Roger Watts

Director

Haworth Tompkins

Roger joined Haworth Tompkins in 1995 becoming a director in 2018. He has been centrally involved in most of the studio’s performing arts and cultural projects.

He has built a strong reputation for designing soulful engaging space and is one of the UK’s top theatre architects with a particular passion for adaptive auditorium design sparked by the inspirational projects at the Young Vic, the Bridge Theatre, Soho Place Theatre and Malmö Stadsteater.

Roger is committed to architecture as an agent for change. He is deeply involved with the studio’s regenerative design agenda and has been at the forefront of researching cost effective, environmentally beneficial solutions for cultural buildings. Roger is currently involved with ongoing theatre and teaching spaces in London, at Harvard University, Bergen Norway, Christchurch New Zealand and in Perth Western Australia.

Roger has given lectures and papers at international conferences and is an active mentor within the studio team. Alongside his many theatre projects, Roger led the design of the new Royal College of Art campus in Battersea, a complex mix of contemporary creative education, administration and making spaces.

Latest contributions

Cities Dialogue: Designing cultural and leisure destinations for global cities

City Dialogues

01 May 2026

Cities Dialogue: Designing cultural and leisure destinations for global cities

This webinar explores how culture and leisure can act as powerful drivers of placemaking, shaping cities that are economically successful, inclusive and embedded with long-term development.

Watch video

Event

Cities Dialogue: designing cultural and leisure destinations for global cities

01 May 2026

Free

Conservation & Heritage

06 November 2023

Malmö Stadsteater Haworth Tompkins

Emphasizes the importance of cultural buildings, both modern and historic, as welcoming and generous hosts for artists and audiences. It discusses the challenges faced by theater companies