Urban Lecture Series: Reading The City

Studio B.A.D has partnered up with Go Southampton to bring a series of public lectures entitled ‘Reading The City’.

Hear from thought leaders who are at the forefront of contemporary urban debate across various venues in the city centre.

These have been put together to ensure place-making in the city is informed and inspired by modern visions of how our experience of urban life is enhanced. Each event in the series will take place between 5.30pm – 6.30pm and are free but you will need to register to confirm your place. See below the full list:

The public lecture series is the first element within a strategy focused upon raising public awareness, engagement, and participation in a curated process of re-imagining the public urban realm of Southampton. Contributors are each at the forefront of contemporary urban debate and will provide diverse and often challenging perspectives upon the City of the twenty first century. The over-arching objective is to ensure that place-making in the city is informed and inspired by contemporary visions of how our experience of urban life is enhanced.

 

‘Too often as a nation we have focussed on the quantity of development and the speed of our regulatory processes, and whilst these matters are important, they should not be at the expense of a clear vision of the sorts of places and communities that we wish to see.’

 

(PLACE MAKING ALLIANCE)

 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/urban-lecture-series-reading-the-city-march-2020-tickets-90928661073

The MacEwen Award 2020: Longlist

We have just been long listed in the RIBA Journal McEwen Award 2020, for our October Books project.

 

The  award shows there are plenty of really imaginative projects that work to make our world better

One of the great things about the annual entry to our MacEwen Award is that it reveals projects of a kind that too often get overlooked, with both well-known and young/emerging architects and clients taking part. What we’re looking for is imaginative ways in which projects make our world better.

These, remember, are examples of ‘architecture for the common good’. Socially responsible design in the built environment, as opposed to the kind of award in which the photogenic image predominates. Less aesthetics, more ethics, in other words. Sometimes there is little in the way of visible built architecture at all, but a lot of design thinking and project enabling has taken place to make something excellent happen.

 

https://www.ribaj.com/macewen/2020-macewen-award-longlist-architecture-for-the-common-good-hugh-pearman

REIMAGINING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

We are currently existing in some of the most interesting and challenging times of the past 50 years, politically, socially and environmentally in the UK. But challenging times always give rise to great opportunities to bring about positive change through built environment and architect’s have the skills in our industry to harness these opportunities. Our Industry is no different to any other part of modern British society. Architect’s, designers and clients in the built environment have always risen in the past to the many societal challenges.

 

Architects’ would like to think that we are expert chameleon’s, we can adapt to global channels around us, as well as those closer to home. Our greatest challenges currently exist around positively addressing the climate change emergency and the housing crisis,

 

In August 2018, Greta Thunberg, a 16 year old Swedish climate activist, launched a school strike to raise awareness to the efforts of global climate change. By 30 May 2019 she had published a simple book titled “No one is too small to make a difference”

 

Its this concept that strikes a chord with me and many of my fellow architect’s, that we can all make a difference, its all about a adapting a simple mind set, that its our moral and ethical destiny, to use our skill and influence to think and act to bring about a positive change. Whether we are looking to address climate change, homelessness and the housing crisis or political inequality.

 

Therefore those of us involved in the built environment, whether you are an architect, designer, client, consultant, we all have a duty of care to address how we will define a better world for our children and grandchildren.

 

The British government in May 2019 (the first national government to officially recognise this issue) sign up to the climate change emergency. But this will be hollow and virtue signalling if we don’t act and positively adapt and adopt new principles’ in how and what we do or don’t design. As someone who spends 25 % of my week as an educator in one of the countries newest schools of architecture at Reading University. We are putting this issues at front and centre of everything we discuss with our students.

 

So how can we all do our bit, if no one is to small to make a difference?

 

Well firstly it’s a culture change, life can not  and will not be able to be business as usual!!!!

 

Having recently branched out on my own and launched my own practice, we have adopted a very clear philosophy and narrative for the practice, in order that we can be relevant and not become the next dodo of the ever decreasing landscape of the service industry. So our philosophy and offer to the world is really very simple. We believe that architect’s and the built environment holds the potential to be a vehicle of social and economic change for a better world.

 

So can we respond to the challenges by, re use, reimagining, review if we need to build new at all? Can we reduce the footprint of what we design and build. The answer of course is yes and I see it all the time especially in the hands of brilliantly skilled and innovative architect’s.

 

Recently I was honoured yet again, to be involved in the judging of the daily telegraph home building and renovating awards and what struck me, was that clients, designers and architects are producing some amazing projects, by re using, re imagining, the building stock. From the Victorian, Edwardian and historical listed buildings from many different eras and doing it with less, less budget, less footprint and less materials. Which means that the use of less energy to both produce the materials for these projects but also to heat these projects.

 

These current times are difficult for all of us, but I am encouraged that everyone and especially in the architecture industry are waking up that we all can make a diefrence. I am very excited and delighted that my profession are getting passionate about thinking differently and developing philosophises and manifestos for a more ethical practice, that we will question the morals of a project or client. We have the skills to give new life to existing buildings, re imaging, churches, banks, high street shops, farms, and delivering low cost affordable housing, just look at the recent RIBA Stirling price award of the Social Housing in Norwich.

 

The future really can be bright for our children and grandchildren if we change design thinking, by questioning first what and why we are doing!!

 

Greta really has stirred the imagination, in many of us, now we just need to collectively apply this logic, which is beautifully summed up by Ai Weiwei in his book Humanity.

 

 

 

You begin to understand that we all have the same basic needs, that our sense of humanity and integrity, our desire for warmth and safety, to be well treated and respected are the same.

 

Ai Weiwei

 

Humanity

On the journey of promoting professionalism The positive influence of dyslexia

I was recently invited to contribute a piece for Alan Jones + Rob Hyde new RIBA book ‘Defining Contemporary Professionalism’, For Architects in Practice and Education. This is a short piece of my journey through architecture so far.

 

This piece is on the positive advantages of life with Dyslexia in the world of architecture, which is a celebration of 30 years of my personal journey through the eyes of a dyslexic, entrepreneurial, creative brain.

 

 

Challenges and failures teach us a lot about how to respond to life-defining early experiences. This learning helps our development, teaching us to think laterally and create different opportunities by changing the status-quo and questioning systems which have the potential to work at odds with us.

 

I have personally struggled with Dyslexia throughout my academic life, however, I consider myself very fortunate to have been given a unique opportunity at age 16; offered an apprenticeship in 1989, working with two inspirational architects in South Devon, who have since become life-long mentors. This motivational and supportive experience network inspired me to further my education, become an architect and subsequently pursue my passion to help and educate future architects.

 

Despite my many failures at a young age through the struggles of dyslexia , I have worked in private practice for twenty years, however I still, live in fear of being exposed as an ‘imposter’ in my professional field – sometimes joking that I, gate-crashed the profession”. I do feel these experiences have provided a unique appetite and insight into the profession, as someone who is ambitious and seeks to disrupt the traditional preconceptions of the industry.

 

I whole-heartedly subscribe to the notion that it is fundamental to immerse oneself in the positive struggle in one’s own life in order to fashion a successful outcome. I have had time to positively reflect on these experiences through being chosen as one of 12 RIBA Role models in the UK. Which hopefully, will act as a catalyst to inspire others.  As my personal ambition increased dramatically when I was encouraged by others. This experience has informed how I have taught in schools of architecture during the preceding 12 years. I have developed a broader understanding of people’s inherent potential, noticing those important defining characteristics and encouraging them, so that we do not loose them from the profession.

 

In a challenging world, architects from a fast range of diverse backgrounds, must gain access to the profession. We must be nimble, flexible and find innovative ways to maintain our position as creative leaders, able to change course at a minute’s notice. We need to become the leaders of future practice and create new models of architectural practice. I have just this year launched my own practice, which is defined on the core principals of ‘Practice – Teaching Research.

 

I see a unique opportunity through both academic and practice-based research, to investigative new ideas surrounding design, process, and narrative. As a result of my experience’s and involvement in academia and practice, I have also recently co-founded a group with my long term mentor Roger Tyrrell, CHORA http://www.chora.uk.com

 

CHORA is designed to occupy the void which exists between creative practice and academia, historically considered as distinct and exclusive. CHORA strives to fuse these territories, responding to our contemporary globalized context, responding to the economy’s demands.

 

If the currency of the future is creative ideas, CHORA seeks to encourage, facilitate and support the conjunction of Praxis and Research within a single entity, and through innovative processes, encourage rigorous and informed creative pathways that are intelligent and responsive to current and future societal demands.

 

As an architect and teacher working in a micro practice, I have had to learn how to innovate in practice, delivering projects to meet our clients’ challenging budgets and briefs.

 

By combining practice and academic research we can allow ourselves to experiment and test through conceptual design and delivery processes, whilst retaining the traditional understanding of architecture and redefining the nature of our industry

 

The future of creative practice in the 21 century is going to be defined and led by 18-21 years olds, born between 1997 – 2000, who are currently studying in schools of architecture. These men and women have incredibly positive skills, drive, empathy, passion and outlooks on life, (I witness this every week in studio). Which will no doubt give rise to a better world with their impact. But it is essential, we encourage people into universities, regardless of class, gender, sexuality and ethnic background. The success and future of architectural practice, will be defined by young people who have a unique set of experience’s, that will give rise to a positive impact on the built environment and beyond!

Right First Time – Delivering Low Energy Projects

We have recently been invited to write the Forward to Mesh Energy’s first new book on low energy design ‘Right First Time’ . In a shifting and challenging world with regards to our rapidly dramatic changing environment, we dutifully accepted the challenge to assist in highlighting the key thoughts behind the book.

In August 2018 Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish climate activist launched a school strike to bring attention to the effects of global climate change. By 30 May 2019 she had published a simple book “No one is too small to make a difference”. It’s at this point in time we must all realise that we need to actively play our part in addressing the climate emergency that was approved as a motion in May 2019, by the British Government. So how can we all do our bit, as “No one is too small to make a difference”?

On the 27 June 2019 the RIBA trustees, formally agreed to join the global declaration of an environment and climate emergency at their council meeting. Therefore, those of us involved in the built environment whether you are a designer, client, consultant or a contractor, must all step to address how we will deliver a better world for our children and grandchildren.

As an experienced sustainable architect and tutor who is heavily involved in educating the next generation of architects these issues are close to my heart. I believe strongly that there is no greater evidence, with the many daily reports around the climate emergency around the world, that we have to act now and on every single project we deliver from here on in.

But more practically to make this happen how can we as architects better understand our client’s low energy goals, design low energy homes from first principles and reduce risk during the design and construction phases?

‘Right First Time’ tackles these issues head on, by guiding and teaching all of us using a tried and tested method. It all begins with the Mesh Energy Hierarchy and takes us through a journey to the return on investment for clients, where we will enable clients to save thousands of pounds over the life time of their project and thus delivering a brighter future for our children, in reducing carbon emissions. The basics are just that, each chapter makes its clear through the following stages; energy basics, building the A-team, making and losing money, measuring success, finding superstar installers, improved construction and continued learning.

Energy requirement reduction is the most straight forward way to achieve some if not all of these goals being set out in our built environment industry. To do this we need clear routes and an inherent need to collaborate with our design teams. There are no more excuses, for us not guiding our clients to a successful low energy building output, by following the basics as set out by Mesh. The Mesh Energy principles and best practices in this book, give a clear description of how we can all look to reduce energy usage through building design, that’s evident in this manifesto illustrated here in “Right First Time”.

 As designers + leaders, architects, now need to shoulder ever more responsibility and that pressure is growing for us to take the lead in delivering a low energy future, more than ever before.

 Make no mistake this book demonstrates just how simple the path to a cleaner environment really is!

 Darren Bray, Founder and Director, Studio B.A.D. Architects