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Architect David Partridge has been thrust to the top of the pile of British property development. In the last week he has been promoted from deputy to joint chief executive of Argent, the developer that is transforming swaths of Birmingham, Manchester and London at a cost of more than 拢3bn.

As joint chief executive, the 48-year-old will work in tandem with human dynamo Roger Madelin, who has been chief executive since 1998. They have already worked 鈥渟ide by side鈥�, as Partridge puts it, since he joined Argent in 1990. And having served as deputy chief executive since 1999, Partridge is often credited with providing stability to Madelin鈥檚 more extravagant persona.

Partridge鈥檚 promotion was announced at Argent鈥檚 25th anniversary event, which celebrated the founding of the group by Michael and Peter Freeman in an Islington living room. It comes at a crucial time for the developer, as the 拢2bn development of King鈥檚 Cross is moving from outline planning to delivery mode and their 40-strong team is expanding substantially to cope with it, along with the regeneration schemes in Birmingham and Manchester.

Speaking at the anniversary celebration, Partridge admitted to an interest in quantum physics.

This offered him a convenient analogy for the high-speed dynamism at the heart of Argent.

鈥淲e do business in a quantum world, a bit like particles in an accelerator,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e live in parallel universes. We can now have chief executives in two places at once.鈥�

Partridge has been given much credit for the high quality of architecture and Urban Design seen in Argent鈥檚 developments.

We live in parallel universes. We can now have chief executives in two places at once

David Partridge

He retains an architect鈥檚 love for the end product. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about the process but about the product,鈥� he says. 鈥淎t Argent, we all love to create things.鈥�

His architectural acumen is acknowledged by Allies and Morrison director, Graham Morrison, who worked with Partridge for 10 years while designing office buildings at Brindleyplace, Birmingham, and Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester.

鈥淗e knows as much about architecture as we do, but is totally engaged with property development,鈥� says Morrison.

鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 hold back about commenting on designs. But then he doesn鈥檛 pay people to play a tune and then play it himself.鈥�

Partridge believes his architectural training is an asset. 鈥淎n architect brings together a whole series of different issues to arrive at an elegant design solution,鈥� he says. 鈥淚n the same way, a developer has to cope with issues of planning, legal matters, finances, sales and leaseholds and other pieces of the jigsaw, and fit them all together in a solution that is elegant and seemingly effortless.

鈥淚t鈥檚 no different from the architect鈥檚 approach to physical design, but it also covers the fourth dimension of time.鈥�

And it is these development management matters, rather than eye-catching architectural issues, which joint chief executive Partridge must concentrate on. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not so much a new role as a redefinition of how it is perceived,鈥� he says modestly, though quickly adding: 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 all hugely time-consuming.鈥�