Gerry Miles Newton is the founding design director of MN+A, a studio shaped by the belief that architecture begins with people – how they live, what they value, and how they experience space.

His path into architecture was not conventional. Formally trained in international business law, his early career moved across technology, media, music, and art. Design emerged not through a single discipline, but through lived experience – traveling extensively and spending time in a wide range of spaces, from hotels and homes to cultural and everyday environments. Regardless of scale or setting, the places that left a lasting impression were those with a clear sense of identity – spaces that felt considered, grounded, and human.

Over time, these experiences became a personal reference point. This was later complemented by focused study in urban design, architectural history, building form, and preservation, forming the foundation for a more intentional approach to the built environment. Continued growth has come through participation in workshops and ongoing dialogue within the field, alongside a long-standing creative relationship formed while traveling in Paris with artist Claudia Gautheir. What began as an unexpected connection has evolved into an annual exchange focused on developing perspective drawing – a method he continues to use to communicate spatial ideas within the studio.

That perspective first took shape through 33 Nest, where he began by investing in and developing projects as a way to test and express a design language. The work resonated, leading to collaborations with homeowners and developers seeking a more experience-led approach to design.

Today, MN+A represents the evolution of that trajectory – a full-service studio guided by a clear design vision and realized through a collective of architects, designers, and consultants. The work is inherently collaborative. Early on, Roy Serinken joined the studio at its inception, recognizing its direction before it had taken form. More recently, Amara Onyema transitioned from fashion into interior design after engaging with the studio’s work – a reflection of the broader creative dialogue that underpins the practice.

Alongside this, the studio is increasingly oriented toward conservation and preservation – finding ways to work with what exists, whether structure, landscape, or the less tangible conditions of community and culture, as a means of guiding a site’s future.

Together, the studio continues to explore how architecture can move beyond function – creating spaces that carry presence, meaning, and a lasting sense of connection.