Southwark Council opens competition for an extended architects’ framework

4 December 2020

Southwark Council is expanding its already excellent architects’ framework, providing an exciting opportunity for a broad range of architects to be involved in shaping the future of a dynamic central-London borough.

An original framework was announced earlier this year, after a lengthy and meticulous competitive process that aimed to draw in a pool of architects from different backgrounds and with varied specialism.

However, despite best efforts, and notwithstanding the exceptional talent that was successful, the resulting framework did not reflect the diversity of Southwark, and a complaint that there were no Black-led practices included demonstrated what everyone agreed; that it did not go far enough in terms of representation. That must improve, in order for everyone to benefit from the rich talent pool that should also be on the list.

Since then, the council has responded proactively to expand and enhance the framework for the better, opening out a new competition, for which the council especially encourages applications from businesses with a range of ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds and experience that reflects both Southwark and the wider London demographic. The existing practices on the framework, many of which already embrace and fully demonstrate the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion required, will also move forward in evaluating their practices over the coming year.

This partnership between LHC and Southwark Council aims to appoint up to twenty of the very best established, and emerging, design practices with diverse leadership and employees. The practices will be successful because of their design skills, but the amended criteria intends to attract talent that puts the local community at the forefront of their designs and can demonstrate a lived experience of that environment.

Councillor Leo Pollak, cabinet member for housing, said: “Part of the dynamism of Southwark’s new homes is attributable to the diversity of its officer workforce, and the resident steering groups who influence the design process. While the architects’ framework we awarded with LHC last summer created an exciting pool of new and experienced designers, we were disappointed given the cultural diversity of our borough that the numbers of practices led by Black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds did not buck the industry trend.

“The expansion round of the framework we’re launching today seeks to redress this, explicitly seeking to attract practices which will enrich our pool of architects further, by bringing a new diversity of perspectives and experience to our work. We are seeking architects whose experience brings them close to the community they are designing for, and who will create a legacy of new council housing that engenders a sense of municipal and communal pride.

“As well as also investing further upstream in a 400 per cent increase in the cohort of Southwark teenagers from underrepresented backgrounds joining the Open City Accelerate programme, we all need to recognise that overcoming structural and institutional barriers in the profession, and striving for equality of authorship in our built environment requires long-term vigilance and commitment.

“The recent all-white architectural awards show just how far we have to go. In Southwark we’re determined to play our part, with these steps being two of many we’ll be taking to ensure the people who design our homes represent the rich diversity of the people who live in them.”

The advertisement for the competition will be live on Friday 4 December 2020, and companies can register their interest on the portal, here, when live: https://procontract.due-north.com/Login

Page last updated: 04 December 2020