Since joining Heatherwick Studio in 2006, Mat has been responsible for some of the studio’s largest and most important projects. These include Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town – an acclaimed conversion of an historic grain silo into Africa’s first international museum dedicated to contemporary African art; Eden – a residential tower in Singapore; and a Maggie’s Cancer Care centre in Leeds, that is designed to offer respite from the clinical environment of the hospital.
One of Mat’s most recently completed projects is Little Island – a public park and performance space in New York. The design and construction process was inherently collaborative and complex, and Mat worked closely with the client, consultants, stakeholders and local authorities to realise the design. The pier opened to the public in 2021.
Mat currently oversees a wide portfolio of projects that span North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. These include a major cultural centre within a converted former desalination plant in Saudi Arabia; a retail destination in central China, and an ambitious future-forward masterplan for a new mixed-use district on a 58-hectare site along Cape Town’s shoreline.
In 2015 the studio created the role of Group Leader to support the growth in scale and number of its projects. Working with Thomas Heatherwick, Group Leaders, including Mat, are responsible for leading all aspects of a portfolio of projects from concept development through to delivery. They are also part of the studio’s senior management group, guiding business strategy, planning and process. Mat is also
