David Batt, the former head of interior design for Vita Group’s Vita Student and House of Social brands, has joined the Manchester-based Fairhursts Design Group.
Batt has more than two decades of experience in interior design, having worked at Austin-Smith:Lord, Falconer Chester Hall, and Select Property in addition to the decade he spent at Vita. Projects from before his time at Vita include the Double Tree by Hilton in Liverpool and Liverpool Central Library.
As head of interiors at FDG, Batt will be leading a team in designing for commercial, student residential, advanced manufacturing, and science sectors. Already on the docket: Begbroke Science Park in Oxford and the Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute in Rochdale.
“Having worked client side for the last 10 years, joining FDG and having the opportunity to create inspiring environments for a wide variety of clients is something I am looking forward to immensely,” Batt said.
He is not the only new face on FDG’s interior design team. The firm has also recruited Maria Sidebottom as an interior designer. Sidebottom joins from EPR Architects.
Reflecting on the new hires, FDG managing director Mark Adey said: “2023 has been a hugely exciting year for the business and we are delighted to end it with not one, but two extremely talented designers joining our interiors team.
“David has a wealth of experience delivering exceptional environments for a variety of users, as well as having the drive to help us grow the profile and reach of the ID team,” he continued.
“We look forward to introducing him to our client base and getting his unique insight on the many interiors projects we have on the books currently.”
Other personnel changes at FDG include Chris Garrard’s promotion to executive associate and Leticia Rodriguez and Jackie Gaitanelis’s move to associate. Paul Smith has been appointed as the firm’s head of BIM and innovation. Earlier this month, FDG announced that it had brought on board Marion Room as a director to grow its science project pipeline.
FDG has offices in Manchester, Southampton, and Cambridge.