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Alex Ely keynote speaker at RIAS Live Practice News

Alex Ely has been invited to speak at the RIAS annual conference on Friday 10th November at the Merchants House, Glasgow. He will join the afternoon session speaking on the subject 'Leadership and Resilience', chaired by Isla Jackson Director Civic Engineers. The RIAS Conference is the single largest annual gathering for architects in Scotland and is an opportunity to bring people together to discuss how architects can use and develop their skills, and be a key part of Scotland’s future as a green, resilient and healthy nation.

November 2023 Read more

Mæ appointed to Be First Architecture Framework Practice News

Barking and Dagenham Council’s regeneration arm, Be First, has chosen eight teams for its new architecture framework. The framework is intended to support the delivery of Be First’s ambitions to build up to 4,000 homes in Barking and Dagenham, and will run from 2023 to 2027.

Be First head of design Jacob Willson said: ‘We’re committed to developing new high-quality, sustainable, and affordable communities that deliver social value for the people living here in Barking and Dagenham, and the designer framework is central to achieving this ambition.'

October 2023

Bromley North Station Road granted planning consent Project Update

Our 75 unit housing scheme, for the London Borough of Bromley has been awarded Planning Consent. Due to start on site in spring 2024 the scheme will deliver 50% will be much needed, social rent flats. The scheme repurposes a car park on a prime location next to Bromley North railway station. The development comprises two pavilion buildings with ground floor commercial units that frame a new public space and open up a new pedestrian route to the station.

October 2023

John Morden Centre shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize 2023 Project Update

The John Morden Centre has been shortlisted for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize 2023.

The RIBA Stirling Prize is the architecture industries top award and is judged against a range of criteria including design vision; innovation and originality; capacity to stimulate, engage and delight occupants and visitors; accessibility and sustainability; how fit the building is for its purpose and the level of client satisfaction.

The shortlist is drawn from RIBA National Award winners. The citation from the RIBA jury said "The building, while warm and welcoming, also appears simple, robust and well-detailed, which should allow it to mature well over time.

The project provides a delightful set of meandering spaces which expertly combine recreational and more tricky medical facilities without feeling institutional. Such stimulating spaces are vital to conquer loneliness and isolation. It is beautifully yet robustly detailed and should be a joy to use for years to come."

It follows the shortlisting of our Sands End Arts & Community Centre in 2022 for the same award.

The RIBA’s film about the building can be viewed here. The winner will be announced at the Stirling Prize 2023 ceremony, which will take place in Manchester on Thursday 19 October 2023.

September 2023 view RIBA announcement

John Morden Centre featured in Baumeister Project Update

The John Morden Centre is featured in Baumeister magazine’s three part series ‘Sustainable Buildings’. Building sustainably is the greatest challenge that architects and the construction industry is confronted with today. This issue focuses on communal living and sustainable social buildings.

August 2023 Read more

Mæ a finalist in the Social Value Award category at the Building Design, Architect of the Year Awards 2023. Practice News

We are delighted to have been selected as a finalist in the Social Value Award category at the Building Design, Architect of the Year Awards 2023. The Awards recognise the best in the industry across 16 categories. As a practice committed to creating inclusive, welcoming places together with the people who use our buildings, we are delighted that this central tenet to our work has been recognised in these prestigious awards. The winner will be announced at the awards reception on Tuesday 17th October.

August 2023 Read the shortlist here

230802 Wcc Daventry House Lisson Arches 1845

Daventry House for Westminster City Council completes Project Update

On 13th July Westminster City Council, Mæ and United Living hosted a reception and tours of our newly completed Daventry House on Lisson Grove NW8 .

Debbie Jackson,Executive Director Growth Planning and Housing at Westminster City Council, Caroline Lewis Managing Director of United Living New Homes and Alex Ely Director of Mæ introduced the scheme, which forms part of the Church Street masterplan.

Daventry House is a fully affordable housing development with all homes provided for social rent and forms part of the Council’s Church Street Regeneration Programme. The scheme is delivering 60 high quality homes for older people and has been designed to meet the HAPPI framework (Housing for an Ageing Population Panel for Innovation). The homes provide generous, accessible accommodation with an emphasis on neighbourliness, while an enterprise centre provides for a richer mix of activity on the site, and supports local businesses as part of Westminster City Council’s wider programme to stimulate economic development in the north of the borough. The development sits at the scheme is at the forefront of the Council's Fairer Westminster strategy.

July 2023 View Project

Agar Grove Phase 1b shortlisted for the RIBA's Neave Brown Award for Housing Project Update

Given in honour of social housing pioneer Neave Brown (1926-2018), the annual award recognises the UK’s best new affordable housing.

Neave Brown worked for Camden Council during the era when Sydney Cook was Borough Architect in the 60s and 70s. The schemes the borough delivered at the time are widely regarded as the most important urban housing built in the UK in the past 100 years. It seems fitting, and we are honoured, that our scheme for Camden Council has been shortlisted for this prestigious national award.

The winner will be announced at the RIBA's Stirling Prize ceremony in Manchester on 19th October.

July 2023

SEACC shortlisted for Erich Mendelsohn Award 2023 for Brick Architecture Project Update

Sands End Arts & Community Centre has been shortlisted for the Erich Mendelsohn Award 2023 for Brick Architecture.

Submissions came from all over the world: from Europe, China, from South America

Bauwelt editor and jury member Ulrich Brinkmann reflecting on the jury meeting said "The standard of innovation associated with the name Mendelsohn was constantly confirmed by these excellent projects",

The jury comprised Fabrizio Barozzi (Barozzi Veiga) from Barcelona, Andrés Solíz (Escobedo Soliz) from Mexico, Susanne Wartzeck (President Bund Deutscher Architektinnen und Architekten BDA) and Silvia Schellenberg-Thaut (Atelier ST)

A total of 584 projects from 33 countries were submitted.

The winner will be announced on the 8th September.

July 2023 Read more

Mae News