Oliver Chinn  

Oliver joined Purcell in 2008 as a graduate, qualifying as an architect while studying part-time alongside his growing caseload of live projects, and now leads the Norwich studio, specialising in the conservation and adaptive reuse of listed buildings, ecclesiastical properties, and historic estates across Norfolk and the wider region.

Oliver has developed long-standing client relationships including the National Trust, with projects spanning Felbrigg Hall, Oxburgh Hall, and the Blickling Estate. At Oxburgh Hall, he was part of the team delivering ‘Raise the Roof’ project the largest conservation effort in the 15th-century hall’s history. The £6m project won RICS East’s Heritage award in 2024 and was highly commended at the Civic Trust Awards.

Oliver has also contributed to many public sector projects, supporting local authorities with a breadth of redevelopments one example being the transformation of Norfolk County Hall. This ambitious refurbishment project reimagined the council’s staff headquarters as a fully accessible, inclusive workplace, recognised with the Blue Badge Access Award for Most Inclusive Building in 2022.

His heritage work is complemented by experience on 20th-century buildings within the higher education sector, including projects for the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex, giving him a breadth of technical experience across both historic and modern building fabric.

Oliver’s particular strength lies in the technical and regulatory demands of working with historic fabric, including masonry conservation strategie and navigating faculty jurisdiction and DAC approvals on ecclesiastical schemes.  combined with the ability to He is a capable leader with the ability to lead co-ordinated design teams through complex, sensitive briefs from feasibility to completion.

He is a Trustee of the Norwich Historic Churches Trust and a student mentor at Norwich University of the Arts, supporting Part I architecture students in developing their research and critical writing skills.