Commissioned by re:arc institute, the project delves into the work of 17 change makers from diverse disciplines within the built-environment profession. By examining their roles as architects, engineers, artists, set designers, writers, and activists, we aim to reveal how their interdisciplinary approaches challenge long-standing ideals that have often underserved underrepresented communities. How they can be supported so their practice can move from the fringes and infiltrate the industry.

The body of work looks to celebrate the change makers within the industry, those who have fostered courage to build alternative models, and inspire others to do the same. This includes rethinking traditional modes of practice, policy-making, and educational pathways. . Through research and recorded conversations with all 17 participants, we have identified 6 dimensions by which these change makers are beginning to shift the way we practice; _(un)learn ,_pave, _play, _imagine, _connect, and _advocate. Each category explores how this emerging ecosystem is creating a radical alternative, through the imagination and practice of those on the ground.

_pave

Crafting a new form of practice

These practitioners are breaking free to respond to gaps in the design process where the voices of underrepresented groups are slipping through. Multifaceted in their skillset, they adopt a freelance model which is currently unsupported by traditional practice. However, driven by an imagination for the better, these practitioners are able to navigate the technical and abstract in their roles, helping them acquire niche skills and experience. This self directed career progression is producing a cohort of brave, resilient and highly responsive designers who are creative beyond the pen to paper.

They operate across different disciplines; Architecture, Set Design, Facilitation, DJing and Illustration within their communities and networks, with a fluid design role that's rooted in empathy and imagination. With a grassroots approach, driven by the communities they look to serve in their design, they act as true social agents and infuse engagement into the very essence of their approach.

_imagine

Speculating the alternative

The lack of diversity within the built-environment is not only reflective of the workforce demographics, but the values and ethics that underpin the professions culture. As an act of resistance, these practitioners are embracing methods of radical speculation. They draw on ideas from psychology, poetry, philosophy, ethics and technology to build concepts and worlds beyond what the profession has allowed to be ‘permissible’. They explore ideas such as pleasure, rest within disability design, the beauty of the unbuilt in Somali nomadic architectures, the reconstruction of a Palestinian town destroyed by the zionist state to build colonial settler housing. All are ideas rooted in the built-environment’s complicity in the destruction of our climate and global inequalities, but by using imagination as a tool to speculate an alternative, and design to visualise it.

Though their concepts are individually powerful, these practitioners are characterised by their desire to sit within an ecosystem. Together they recognise that re-building a world which never served us needs an intersectional approach. This is a huge contrast and evolution from the stararchitecture narrative glorified by the profession.

_(un)learn

Yielding critical theory within academia

Issues with the built-environments current mode of practice often stems from the education provided in schools and universities. In response, the next generation of spatial practitioners are outsourcing their information beyond traditional academia and looking for alternatives. New architectural education programmes such as, Ardagh Young Creatives, Open City Accelerate offer young people the opportunity to critique their cities and spaces, re-wiring the power dynamics in traditional architecture education. These crucial spaces also celebrate the value that their identities and cultures bring to the profession by celebrating new academic references.

Not only do they provide them with much needed representation but they carve out space for the next generation of changemakers, fueling the shift and sustaining it.

_play

Radical theory to practise

Some of these practitioners are using play as a tool to generate new alternatives. They build new models rooted in primary research and new methods of engagement; the neurological response of mediating Black bodies, or the intersectional Bangladeshi experience throughout the ongoing gentrification of Brick Lane. The outcome not only offers tangible solutions to existing issues in traditional practice and policy, but also creates a platform for the experiences, hopes, and dreams of those who have been historically marginalised and neglected by the profession.

It is evident that play can enable us to adapt academic and technical skills for new alternative ways of working.

_connect

Culture to democratise design

These practitioners highlight the importance of inviting non-designers’ voices into the profession, emphasising that the design of our environments should reflect the wider community. They transcend the rigid, traditional toolbox of design by engaging with various art forms, such as writing, music, film, and poetry.

Their work challenges the inaccessible language often used by designers and developers, reminding us that alternative cities must sometimes be imagined through alternative languages. In creative and brilliant ways, these practitioners seek out knowledge in traditional spaces to translate information that is deliberately made inaccessible, returning to their own communities to share this invaluable insight. Their works speak to and for the unheard.

_advocate

Pushing equity in industry

Through their own experiences of injustice, these practitioners are committed to creating safe, inclusive spaces for minority practitioners within the built-environment. Addressing inequality and lack of access for Muslim, deaf, diasporic and other systemically disadvantaged practitioners in the built environment. Their goal is to ensure that the next generation of practitioners is better prepared to face the challenges they encounter. By sharing their own experiences and practice, we gain valuable insights into the obstacles they faced and the critical changes needed to make both the profession and our physical environment more equitable.

They boldly advocate for systemic change from within, forming communities focused on mentorship, skill-sharing, and offering a safe space for critique. As a collective, they operate without a singular face of leadership, embracing a decentralised model that fosters community and collective growth within the profession.