{"id":765703,"date":"2024-12-18T10:03:15","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T10:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=765703"},"modified":"2024-12-18T14:53:14","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T14:53:14","slug":"we-need-a-new-system-architects-invited-to-good-growth-in-practice-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/we-need-a-new-system-architects-invited-to-good-growth-in-practice-scheme","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We need a new system\u2019: Architects invited to Good Growth in Practice scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Good Growth in Practice programme, announced today (18 December), is calling for eight to 10 individuals from emerging practices in the London area to enrol in a fully-funded year-long course.<\/p>\n

Supported by the Greater London Authority and The Crown Estate, the programme will give leaders of ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+ led and disability-led practices\u00a0the skills to succeed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Former RIBA London director Dian Small is overseeing the Good Growth in Practice scheme. She told the AJ that the course will include \u2018hands-on\u2019 mentoring and professional skills development to unblock barriers.<\/p>\n

The ethos of Good Growth by Design is underpinned by a five-point manifesto: industry evolution; empowerment of underrepresented practices; sustainability and equity; practical skills and knowledge; and an integrated approach.<\/p>\n

Small said in a Q&A (the full version is below) ahead of the programme\u2019s launch that underrepresented practices often lose out against other firms on frameworks \u2018at a time when the built environment profession is in crisis\u2019.<\/p>\n

She continued: \u2018Our aim is to cultivate an ecosystem where underrepresented practices can flourish. We will provide tailored knowledge, unwavering suppor, and targeted opportunities to empower these firms.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

The LSA’s Neal Shasore (left) and Dian Small (right)<\/p>\n\t

Source:Patrick Dempsey<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018By the end of the programme, they won\u2019t just have learned about good growth \u2013 they\u2019ll have practised it, embodied it and be poised to drive it forward in the industry. It\u2019s a journey of transformation, not just for our participants, but for the entire built environment sector.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Good Growth is an \u2018evolution\u2019 of the Mayor of London\u2019s Good Growth by Design programme, which was established in 2022 to support unrepresented and diverse practitioners and practices in the built environment, as well as the LSA’s ‘part 4’ course<\/a> aimed at existing professionals.<\/p>\n

Neal Shasore, head of school and chief executive of the London School of Architecture, added: \u2018At its core, Good Growth in Practice is about transformation \u2013 both of individual practices and the sector as a whole.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

He continued: \u2018The reference to \u201cGood Growth\u201d suggests positive growth, balancing commercial imperatives with a need to improve representation across the built environment. To drive this change, the initiative is also focused on practical business skills \u2013 hence the emphasis on \u201cin Practice\u201d.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Practice leaders who helped shape the Good Growth programme include Bushra Mohamed, director, Msoma Architects; Jas Bhalla, principal, Jas Bhalla Works; Nimi Attanayake, director, nimtim; Gurmeet Sian, director, Office Sian; Damion Burrows, managing director, DMBA; Ramsey Yassa, director, NOOMA; Stephanie Edwards, co-founder, Urban Symbiotics; Shawn Adams, co-founder, POoR Collective; Jonathan Hagos, director, Freehaus; David Ogunmuyiwa, founder, ArchitectureDoingPlace; Satish Jassal, director, Satish Jassal Architects; and Tom Lewith, co-founder, New Works, Alasdair Ben Dixon, a<\/span>rchitect and co-founder at Collective Works.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Qualifying individuals can be from firms involved in any stage of the RIBA programme of works, including designers, construction and building management, and must be from practices started in the past five to 10 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Applications can be made online here<\/a> and are open until until 31 January 2025. The 12-month programme will then commence in spring 2025.<\/p>\n

\n

Interview: Dian Small<\/h2>\n

How did the Good Growth in Practice programme come about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, the GLA approached the LSA because they realised their procurement and the Mayor of London\u2019s Good Growth by Design programme weren\u2019t exactly aligning, and they realised that some of their underrepresented practices were not actually [getting work], although they were on the framework. So they approached the LSA to see if they could do something about it<\/p>\n

Do you feel like this is the right time for this kind of initiative?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Absolutely, I think it\u2019s like more than the right time. It\u2019s a little bit late, but I think everybody now realises that there is an issue. So far in our investigations, everyone has been so transparent and really supportive. I think everyone knows that something needs to be done. So this is an experiment, a pilot, a test to see how far we can push the boundaries.<\/p>\n

What are the what are some of the outcomes you\u2019re expecting or hope to see?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re hoping to see the practices to be continuously supported throughout the programme and, at the end of it, to have developed and perhaps implemented a really robust future-focused business plan. We\u2019d also hope to make some changes in the current procurement systems, both private and public, because they\u2019re on board as well.<\/p>\n

One of the research outcomes will hopefully be a business case for some kind of consortium support or a framework where the practices who are in our cohort, the alumni, will pay a membership fee of some sort, where they\u2019ll get the practice support they need, such as HR and business support services. And also it\u2019s a place where clients can come to us because they know that our practices have undergone our training.<\/p>\n

How do you overcome the problem around fees?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, that\u2019s the big, tricky one that is on everybody\u2019s [lips], whether it\u2019s big or large practices. There\u2019s lots of different theories. Everyone is looking at the RBA to bring back the Fee Scale, or something similar, but that\u2019s not going to happen.<\/p>\n

I think what needs to happen is that architects need to reposition themselves within the industry and within the market, and we\u2019re hoping that that\u2019s what the programme does. The way we practice architecture is stuck in the kind of 70s and 80s, nothing really has progressed since then.<\/p>\n

So we\u2019re hoping that if we open up the discussion and reach out to other industries, can actually learn from them and perhaps implement some of their actions into the way we practice, not just architecture, but business and construction.<\/p>\n

What sort of talent are you hoping to attract?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Absolutely all of the underrepresented groups. I want to make sure that when I say diverse, it really is diverse, and not just ethnicity, whether it\u2019s disabled-led practices, whether it\u2019s someone from the LGBTQ+ community, neurodivergent kind, everybody.<\/p>\n

Would you say sometimes diversity initiatives are a bit tokenistic?<\/strong><\/p>\n

100 per cent. Absolutely without a doubt, and that\u2019s something that is not going to happen with me, for sure. I say what needs to be said in the right places. But also have a really unique understanding from kind of all different perspectives.<\/p>\n

Two years ago, you said on LinkedIn that you were consistently asked by architects, what can be done about a lack of diversity in architecture. Do you feel things have changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The conversation is still there. what I would like to see is more action. We\u2019re still talking, and that\u2019s kind of boring now, and people that you\u2019re talking about are bored of it. Let\u2019s see some action now. I think the will is there, but the action isn\u2019t quite.<\/p>\n

Also, when you\u2019re talking about underrepresented practices, we want to be known for is our ability to do great architecture, not for who we represent.<\/p>\n

Do you think bodies like the RIBA, maybe the ARB, are too big to change at the speed asked of them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Definitely. I think there is a great desire to change, and now I have to give kudos and a shout out to my former RIBA colleagues. Everybody in there wants to support the profession, and sometimes it just takes longer than what the actual industry needs.<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m hoping this programme, with the right people around the table and with everyone willing and wanting to do it, and being really transparent and open and honest, that\u2019s the only way we can kind of move the conversation into action.<\/p>\n

In brief, why should someone apply?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think is that with the future-focused business plan on the programme, you\u2019ll be getting knowledge from people within the industry, but most importantly, outside of the industry. And so that\u2019s that cross-pollination of ideas.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an experiment. So it\u2019s an opportunity to kind of be creative and design your future the way architecture needs to be practised, not the way it is currently. We need a new system, and maybe this is the way to get it. At least everyone\u2019s going to be around the table and listening.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Good Growth in Practice programme, announced today (18 December), is calling for eight to 10 individuals from emerging practices in the London area to enrol in a fully-funded year-long course. Supported by the Greater London Authority and The Crown Estate, the programme will give leaders of ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+ led and disability-led practices\u00a0the skills …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131789,"featured_media":768564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[681],"tags":[5934,3317,1402,1276],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018We need a new system\u2019: Architects invited to Good Growth in Practice scheme<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A new scheme aiming to break down barriers of entry to the profession is inviting young leaders to take part in a year-long course delivered by the London School of Architecture (LSA)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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