Ben Hall shortlisted for Chartered Architectural Technologist of the Year

Our Managing Director, Ben Hall, has been shortlisted for Chartered Architectural Technologist of the Year in the 2026 AT Awards. It is the most senior individual honour in the discipline, and the winner will be announced on Wednesday 7 October.

Ben joined IMA in 2007 as an office junior, with no qualifications in architecture and no experience of practice. He studied part time alongside his full-time role, graduating from De Montfort University in 2013 with a First Class degree, and became a Chartered Member of CIAT two years later. Since then he has progressed through every level of the practice to lead it.

Today Ben leads our 17-strong Leicestershire team, working for FTSE 100 companies and global brands on large-scale industrial and logistics schemes, and he still runs live projects himself. He is currently leading a major distribution project in Leeds for Lidl and new facilities in Corby for a global logistics group.

Under Ben’s leadership, developing people through the same routes he took has become a defining feature of the practice. Sofia Coviello joined us in 2021 as our first Level 7 Architect Degree Apprentice and has since qualified as an architect. Director Joe Travers and Architectural Technologist Nilani Aruldas are also both shortlisted in this year’s Constructing Excellence Midlands G4C Awards.

Ben said: “I was 17 and making the tea when I walked into IMA and I have worked very hard to get where I am in my career. A shortlisting alongside the best in the profession takes a bit of getting used to!

“Everything I have came through the Architectural Technology route, studying part time while working full time, and it has taken me as far as I could have hoped to go. I am grateful to everyone at IMA who has backed me since 2007, and to the clients who keep asking us back.”

The AT Awards are run by the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists and have recognised excellence in Architectural Technology for more than 40 years, with entries from practices and individuals in the UK and internationally. Every category is judged by an independent panel of Chartered Architectural Technologists, with a verification panel overseeing the process. The Chartered Architectural Technologist of the Year category closes the ceremony, so we will have a nervous wait on the night.

To find out more about our architectural, masterplanning and principal designer services, get in touch with the team.