Last year, Building Garden Communities held a roundtable discussion looking at the impact of the government’s proposed planning reforms on garden communities.
Creating an ambitious vision from the outset to establish communities, not just housing, was seen as key to the success of future developments. As was the need for an overarching national policy and supported funding for garden communities, with a call for infrastructure to be prioritised. Gbolade Design Studio’s Co-Founder Tara was one of the round table’s participants. Read the report here
Financial Times | Home of Tomorrow
Starting off the year; the Financial Times asked us how coronavirus has shaped the home of the tomorrow. We gave insights based on how our projects are responding to ensure our clients' developments are future-proofed.
The 6 main themes across a cross-section of architects, estate agents, and homeowners include: multigenerational living, the extended home, the city exodus, self-reliant living, the energy-efficient home, and the community home.
Full FT article by Harriet Fitch Little here:
Wallpaper* Ground Breakers
Gbolade Design Studio | Architects are super thrilled to have been included in Wallpaper* Ground Breakers line-up alongside some amazing practices we admire. A big shout-out to Ellie Stathaki for this brilliant piece and to Elena Heatherwick for capturing us!
This one goes to our phenomenal team who are the real ground breakers with their commitment, hard work, and dedication - we are eternally grateful, Thank you!
Full article here: https://lnkd.in/d3wgsHd
Wallpaper January Magazine here: https://lnkd.in/drJtYw7
UKGBC Blog: Climate Action
Full UKGBC Article Here.
UKGBC BLOG: Taking climate action in local government – the case for a collective approach
Public Practice Associates Helen Evans, Laetitia Pancrazi, Ciara Hanson, Tara Gbolade and Ben Smith make the case for collective local action to tackle the climate crisis.
Local authorities are ideally positioned to drive climate action within their area. Sustainability is already at the heart of what we do through our role in planning, maintaining assets and infrastructure, helping our most vulnerable residents, facilitating investments as well as supporting local businesses. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the public sector has a unique opportunity to help communities become more resilient and to build back better, while simultaneously addressing the climate crisis. It is this ability to manage change across the full range of services and sectors that places local authorities in a strong position to deliver climate action.
290 authorities have now declared a climate emergency[1], but how does local government turn these declarations into action? During our placements as Public Practice Associates – a programme which places experienced built environment practitioners across local authorities in London and the south east – we identified a range of financial, political, organisational, and technical barriers faced by officers in building the business case for climate action and delivering sustainable projects. In response, we have developed a series of Practice Notes to help any local authority officer overcome some of these barriers and lead on instigating climate action.
‘Making Net Zero Happen’
Helen Evans produced her Practice Note Making ‘Net Zero’ Happen while at London Borough of Newham to unpick the approvals and stakeholder consultation process required for local authority officers to successfully make the case for building high-performance Passivhaus homes. It is accompanied by supporting documentation aimed at officers and team leaders delivering low-energy homes, including a job description for an in-house Sustainability Lead, templates for an Implementation Plan and a Passivhaus FAQs document.
‘Pathways to Climate Action’
In Pathways to Climate Action, Laetitia Pancrazi (Ashford Borough Council) and Ciara Hanson (London Borough of Havering) identify two pathways to climate action: one for Climate Officers and another for those whose remit is not specifically sustainability. The Practice Note provides templates for producing a sustainability action plan and conducting an in-house audit of existing resources, it also contains a skills survey and a baseline and benchmark review.
‘On Target’
Tara Gbolade’s Practice Note, produced while in her role at Epping Forest District Council, explores how local authorities can meet their carbon emission targets in new developments. On Targethighlights the performance gap that exists in developments between the design stage and completion on site. It provides templates including a sustainability tracker for officers to use when tracking sustainability certification post-completion (pre-occupation), and a roadmap highlighting clear processes that officers can adopt in developing borough-specific Sustainability Guidance
‘Planning with Nature’
In Planning with Nature, Ben Smith explores how local authorities can make the case for a Green Infrastructure Strategy (GIS). Written within the context of his placement at Epping Forest District Council, his Practice Note discusses the growing body of evidence on the social, economic and environmental benefits of green spaces and provides guidance towards producing and implementing a GIS.
There is an established body of evidence demonstrating that investment in sustainability can deliver tangible co-benefits to their local communities. For example, maximising green space has positive impacts on physical and mental health, with every £1 invested in green infrastructure delivers £27 of environmental and social value.[2] Similarly, achieving a modal shift towards active travel reduces air pollution, alleviates congestion, and contributes to health and well-being improvements. Furthermore, adopting Passivhaus standards contributes to reducing fuel poverty, with tangible co-benefits for health and well-being.[3]
Over the course of our one-year Public Practice placements, we aimed to begin to deliver some of these co-benefits, while driving climate action. Examples of the types of work Associates were able to deliver include: implementing a protocol to engage with natural environment experts on planning applications; securing an Ecological Clerk of Works planning condition on a strategic application for the first time; securing approval for a Local Energy Design Strategy to target the Passivhaus standard for all new homes; and developing measurable paths for embedding environmental and socio-economic sustainability in new developments. Public Practice Associates engaged in this area also founded the Climate Response Working Group, which promotes knowledge-sharing, problem-solving and upskilling amongst its members to increase the public sector’s responsiveness to the climate crisis.
Sustainability must permeate all local authority functions. To effectively respond to the climate crisis, local authorities must abandon silo working, adopt multi-disciplinary and inter-sectoral approaches within their own organisation, while building-on the expertise and skills of other authorities and sectors. It is now time for all built environment professionals and local authority officers to embed sustainability in their role and lead on tackling the biggest crisis we will ever face. By addressing our individual responsibilities we can contribute to a collective wave of action across organisations and make a real systemic contribution to climate justice.
[1] Climate Emergency: List of Councils. Available at: https://www.climateemergency.uk/blog/list-of-councils/ [accessed September, 2020]
[2] GLA. (2017). Natural Capital Accounts for Public Green Space in London. [pdf] GLA. Available at: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/11015viv_natural_capital_account_for_london_v7_full_vis.pdf
Green Infrastructure Task Force. (2020). Natural Capital: Investing in a Green Infrastructure for a Future London. [pdf] GLA. Available at: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/gitaskforcereport.hyperlink.pdf
[3] Ashden (2019). Climate action co-benefits – cutting carbon and improving people’s lives. [pdf] Passivhaus Trust. Available at: https://www.passivhaustrust.org.uk/UserFiles/File/PH%20planning/2019.08_CAC-Chapters-all-FINAL.pdf
Next Generation Architects!
We’ve been featured in *Wallpaper’s Next Generation Series!
Read the full article here.
The world is changing, architecture is adapting, and a new wave of young practices in London is emerging. They are armed with bold ideas, digital tools, new studio set ups and innovative design approaches. In our Next Generation series, join us in hailing these exciting studios from the UK capital through an ongoing series of weekly profiles. First in line is Tara Gbolade, the dynamic director of sustainability-minded Gbolade Design Studio.
When architect Tara Gbolade set up her studio in South London in 2018, she wanted it to make a difference. Focusing her practice ethos on a ‘design-led, sustainable, innovative and commercially-minded’ approach was just the beginning. Pumping into her projects her fresh ideas, dynamism and specialist skills is what makes Gbolade Design Studio’s work and energy really stand out. The goal, of course, is no mean feat. ‘[We aim at] making everyday places for people extraordinary,’ she explains.
Since its foundation, the young studio has won awards and scooped competition wins, and has been going from strength to strength, even though it’s still fairly small in size. What’s the secret? ‘We have been specific in choosing clients that align with our ethos,’ Gbolade says. ‘We are currently a small core team of five and work collaboratively with other practices and individuals which means we are able to expand and contract our capacity as needed. This has been a critical aspect in our development as a practice so we ensure we can offer the best value to our clients, while keeping the practice nimble and responsive to societal changes – including an impending market uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic – in order to provide innovative and considered responses to our changing societal norms.’
Sustainability sits at the practice’s core and Gbolade abides by the Passivhaus standards, which she seeks to apply to her projects in order to produce buildings that are both functional and respectful. She also argues that sustainability is a critical element to embed in projects, right from the start – the studio is issuing a ‘Client Guide To Sustainable Development’, which is downloadable from the website, and has aligned itself with the RIBA’s Climate Challenge to meet net zero whole life carbon for new and retrofitted buildings by 2030.
This is not just talk, as Gbolade puts her money where her mouth is. Current and older work includes an ongoing build complex of over 40 residences in West Sussex, which has been designed embedding sustainability principles (environmental and socio-economic), such as a public open space at its heart, which incorporates carbon sequestration through new tree planting; the ‘r-Home’, a self-initiated project designed to create a two-storey home model that responds to the twin challenges of meeting the UK housing need, as well as the high Passivhaus standards; and Tripos Court, a community-minded pavilion for students in Cambridge that is currently in design development. Everything is meticulously researched and presented in a crisp, contemporary aesthetic that offers a tactile, dynamic minimalism.
Projects like these are just the tip of the iceberg though, when it comes to Gbolade’s activities. Alongside creating her own designs, as a certified Passivhaus designer, she offers sustainability consultancy to local authority clients, by preparing strategies that set the direction of practical and technical requirements for the environmental, social, and economic aspects for new and existing developments. She currently leads the Harlow & Gilston Garden Town scheme in that respect.
Taking things one step further beyond ‘traditional’ building, Gbolade has just launched a new app created by her studio. The Architects’ App was designed as a source of information for professionals in all stages of their career, offering a ‘digital library’ for best practice guidelines to save young studios’ time and support productivity. The range of information is impressive, including from project case studies, to practice models and admin advice on running a studio’s day-to-day. ‘I’m most excited about the ‘Sustainability’ section within the app that gives so much information on categories including sustainability case studies, webinars and podcasts, information on energy efficiency and so much more,’ she says.
The architect has also partnered up with other committee members to form The Paradigm Network, ‘after noticing a distinct lack of diversity (ethnic diversity) in architecture,’ she says. ‘Forty per cent of Londoners are from a BAME background, yet only 1.2 per cent of the built environment is reflective of this number.’ This professional network aims to champion Black and Asian representation within the built environment, also running activities such as industry-related workshops, events and networking opportunities. Bridging a desire to lead change with action and pragmatic designs and architecture, there is no doubt that this emerging studio is one to watch.
Shortlisted: Housing for a better world!
Gbolade Design Studio are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Brick x Brick & Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust Competition:
Housing for a better world 2020!
Our response redefines the ‘home’ from the individual house, to a ‘collection of dwellings centred around community living’; encouraging the richly diverse Croydon community to interact with, learn from and grow together in order to create strong and integrated communities. The environmental response ensures new developments address Croydon’s flooding challenges, and becoming carbon-neutral, while utilising the wealth of local talent for supply and manufacture. We believe this response truly makes everyday places for people extraordinary.
You can watch our presentation video here - alongside some other amazingly talented practices!
BBC: Lockdown Discovery
Lockdown Discovery: Vernacular Architecture
Listen Here - Tara speaks from minute 23:00 onwards. Happy Listening.
The BBC recently asked our director, Tara Gbolade, about her Lockdown Discovery.
She shared on the book: Vernacular Architecture of West Africa: A World in Dwelling, a book by Jean Paul Bourdier and Trinh T. Minh-ha.
Listen to her thoughts using the link above.
Liveable City - Danish-British dialogue
The Liveable City is a biannual city conference organised by the Danish Embassy in London about how we create cities that are better places to live, work and play. Our Director, Tara Gbolade had the opportunity to speak at this event.
More and more people live in ever larger cities around the world. It creates a host of challenges, and it has put the question of how to create liveable cities for all on top of the international agenda.
To help further the discussion, the Danish Embassy in UK organises The Liveable City conference in partnership with leading UK stakeholders. Denmark has a long tradition of creating beautiful cities with healthy residents and a high quality of living, and The Liveable City conference will be a celebration of great achievements in architecture and urban planning.
The conference has so far been hosted in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Bristol and Edinburgh.
Denmark has a long tradition of creating beautiful cities with healthy residents and a high quality of living, and The Liveable City conference looks at best practice within:
· Masterplanning and Architecture
· Housing
· Smart City
· Urban Mobility and sustainable transport
· Climate Adaptation
· Green Buildings
· Clean Air
The aim of the conference is to share best practice and provide the latest insight into how Denmark and UK can inspire each other to create better cities.
This year's summer edition will for the first time take place online due to COVID-19. The webinar will be part of London Festival of Architecture's (LFA) official programme, and will focus on how the pandemic puts new demands on the urban space.
Earlier, architects, consultants and contractors tried to create urban spaces where people gathered, but the pandemic has forced a massive behaviour change. The citizens of the city are now spreading, and this places new demands on how to design the urban space. Demands that may continue even when the pandemic is over.
So how to plan our cities after the pandemic? How will it overall affect the way we think about architecture? In addition, will the pandemic help us make our cities more liveable and further the green transition – or the opposite? These are some of the questions that will be discussed during this webinar by some of the decision makers in the industry.
The event is free to join on Eventbrite and speakers will among others include Camilla Van Deurs, Chief City Architect, Municipality of Copenhagen. Sign up for the webinar here.
Wallpaper* Article: Post-Covid Housing
Our Director Tara Gbolade contributed to the below Wallpaper* article: Architecture seeks designs for a post-pandemic world
You can read the full article here
WAN Awards 2020 Judge
We are proud that our Director, Tara Gbolade, has been chosen to be one of the judges at this years’ World Architecture News (WAN) Awards, where she’ll be sifting through the very best architecture schemes across the world. Tara joins some esteemed architects including: Angela Draper (Grimshaw), Chris Williamson (Weston Williamson), Harbinda Birdi (Hawkins Brown) . Previous judges have included
See the profiles of the other judges here:
You can read more about the WAN Awards here:
