Pollard Thomas Edwards

*The half-a-second-shower* At the start of Blade Runner 2049, the protagonist, K, steps into his stark, Brutalist apartment and, weary from his job - hunting artificial intelligences masquerading as humans - he takes the shortest shower in cinematic history. Water blasts for half a second before cutting off. Outside, rain pours endlessly, drenching Los Angeles. It’s a grimly comical contrast: water, water everywhere, but fancy a power shower after a hard day's work? Whaddya think this is - the 20th Century? This is the intro of an article about the Good Homes Alliance (and a panel I chaired at its conference) if you can believe it....read the rest here: https://lnkd.in/gtpDUYvf It's also in the Feb Pollard Thomas Edwards newsletter...you can subscribe via our website.

Each month, PTE’s Knowledge Hub team will explore the complexities and technical challenges British project architects face every day. First up, fire safety...

📅 FREE webinars: kickstart your decarbonisation journey with new webinars from the Zero Carbon Accelerator.  From inclusive procurement to heat network case studies, these sessions are a great way to upskill yourself and your team.  https://lnkd.in/dPPEsbeY     Delivered in collaboration with Mott MacDonald and an alliance of experts: aca studios, Altair Ltd, Ambue, Arthian, ClimateView, COWI, EEVS, Energiesprong UK, ERM, IES Ltd., Pascall+Watson, Pollard Thomas Edwards, Roger Simpson-Jones, The Retrofit Academy , Zerogram.   

We would like to thank Professor Hee sun (sunny) CHOI from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design (PolyU Design) for inviting our Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service Youth Engagement Service YES team members Heather Jones FCIOB FCABE FInstLM AIFireE FRSA & Dr. Bonnie Kwok MBE CMgr FCMI FRSA to give an online lecture to their PhD students on the subject of Participatory Action-based Design Research (PAR) today. Our multi-award-winning YES Team discussed the academic underpinning of our Greater Cambridge Youth Engagement Framework & used the North Cambridge Design Code project, led by Trovine Monteiro & Alexis Butterfield Pollard Thomas Edwards, to highlight how PAR methods can be applied in the context of planning youth engagement to generate useful qualitative and quantitative data to inform the policy making process & outcomes. The lecture was well attended by an international audience & provided useful tips on youth engagement best practice based on the UK experience, with transferable lessons that can be applied to an urban context, in cities such as Hong Kong, to promote sustainable growth. Young people often bring fresh perspectives & innovative ideas to the table. Our YES Team's 7-step PAR maximises opportunities for young people & other key stakeholders to collaborate in the placemaking process: 1. 🎯 Define the scope Identify specific development projects where youth can make a meaningful impact. This could be play parks, housing schemes, public art, etc. 2. ⏱️ Early involvement Involve youth from the start! Invite them to help define the objectives and expected outcomes of the project. 3. 🤝 Collaborative design workshops Organise design workshops where youth can collaborate with developers, built environment professionals, councillors, educators, etc. Our YES workshops are educational and interactive, providing a useful platform for youth to express their ideas. 4. 🎨 Data collection Our engagement methods include drawings, walkabout, focus groups discussion, photo mapping exercise etc, which are effective in gathering data from youth about their needs and visions to inform development proposals, ensuring children & young people of varying learning styles can have an opportunity to participate in a meaningful way. 5. 😊 Sharing emerging results We always share emerging results with youth & invite them to provide feedback. 6. 📄 Reflection and Feedback We actively create opportunities for youth to reflect on the process & outcomes. We gather their feedback to refine the designs further based on our continuous improvement approach. 7.🏗 Implementation We work tirelessly with developers, case officers & stakeholders to implement the final designs, ensuring that young people's ideas are embedded in the development proposals to support genuine youth engagement. YES website for further info: https://lnkd.in/e8URedEc #Research #youthengagement #knowledgesharing Tom Davies MRTPI FRSA Ammar Al Asaad

The Zero Carbon Accelerator has got some great webinars to start off 2025. All webinars are free and bookable via the website https://lnkd.in/dPPEsbeY Dr Tom Dollard PTE's Partner ‑ Sustainability and Innovation will be speaking at the Retrofit Toolkits and Skills for Local Authorities webinar. Join this webinar to understand the skills you need and the toolkits that are available to support successful retrofit projects. 🗓️ Thursday 30 January at 11am 🗓️ Wednesday 12 February at 3pm

Here’s our analysis of the Deputy Prime Minister’s letter, sent out this week following the publication of a revised, pro-growth National Planning Policy Framework. New Standard Method for Assessing Housing Needs Focusing on affordability pressures and a 370,000-home annual target aligns with equitable housing needs. However, delivering these targets locally, especially in high-pressure areas, requires clearer mechanisms. As the deputy PM admits in her letter, consultation feedback urged going ‘even further.’ Grey Belt, Green Belt, and Golden Rules The modernised Green Belt policy’s sequential approach and emphasis on affordable housing are promising, as is the recognition that new development on previously green belt land has a responsibility to deliver high quality and more infrastructure. However, the ongoing ambiguity around viability is frustrating - progress is promised! Universal Coverage of Local Plans Encouraging all councils to adopt up-to-date plans is essential but transitional arrangements for councils to carry on progressing housing-friendly plans, must involve robust support for authorities facing resource constraints. Securing High-Quality Development The presumption in favour of sustainable development is laudable. Mandates for mixed tenure and Social Rent are welcome, but realistic Section 106 financial support is critical for delivering developer-led affordable housing. Delivering Community Needs Community focus feels vague here. Labour’s commitment to supporting public infrastructure is positive, but specifics are needed. Healthy, walkable communities with healthcare, education, and greenery reduce NHS burdens, yet require investment and coordination. Building infrastructure to grow the economy We also welcome the finer grain of understanding being applied to infrastructure: prescribing data centres, gigafactories and the like as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects will make their timely delivery more likely. Green energy, flood risk, and the natural environment We applaud the focus on renewables, Sustainable Drainage Systems, and biodiversity. These changes align with our own - and our peers’ - commitment to sustainable, climate-resilient housing. Planning Capacity and Capability The additional funding and Pathways into Planning programme are much-needed interventions. However, sustained investment is required to address longstanding shortages in public sector planning teams. To be honest, we’d like to hear more about funding streams more generally as the government seeks to end the housing crisis. A final word on modernising planning committees. Great! Streamlining processes, introducing targeted committees, and mandating training will surely improve decision-making and accelerate delivery. Quality mustn’t be forgotten in the drive for more homes. #housing #housingcrisis #greybelt #greenbelt #brownfield #planning #NPPF #deputypm

This year Pollard Thomas Edwards celebrated 50 years of thoughtful placemaking and groundbreaking buildings, so we’re going to take a few moments to reflect on some recent projects which contribute to a legacy defined by creativity, collaboration, and community impact. From designing a new London town centre in Park Royal to delivering RIBA award-winning suburban and urban housing at Beechwood Village and Dover Court, we’ve pushed boundaries to meet social and environmental challenges. Projects like Juniper House combine affordability, education, and family-friendly spaces, while Walter Tull House brings true council housing to Tottenham Hale. Our Marleigh neighbourhood in Cambridge earned praise for its net zero standards, and we proudly accepted the BD Public and Social Housing Architect of the Year award. Beyond buildings, we co-hosted events like LGBT+ History Month, championing inclusion in our profession, and supported causes like Crisis with fundraising feats - like jumping into our freezing refurbished Lido in December! So, clients, collaborators, and colleagues, please join us as we celebrate five decades of architectural and urban design innovation. We look forward to shaping the next chapter together. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Diespeker will be closed from Wednesday 25 December and will reopen on Thursday 2 January 2025. 

Last Saturday, our brave supporters took to the water to kick off the first of our Icebreaker events at Brockwell Lido to raise money to help people build a life beyond homelessness. Even the wind and rain of Storm Darragh couldn't stop the community coming together to face the freeze! Thank you to the Lido Ladies for supporting us and judging the hotly contested fancy dress competition. It was too hard to pick just one winner - so we had to choose two! A massive thank you goes to Brockwell Lido and the on-site cafe, 400 Rabbits, who looked after us so well on the day. And finally, thank you to everyone who took part and raised so much to help end homelessness - we really couldn't do it without you. If this looks like fun, there's still time to get involved and there are so many ways to take part. We are hosting the following events: 👉 Parliament Hill Lido, London on 18 January 2025 👉 Bicester Hotel Golf and Spa on 19 January 2025 👉Tooting Bec Lido, London on 25 January 2025 👉 Caswell Bay, Swansea on 23 February 2025 Alternatively, you can do it your own way. Our DIY challenge is free to enter and once you raise £15, you can claim a free swim hat! We already have people doing their own dips in December and more signed up for the new year! Sign up today: https://bit.ly/4f6FEyE

At Acton Gardens, our £800m regeneration of the former South Acton estate in west London with L&Q and Ealing Council (London Borough of Ealing), we have started works on the 1000th affordable home following a groundbreaking ceremony for Phases 9.3, 9.5 and 9.6 earlier this month.   Designed by Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects, the new phases will provide 215 new homes, of which 50% will be affordable (on a habitable room basis) – reflecting the commitment across the regeneration to deliver 50% affordable housing. With 966 affordable homes (of which 80% are for social rent) delivered across Acton Gardens so far, the new phases will include the delivery of the regeneration’s 1000th affordable home, demonstrating how our 50% affordable housing commitment is making a difference, with energy-efficient, high-quality new homes helping to address the urgent housing need in Ealing.

Thank you to everyone that joined us at Pollard Thomas Edwards and Online on Thursday. It was great to see you all! Thank you for your feedback and great questions.   I was thrilled to share the first stage of the Happy Homes Toolkit with you: A 2-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership research project funded by Innovate UK and Pollard Thomas Edwards in partnership with the School of Architecture at the University of Reading and the The Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge. Project supported by the Knowledge Transfer Centre at the University of Reading.   It was an honour to have Professor Lorraine Farrelly (Head of the School of Architecture at the University of York) and Professor Flora Samuel (Head of the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge), who were involved from the creation of the project as academic lead and academic supervisor. Professor Tabarak Musa Awad Ballal, PhD, FCIOB, SFHEA (School of the Built Environment, University of Reading) joined as an academic lead in the second half of the project.   From PTE, Sarah Eastham is the amazing supervisor and Patrick Devlin the senior business leader. Thank you to our Innovate UK advisor Matt Hogan, Annie Duffin and Joanna Davies, the KTP Manager from the KTC.   Thank you to our case study partners Laura Murray (Countryside Partnerships) and Alistair Gale (Islington Council) for facilitating the most important part, the case studies! They also helped to smooth the approach with all our lovely residents. We were thrilled to have Angela on the panel. She is the voice of many residents who kindly opened the doors of their homes to us.  Thank you to all the members of our advisory group who kindly dedicated their time, sharing feedback and experiences at key stages in the project.  The stars aligned and it was amazing that the project involved a total of five professors in architecture! (this is a one in a million singularity). Our external advisory group also had the fortune to have Professor Dr Elanor Warwick and Professor Fionn Stevenson as members of the advisory group. Happy Homes Toolkit 2025 coming soon!