As I find myself being photographed by Tim Soar at The Rowe, a building that I have contributed to over the past five years, it reminds of the privilege I have had to be part of a significant London project. The design concept leans into the tension between old and new, raw and polished, turning an art school space into an office one.
The design, retaining part of the façade of the existing building and extending upwards, raised an engaging debate with the diverse local community. How can we recognise and honour shared memories of this space, whilst speaking to the change arising all around? I hope the building becomes a meaningful symbol of this conversation.
However, during the process we focused on public art commissions to further support this. We used the hoarding as a COVID-safe way to support an end of year show of London Met graphic design students, who responded to our brief to speak of the local diversity. We also brought Yinka Ilori, now a prolific modern artist of British-Nigerian heritage but also a Met graduate who studied in the very building, to design a 360-degree public artwork on the 6th floor inset terrace.
Architecture is at an interesting ‘call to action’ point, where increased focus on positive impact, be it environmental or social, acts as a catalyst for a positive shift. For the last few years, I have been increasingly focusing on under-represented groups in our profession and the importance of collective change.
Growing up in over ten countries, I never settled into a single community or place. This journey taught me how to be open minded, have confidence as a minority to participate, and an appreciation for cultures.
I have been fortunate to bring this to my practice and now to the wider profession via the Architecture Race Forum. The remit of the Architecture Race Forum is simple: to empower the architecture industry with tools to increase diversity, whether a single practitioner or a sizable practice, and to celebrate and inspire a positive shift in this space.
However, to meaningfully make a difference we need to start with our education system, as early as primary school stage. Recently the Architecture Race Forum held a meeting focussed on school outreach and how practices can be more involved. This early community engagement needs to continue at every stage of education and ultimately across employment opportunities through a transparent and responsible approach to diversity within our practices and ensuring that underrepresented groups can reach senior management roles. The recent election of a young black architect as RIBA President is a positive signal of change for young architects and potential future architects.
Source: Architecture Today
