Montgomery Crowe

Fifteen questions, off-duty.

Role on the line

Verified views and LVIA. I set the cameras, match the survey points, and write the methodology so the planners can read it without flinching.

Where I grew up

Brixton, Loughborough Junction end, where the railway viaducts cast their own conservation areas before anyone asked them to.

Training

Geography at UCL, planning conversion at the Bartlett, four years as a planning consultant in Westminster before I came across to the CGI side.

Years on the line

Eleven if you count the planning years. Six on full-time CGI.

The blade I bring

Borough policy. I read the local plan before I read the drawings.

Architect I would ride out for

Sir David Adjaye for the rooms, Denise Scott Brown for the streets.

Data that reads true on screen

Survey control points, OS terrain, accurate horizon line, daylight angle for the date the LPA actually cares about.

Software I cannot lose

3ds Max for the cameras, QGIS for the contours, a printed Westminster UDP for the rest.

Earliest architectural memory

My grandfather pointing at the Brixton Recreation Centre and saying "that's a fortress disguised as a public good". He meant it both ways.

The brief I am proudest of

A Lambeth tall-building verified-view set that survived an LVIA challenge at appeal.

On the headphones while working

Roots Manuva most of the time, Loyle Carner on the long edits, calypso when the deadline gets sporting.

London view I never tire of

From the top of Brockwell Park, looking north. The whole city sits down for you up there.

Coffee or tea

Strong black coffee until lunch, sorrel on a Friday.

Off the line

Sunday lunch at my mum's in Streatham, then a walk along the South Bank to argue with the buildings.

The motto on my desk

"Camera honest, policy honest, render honest. The order matters."