Oliver has extensive first-hand knowledge of design practice management, business administration, financial planning and control, business development, press communications and human resourcing. His experience covers all aspects of complex project delivery, including client and stakeholder relationship management, bid creation and presentation, contract negotiations, project and team management, brief development, concept design, technical specification, procurement, construction administration and international practice.

Oliver has developed design specialisms in transport, hospitality, museum and exhibition design, product and interior design and visualisation and augmented reality. He is a co-founder of the virtual reality user group for Rhino CAD software in the UK and has strong links to the virtual production community for broadcast, film and fashion.

Softroom were early signatories to the Architects Declare charter and Oliver has been researching and commenting on sustainability for over a decade. He was a speaker at the Eco–Visionaires symposium at the Royal Academy of Arts in 2020. His research into ‘New Principles for Commissioning and Design’ was cited by the RIBA’s report to the COP26 summit. ‘Redesigning Our Lives’, a short film clip he made about the environmental emergency was highly commended by Dezeen magazine.

Oliver trained at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, completing the Architecture RIBA I BA (Hons) Degree Course in 1991 and the RIBA II MSc course in 1994, when he was awarded the Herbert Batsford drawing prize for pioneering 3D computer generated imagery.

Prior to founding Softroom in 1995, Oliver worked with Ron Arad Associates, notably on the Tel Aviv Opera House, and in magazine publishing with Condé Nast and UCL.

Oliver has presented and moderated discussions at universities and conferences internationally, including at the V&A Museum, the World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam, Guerilla Tactics at the RIBA and has discussed his work on television and in podcasts.

Oliver has served as a judge for the Design Week, FRAME and WIN professional awards, and the World Architecture Festival. He has served as a jury critic and external examiner for both the undergraduate and post-graduate architecture courses at the Bartlett School, UCL.

Softroom’s work has been published extensively worldwide since the 1990s, including features in The Guardian, Sunday Times, FT, Vogue, Time, Die Zeit, WallPaper, Dezeen, Condé Nast Traveller, Architects Journal, Architectural Review, Design Week and Building Design.