We Made That

Oliver will be speaking at the Bringing nature into the city – place and health in the time of COVID-19 event by the Landscape Institute on Thursday 9th July. The event is part of two free, half-day online events inspired by the summer edition of Landscape, the journal of the Landscape Institute, hosted on Thursday 9th July (AM) and Friday 10th July (AM).

The issue of how we use, design and manage highways and green spaces has rarely been so prominent in the public mind. From reusing street space to investing in city farms, the events will examine these topics and invites some of its writers to share their views with a live audience.

More information on the events can be found here.

We Made That aims to be better for everyone

We Made That starts a project by developing the brief with the stakeholders. But it’s not altruism that drives their commitment to community and forgotten spaces.

It’s said often enough that architects need to get out of their professional ghetto, collaborate with other professions and trades, be less concerned with look-at-me buildings and more with the public realm, do solid research, hit the streets and talk to real people more. It’s hard to disagree, especially when you are talking to one of the now firmly established practices which does all these things. Here they are, and they are called We Made That.

See full article on The RIBA Journal here: 

https://www.ribaj.com/culture/we-made-that-architects-as-strategists-public-spaces

Social value has been firmly on the public sector agenda since 2012 when it gained a formal place on the pre procurement radar of public sector clients with the passing of the Social Value Act. Under the Act, Social Value is considered in three parts: social, economic and environmental. Since 2018 it has moved further up the agenda after even the notoriously dry Treasury Green Book sought to include social value in its guidance on how to appraise and evaluate projects.

These developments have altered the procurement process, as commissioners have been asked to increasingly asked to consider how to get more social value for money out of procurement. They are considering how best to secure wider social, economic and environmental benefits for their area or stakeholders, often as a ‘by-product’ of the original commission. Any tender should therefore target these three parts of social value directly, demonstrating how the practice will enhance social value through each one specifically.

In a competitive tender market, at We Made That we’re always seeking to maximise the social value that can be realised through the processes and outcomes of our work.  One approach that we’ve found to be successful is to work in collaboration with other practices, local partners or stakeholders to enhance social value in both the tender and delivery process.

Collaboration offers multiple opportunities to boost social and economic benefits to a project. For example, including team members with a close relationship to the local community, or collaborating with local practices to support spend in the local economy of a project.

One example of this approach is our current work on a mixed-use masterplan for the Purley Way in Croydon. We Made That are leading a large project team, including design collective, Resolve, an interdisciplinary team which combines architecture, engineering, technology and art to address social challenges. They have a close relationship to the local community in Croydon having grown up in the area, and frequently work with youth and under-represented groups in society and engaging them in the design process, as well as working with local communities as stakeholders in the short and long term management of local projects. Resolve are leading the engagement strategy for the masterplan and have developed an online platform in response to COVID-19 implications, to crowd source stories, memories and local knowledge about the area. At the other end of the practice scale spectrum, the project team also includes Hawkins\ Brown, who are long-term collaborators with We Made That, bringing their diverse team and experience to the project.

Supporting spend in the local economy can also offer ‘added value’ to a project. In 2017, We Made That were appointed by Harrow Council to lead on the design of the new public space in the centre of Wealdstone, with the intention of using the project to bring the community together. This included building an identity for Wealdstone which celebrated the town centre and it’s successful activity. We collaborated with Spacemakers and design studio, Silo, alongside local graphic designer Karolina Ciakaite who led a series of workshops for a group of local young people to research, design and produce furniture for the new square. This was a direct response to addressing the emerging challenge of a lack of activity for young people due to cuts to youth services, and the resulting negative perception of groups hanging around the town. The Wealdstone Youth Workshop produced ‘The Wealdstone Leg’, a furniture component that forms the basis of a range of stools, benches and chairs to be used in the square. The resulting furniture is also available to buy, with all proceeds going back into the project, and the workshop participants each receiving a royalty on sales as well as a stipend for taking part in the project.

In addition to social value gained for the local community through collaboration, We Made That directly experience the additional value offered through a collaborative approach; working with larger or more established practices helps to open doors that otherwise might not otherwise be open to us, and working with more recently established practices brings new ideas and energy to the team, whilst providing a helpful ‘hand up’. In a global context that’s keeping us all physically apart, we will continue to pursue project that bring teams and communities together.

By Lorna Reed

See article on Building Design Online here: 

https://www.bdonline.co.uk/briefing/in-a-world-thats-keeping-us-apart-lets-work-together/5106593.article

The public have been invited to share their ideas related to connectivity and movement within the Lower Lea Valley and Blackwall study area. Their insights will feed into proposals for new cycling and walking interventions currently being identified by We Made That in partnership with Urban Movement and Transport Initiatives. The proposals generated will inform the East of the Borough Area Action Plan.

The online platform allows local people to navigate the study area and pin point specific areas of interest and share their experience of movement within the area.

We Made That are excited to announce that our proposals for Woolwich Town Centre are now open for public engagement. We have been working with Royal Borough of Greenwich and Gerald Eve on one of 100 applications for the ‘Future High Streets Fund’ to The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The application will explore innovative responses to bring transformative change to Woolwich Town Centre. The successful bids will be announced in Sept 2020. Have a look here and tell us your thoughts!

We Made That are delighted to have been commissioned by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to develop a Connection and Movement Study to evidence the East of the Borough Area Action Plan.

Sited in the Lower Lea Valley and Blackwall, the study will identify new interventions to improve walking and cycling connectivity, including the quality of routes, and will take a network approach assuring that proposed connections are accessible and equitable across the study area.

The team will also test the suitability of a raft of existing proposed infrastructure improvements linked to development in the area, to ensure the connectivity benefits support both existing and new residents and employees to make walking and cycling the transport choice of preference.

We are pleased to be working closely with long-standing collaborators, Urban Movement and new partners, Transport Initiatives. 

A new website has been launched to support public engagement on the Purley Way Masterplan. Developed by Resolve Collective, engagement specialists on the project, Purley Wayfinders is a digital platform that collects memories of different areas and activities within the Purley Way, building a people-led vision of the masterplan area.  

Local insights collected, archived and shared on the platform will help reveal the nature and character of ‘places’ within the masterplan area, uncovering patterns, habits and stories that inform these ‘places’. Local knowledge gathered through this digital strategy will in turn help inform strategic aspects of the masterplan at these initial stages, and build a foundation for expected later-stage physical engagement.

The impact of COVID-19 and current social distancing measures have necessitated the shift to a digital engagement strategy, in order to accommodate input from the local community in a meaningful and effective manner. We think it is more important than ever to find new ways to continue community conversations, and this virtual engagement tool will help us continue good public dialogue while access to the physical space remains restricted.

If you are local to the area or are familiar with the Purley Way, then visit www.purleywayfinders.com to get involved and contribute to the conversation!

More information about the Purley Way Masterplan project can be found here.

Basildon Borough Council commissioned We Made That and real estate consultants Cushman & Wakefield to develop a Masterplan for the future of Basildon Town Centre. The Masterplan aims to build on the current assets of the town centre and identify where there are opportunities for improvement and development. It sets out a clear vision for the town centre that will guide regeneration activity by the council as well as encourage investment into the town centre.

The Masterplan is at a draft stage which is now out for consultation. This includes an online survey, as well as virtual themed engagement events open to the public and key stakeholders. Feedback will inform the development of the masterplan and how it is taken forward towards adoption as a policy document.

We Made That has secured the commission to design a public realm delivery plan for North Vauxhall, central London, on behalf of Lambeth Council. The practice will lead a team – including Urban Movement, Civic Engineers, Dr James Hitchmough and Stockdale (surveyors) – which will define the publicly accessible space between buildings, from alleyways and streets to squares and open spaces.

The commission will identify a range of public realm improvements that could be brought forward at a variety of scales and levels of intervention. The team will develop concept and developed designs for selected projects. This will be informed through a co-productive approach with local stakeholders, including residents and community groups.

We Made That are looking for two new team members to join the practice: a skilled Part I Architectural Assistant and an early-career Urban Research Assistant with a minimum degree level qualification in urban studies/economics/geography or a similar related discipline.

Architectural Assistant (part I)

The role includes working on urban-scale strategies, participative co-design projects and early stages of project development. You must be a talented designer and have good technical knowledge with a great eye for presentation. Excellent communication skills and a desire to contribute to lively creative & productive team working required. Job description pdf.

Urban Research Assistant

The role includes contributing fieldwork and desk- based data auditing to a number of research commissions spanning spaces of culture industry and employment. The ideal candidate will have a good understanding of both quantitative and qualitative research design and methods a conscientious approach to research and the ability to build manage and analyse large datasets. Job description pdf.

Deadline for applications is Friday 29th May 2020 and details of how to apply can be found in the job description pdfs above.

We are happy to announce the New Cross Gate Area Framework has been shortlisted in the Plan-Making category in the Planning Awards 2020. We Made That collaborated with 5th Studio and Alan Baxter Associates on the project, jointly commissioned by the London Borough of Lewisham, the Greater London Authority and Transport for London.

The purpose of the Framework was to develop a future vision and masterplan for the area, capturing the unique character of New Cross, whilst addressing the opportunities and challenges it faces. Our team led an intensive engagement programme with stakeholder groups and local residents, along with a detailed audit of local businesses, to establish local priorities for delivering change in the area as part of the Framework.

We Made That, “polemic, provocative and, in most cases, imminently practical, inviting the reader to ask what it really means to make “good” architecture today.”

We Made That feature alongside the London Practice Forum in Ark - the Finnish Architectural Review - in an article about the potential for architects to take collective action on ethical grounds. It includes our “Things We Won’t Do” manifesto, first exhibited at the Royal Academy’s What is radical today? show in 2019.

We Made That and Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy were commissioned by the Local Government Association to produce a guide for local authorities on writing a cultural strategy. The published guide offers a core framework approach along with key considerations that can be adapted by local authorities looking to develop a cultural strategy. The guide also presents a set of case studies and best practice points under each key consideration.

This guide is vital in helping local authorities to maximise the impact of cultural assets for community cohesion, as well as the local economies in which they sit.

Read the full guide here. 

We Made That remain committed to our clients and the communities that we work in. We understand our collective and social responsibility to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We have the infrastructure to effectively maintain the functioning of the office and business during this challenging period.

All meetings are being moved to virtual platforms and all engagement events are being postponed or adapted to online methods.

Best wishes to all our clients collaborators and communities during this time.

‘A Home for Culture’ Thamesmead’s Cultural Infrastructure Plan is the first localised cultural infrastructure plan in London. We Made That led a team including Hatch Regeneris and Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy to produce the plan and supporting evidence bases. It has been nearly two years in the making and sets out Peabody’s commitment to creating a network of new cultural spaces as part of the long term regeneration plans for Thamesmead.

The Cultural Infrastructure Plan provides the opportunity to hard-wire culture into Thamesmead, by planning for culture in the same way as we plan for housing and transport. It puts artist housing on the agenda and focuses on both small and large cultural facilities, such as a new home for our community radio station and archive, to large scale production facilities and a new waterfront arts centre.

Read the plan here.

We Made That are delighted to announce the launch of the ‘Industrial Intensification and Co-Location Study’ research for the Greater London Authority as part of the Good Growth By Design programme.

The project team, We Made That, Savills, Feasibility, and Momentum were commissioned by the Greater London Authority to explore the potential for intensifying use of London’s industrial land, in response to new policies in the draft London Plan.

The study is based on a range of model sites, selected to typify London’s industrial areas in scale, value and accessibility. It investigates the design challenges, underlying costs and viability of ambitious mixed-use. It provides guidance on approaches to industrial intensification including co-location with residential and tests the viability and deliverability of various proposals.

We Made That have been appointed by Croydon Council to analyse existing community facilities in central Croydon, and to develop ideas for improving the current offer; improving accessibility, extending hours of use, diversifying range of available spaces and increasing activation and programming. In exploring the existing community spaces, the team will identify gaps in provision and develop a clear and deliverable strategy for reimagining and transforming the community facilities landscape of Croydon.

We Made That is supported by economic consultancy PRD and engagement specialist Migrant’s Bureau to deliver this project which will include a series of engagement events to understand community needs and aspirations, as well as generate ideas collaboratively with the local population and existing voluntary and community sector organisations. 

We Made That-led team picked for major Purley Way masterplan, along with collaborators Hawkins\ Brown, Steer, Hatch Regeneris, Cushman & Wakefield and Resolve Collective. The 140ha mixed-use masterplan will create a framework for high quality development including new and intensified industrial uses and a step change in mixed use and residential development.

Anisha Jogani, Team Leader of the Placemaking Team at Croydon Council, says “The masterplan is a significant opportunity for the council to be at the forefront of shaping change coming forward along the Purley Way, in order to support Croydon’s need housing and employment space, and supporting infrastructure. The project will create an opportunity to test the future of out-of-town and industrial and retail locations and how they evolve into mixed use neighbourhoods. We are delighted to have We Made That and the rest of the team are on board who will use their breadth of experience to tackle the big challenges along the Purley Way head on”.

Oliver will be co-delivering a workshop and talk in Goa, India at A Social Design Festival - organized by Kokum, a design trust founded by five members in Goa - as part of a programme to connect government, designers and active citizens.

From 17 - 19 February, along with Malini Krishnankutty and the State Government, Oliver will be mentoring a 3 day workshop on urban mobility in Panaji. Participation is open to architects, urban planners, engineers, systems thinkers, behavioural researchers, design professionals and students.

On 20 February Oliver will be presenting We Made That’s work on environment and governance as part of the conference programme.

More info: Social Design Festival

We Made That are delighted to announce the launch of the Public Spaces Programme 2020, organised with The London Society.

This year The London Society are exploring the theme of ‘public’ for a series of talks, panel discussions, walks and tours. ‘Public’ is identified as a key ingredient to all cities, as the space where we interact with other citizens, and the quality and efficiency of these spaces that determines liveability. The series will therefore explore a series of issues including public space, public transport, public art and public housing. We Made That are curating the ‘public spaces’ element of this series.

The first events as part of the Public Spaces programme include:

TALK | Public Spaces, Diverse Places: identity and race and the public realm, Thursday, 20 February 2020

Nile Bridgeman (Afterparti) and Akil Scafe-Smith (Resolve) discuss their articles from Afterparti Issue 00, unpacking contemporary urban space through the lenses of identity and race.

TALK | OK Boomer! - Age and the Public Realm, Tuesday 3rd March 2020

A panel discussion on the implications for public space design of an ageing population, chaired by Holly Lewis.