Who We Are:
Leonora Oppenheim
Founding Director of Elio Studio
Leonora works as a Sustainable Design Consultant collaborating with architects, designers, curators and scientists on innovative projects that tell engaging sustainability stories to the wider public.
She is passionate about provoking discussion and debate through creativity and her multidisciplinary approach is informed by a keen awareness of both social and ecological environments.
To date Leonora has worked on consultancy projects for Nick Hancock Design Studio (UK), Jane Withers (UK), D-Squared Design (UK), Architecture for Humanity (US), The Kallari Association (Ecuador) and on design projects for, amongst others, Thomas Heatherwick (UK), Marcel Wanders (NL), Atelier Van Lieshout (NL) and Niall O'Flynn (Spain).
Leonora's design and consultancy projects are complemented by her writing on eco-design and ethical consumerism for TreeHugger. As a key member of TreeHugger's editorial team since the early days of its creation she has witnessed the dramatic rise in environmental awareness from the front row.
Inspired by her fellow green innovators Leonora devised and contributes to the Change Makers interview series on TreeHugger's sister site Planet Green, which features motivated people who are creating a more sustainable world through their work. She is also a regular contributor to design/art/technology site Cool Hunting.
Leonora is available to speak publicly about her work and wider themes addressing eco-design and sustainability. She has presented at various high profile events including, Birmingham City University's Big Debate (Sept 2008) , Grand Designs Live (Oct 2008), Pecha Kucha Barcelona (Nov 2008), the HEC Social Business Conference Paris (May 2009), and Cineforum - The Road to Ecotopia (Dec 2009)
Associates:
Anna Maria Orru
Sustainable Design Architect + Environmental Researcher
Anna Maria Orru has over nine years experience working as an architect both in the UK and abroad. Between 2006 and 2008 she worked with Grimshaw on a range of projects including the Bournemouth Winter Gardens Arts Centre, the UCL Cancer Research Institute, the LSE School of Management, and the Bioreactor Plant for the Quinn Glass Facility.
Prior to Grimshaw she gained valuable site experience working on the Angel Town Regeneration Scheme which won the Building for Life - the Gold Standard Award in 2006 with Anne Thorne Architects Partnership. She has also had the opportunity to work beside Shigeru Ban on the Centre Pompidou Metz.
She is a passionate advocate of environmentally sustainable design and has carried out research in this subject area throughout her career. She worked with Ove Arup & Partner’s ‘Foresight and Innovation Team’, which resulted in her research being published in ‘ARUP: Drivers of Change 2006’ (GG). While at Grimshaw, she was involved in setting up and managing the Green R&D group that sourced new ideas and technologies that could influence sustainable architecture.
Anna Maria and Leonora are currently collaborating on an innovative packaging project which aims to readdress the value of waste.
Nick Hancock
Director of Nick Hancock Design Studio
Born and trained in Australia, Nick came to the UK in 1997 having already worked for some of Australia's top practices. Once in the UK, he worked on a variety of projects developing his specialisms in complex geometry and lightweight steel structures, before joining Richard Rogers Partnership from 1999- 2004 where he worked on landmark buildings in the UK and around the world, becoming a senior designer and working on numerous award-winning schemes.
Nick left RRP in 2004 in order to go freelance and moved to Barcelona, Spain, but continued to work closely with the practice, consulting for RRP and later with RSHP on projects including the Las Arenas bullring renovation in Barcelona, the World Trade Center in New York, and a high-end private residence in Singapore.
Demand for Nick's services has been so great that in January 2008 he moved back to London and launched Nick Hancock Design Studio, a small architectural practice based in Primrose Hill, enabling him to provide high-quality design solutions to a wider range of clients, both in the UK and internationally.
In August 2008 Nick invited Leonora to work on the Flying Bridge proposal to advise on the environmental aspects of the project.
Tailormade Productions
Film, Video + Theatre
Tailormade Productions aims to create compelling productions across film, video and theatre, using collaborative and imaginative storytelling techniques.
Tailormade Productions is made up of Brek Taylor, Clare Tinsley and Elizabeth Mitchell and together they work as a writing/producing/directing team.
Productions include the live action and theatre video show 'Recruitment Stars', the Film London sponsored short film 'Dead Bird', the interactive vidcast 'Alex Leap', and 'Ruth's Tooth', a short film using a combination of live action, puppetry and prosthetics. Currently, alongside developing the animated short 'The Shipping Forecast' and the collaborative theatre project ‘Set-Up’, the team are about to go into production on their first feature film 'The Sea Change'.
