before training as an urban designer at the Welsh School of Architecture. Since then he’s worked in a variety of design areas including conceptual and detailed mixed-use development, public realm and streetscape design, brownfield regeneration and greenfield development, whilst always finding his way back to designing residential schemes.

What do you do in your spare time?

Aside from being a long time sufferer as an Aston Villa season ticket holder, I have a real passion for live music. If I didn’t have a wedding to save for and a house renovate I’d be spending all my time and money on going to gigs and building my vinyl collection. My favourite band would have to be Catfish and the Bottlemen… and it might be sad but I’m already getting excited about going to see them in Cardiff this June!

Favourite city and why?

Although I love living and working in Birmingham, I’d have to say my favourite city is Cardiff. As it is where I went university and lived for five years I’m probably biased, but it’s just a great place to be. It has all the entertainment and nightlife you would expect of a capital, but at the same time it all feels very local, with each neighbourhood having their own a great distinctive character. Barely anywhere is too far away to walk, almost the entire city centre is pedestrianised, there’s a great blend of historic and contemporary architecture, and the people make it a lot of fun as well (even if they are all rugby mad). I hope to find my way back to Cardiff one day, but having just bought a house in Birmingham I doubt it’ll be anytime soon!