James studied architecture at the University of Plymouth and The Bartlett School of Architecture, London. Since graduating he has worked on a diverse range of projects, both in terms of scale and project type, from juice bars to commercial and healthcare buildings, both in this country and abroad.

Since 2000 James has worked with small architectural practices on award winning residential projects. He co-founded studio octopi in 2005 with Chris.

He is currently guest critic at Kent University.