FORA, a new shared working space, is supporting eight young architecture practices through the Architecture Foundation's Part Four programme with residencies at their Central Street office.
Neba Sere from WUH Architecture said 'being in a space with other young practices is really valuable - we may work on very different projects, but we are sharing the experience of setting up a practice. You learn from being surrounded by the others.'
The eight resident practices are all less than five years old and came together through the Part Four series - a programme of events bringing young architecture practices together to pitch questions about professional practice to a panel of more established practitioners. The next Part Four event will take place in the new year, date to be announced.
Meet the eight young practices at FORA:
JA Projects is a London based architecture studio founded by Jayden Ali.
We work on things we love with people we love.
In doing so, we take care in developing a rich and deep understanding of the conversation and in thoughtfully composing our response.
We believe in conceptually rigorous projects that harness the power of human insight, innovation, technology and craft.
Our goal is to empower users and make a positive contribution to the environment and surrounding context.
Hence a body of fleeting and permanent projects that intervene both socially and spatially.
Image: Diddy's bar
estudio b is run by Benni Allan, a British/Spanish architect & designer interested in the construction of high quality, materially conscious and socially engaged spaces. At the forefront of the studio’s work is a focus on creating buildings and places through collaborative processes, and a close engagement with both clients and communities; always striving to test materials, construction techniques, proportion and form.
The studio is fascinated by an open-ended architecture to enable opportunities for performance and a freedom of use within space. The work is defined by elegantly crafted responses that employ inventive solutions to complex situations and challenging budgets. Projects range from building design & residential to installations and exhibition design, with recently completed commissions in the arts, fashion and retail sectors.
Current projects include a showspace for a high-end retail brand, a pop-up coffee shop, and the remodelling & extension to a children’s nursery in Manchester.
Image: Catwalk for Ports 1961
PUP is a London-based design and architecture studio specialised in socially and environmentally conscious architectural projects. PUP is led by ARB registered architects; Theo Molloy, Chloë Leen and Steve Wilkinson. Formed in 2014, PUP has quickly earned a reputation for having a positive design ethos which is critically engaged with the discipline and the world around it.
Prior to founding PUP Theo, Chloe and Steve worked for leading architecture and design companies in Switzerland, Spain and the UK including on projects such as Award winning Gantenbein winery in Switzerland, refurbishment of No.1 Court at Wimbledon Tennis Club in London and the Mailings housing development in Newcastle, Supreme Winner of the Housing Design Awards . We have a wide range of project experience from the design of houses to public buildings, exhibitions and interiors, to physically building one-off structures. We usethis expertise to our advantage in order to foster a diversity of projects within our own studio.
Image: H-VAC. Winner of the inaugural Antepavilion competition, 2017
Relational Architecture proposes a design approach led by multiple systems of relations, where the goal is to question our categories for judging aesthetics. Thus, design decisions are informed by using various points of view vis-a-vis the same design problem, which allow for strategic and diverse thinking to emerge.
Projects range from small residential to exhibition design, installations, furniture and competitions, in addition to more theoretical work such as exhibition research - as for the recently opened CCA Exhibition The University is Now on Air - participating in design critics for Leeds Beckett University and the Royal College of Art, and writing articles for Il Giornale dell’Architettura.
Image: shortlisted entry for the inaugural Antepavilion competition, 2017
TYPE is an architect’s office based in London. TYPE deliver elegant and unique design solutions based on a rigorous understanding of the clients’ needs and a full appreciation of the context of each project. Projects include the refurbishment and extension of existing homes, the creative re-use of commercial buildings and new-build housing developments. They also design bespoke furniture and interiors.
Image: Tufnell Park
WUH is Carla, Ilaria and Neba, who are London based practitioners interested in interactive and socially engaged architecture. The three started their collaboration throughout their masters course at Central Saint Martins, exploring the boundaries between architecture and activism with fellow colleagues under the name Call for Action. Founded in 2017, WUH is a fresh and dynamic practice connecting the dots between joyfulness, self-making and material exploration to design spatial proposals that carry their own narrative. They have been part of developing the social enterprise Elephant Path since 2016 and were commissioned to design the exhibition and launch party for the Antepavilion Competition 2017.
Image: Antepavilion launch party, comissioned by the Architecture Foundation and Shiva Ltd
Founded by Jeeseon Lim in 2017, Workshop Lim is to embrace various projects and services at different scales with an emphasis on craftsmanship and will operate with a design process to materialize creative ideas into refined and elegant substances. It is open to experimenting with diverse design tools and materials, both traditional and contemporary. This process aims to deliver environmentally and socio-culturally sustainable projects. In addition to design projects, Workshop Lim seeks to conduct consistent research projects on the physical environments around us.
Jeeseon Lim received the AA Diploma from the Architectural Association School of Architecture London in 2008 after studying architectural engineering at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. Prior to setting up Workshop Lim, she gained a wide range of experiences on architecture/interior projects at global practices such as FOA, Zaha Hadid Architects and Woods Bagot as well as local practices in London and Seoul.
Image: Claywork
HereThere believe that architectural design should be available for everyone as a tool for social innovation. Our business model allows for socially minded individuals and companies to invest in us as designers in order to create a world where design can connect and empower those we work with independent of status, location or opportunities. A project “Here” at home allows us to progress a social impact project “There” wherever needed.
Our architectural design is informed by our extensive experience in various countries. We react to our clients needs without forming preconceptions of what they need their space to do for them. Each client is unique and it is through a true understanding of their needs that good design can be achieved. Our design process was developed in the field by responding to clients needs in cultures we were only beginning to understand, however we find it is equally applicable closer to home. Each project we complete enables us to develop proposals in different communities and cultures globally, where resources are finite and quality of life could be drastically improved with a new school or hospital. We offer transparency in every project and hope this added value will bring together a network of involved communities around the world.
Image: Ollie Quinn, Putney, London