Robert founded the Consultancy in 2001 to provide independent advice on planning ‘risks’ and the development of architectural and urban design during the pre-application period. The work of the Consultancy has drawn on his broad expertise as an architectural historian, architect and urbanist, and his considerable experience as an expert witness at high profile public inquiries. In 2017, Louise Newman and Lois Wheller joined Robert as Company Directors. In early 2023, Robert became a Non-Executive Director and retired completely from the consultancy in December 2023.
Robert is Emeritus Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and was previously a professor at the Universities of Edinburgh (1992-1995) and Bath (1995-2005), as well as internationally at UCLA (1998), Texas (2002) and São Paulo, Brazil (2004). With his departure from the consultancy, Robert is now able to focus fully on academic research and writing: the classical tradition of architecture, the interconnections between classical and modern architecture and urban design, and the role of townscape in recent urban planning in London.