Richard qualified as an architect in 1979 at Canterbury School of Art and then worked on telecommunications buildings, crown courts and defence accommodation within a government department. For 13 years Richard was appointed deputy secretary of the Royal Fine Art Commission (the precursor to CABE). He retired from the RFAC in 1996 and setup the Richard Coleman Consultancy, now Richard Coleman Citydesigner. His work at the RFAC gave him in-depth insights into high quality design, and making changed to the historic environment and established skylines to accommodate development in an evolutionary way. He believes strongly that high quality authentic design of any era can make a major contribution to the health of individuals, societies and nations.