Welcome to Mae

The Leaders Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland talks to leadership figures from across the nation in an attempt to understand this universal trait and what it means today.

Alex Ely, our Founding Director, was invited to discuss leadership and his thoughts on how he approaches this responsibility at Mæ.

Lord Blunkett, chairman of The Leaders Council, said the podcast is an opportunity to 'sit down with someone who really gets how their industry works and knows how to make their organisation tick. Someone who's there day in day out working hard and inspiring others. That's what leadership is all about.'

As part of a series of events connected to our new publication 'From City to Room, A manifesto for better living', we gave a talk hosted by the London Society at Studio Egret West.

Decades of underprovision, combined with unprecedented population growth mean that buildings have to work more efficiently than ever before, both in terms of their uses and the resources they use. The pressures of climate change also mean sustainability is no longer an add-on but the starting point for any discussion about how, where and what we build.


So how do we overcome these challenges. How can we ensure that more is also better? And what can we do to give people the homes, buildings, neighbourhoods and cities they need?

The talk explored the integrated thinking that we believe is necessary to solving today’s urban, social and environmental challenges.

We are taking part in the European Cultural Centre exhibition 'Public Architecture - Future for Europe' (January 31st - May 10th) at Moscow's Schusev State Museum of Architecture.

We will be showing our work and ideas alongside more than 40 European architecture firms and academics committed to developing alternative approaches and new architecture which respects European cultural heritage.

The exhibition is curated by the European Cultural Centre, an organisation devoted to the promotion of cultural exchange, and will offer ideas and models on urban development, city planning and environmental concerns.

Our participation in the exhibition is part of a series of events connected with our publication 'From City to Room, A manifesto for better living.'

Huge congratulations to our talented architectural assistants Alice Hardy, Kate Ivinson and Tatiana Light who were all nominated for the RIBA President's Medals. Alice and Tatiana were nominated for the Silver and Bronze Medals, whilst Kate was nominated for the Dissertation Medal.

Following the awards ceremony their projects will be displayed at the RIBA in Portland Place, before touring thoughout the UK and internationally.

The competition is for the remasterplan of Derbent in Russia, Dagestan's second largest city and one of the oldest cities in Russia.

Our multi-disciplinary and international team has been selected from 144 applications, and our winning strategy is aimed at building in resilience; addressing a lack of housing, education and cultural infrastructure and creating economic opportunity.

Based on the guiding principle of a vibrant city, we have developed a forward looking vision for Derbent which respects the unique identity and qualities of the city.

Derbent is located on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, at the foothills of the Tabasaran Mountains of the Greater Caucasus. The historic city centre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its citadel, ancient town, and fortress buildings.