Karen Fardell trained at Portsmouth School of Architecture and RWTH in Aachen.
Keen to stay in mainland Europe she worked in Amsterdam with Buro Zaanen on buildings by Berlage.
In 1991 she attended The Prince of Wales's Summer School in Civil Architecture; based in Oxford, Rome and Viterbo.
Following graduation from courses at Portsmouth, Karen worked for both Plincke Leaman and Browning and Southampton City Council.
After working with Theo Crosby at Pentagram and a lengthy period at Paul Davis and Partners she joined Plater Claiborne Architecture and Design, becoming an associate in 2006 and a partner in 2011.
Her work includes extensive experience in re-use of historic buildings, their extension and repair. She has experience of new buildings in a variety of styles - always with users and site as generators.
She has both taught at The Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture and worked as a research assistant there. She has lectured on a part time basis at Anglia Ruskin University on the Architecture courses.
Along with her Architectural work Karen is a Printmaker; she has exhibited and sold through a number of galleries in East Anglia and London.
