Welcome to Mae

When we proposed a day workshop for a group of Year 10 students to our clients at Be First, we knew it would be a wonderful opportunity to talk to this group of twenty 15- to 17-year-olds about what is important to them within their neighbourhood.

The students worked in groups with a Mæ team leader focusing on housing, civic & community, commercial and public realm. After a walk-and-talk, taking photographs and making sketches, the students jointly planned their own ‘ideal’ neighbourhood. As a practice that specialises in community-led regeneration projects, we were able to watch and listen to what was important to these young people, whether it was green spaces, cycle routes, a local shop or a home with outside space and a door to the street.

It's important to us to share our skills and knowledge through our education programmes. However, the ideas and experiences that young people, such as those from the Warren School, share with us are invaluable to our development as stakeholder-led architects.

Organised and hosted by Building Design, the BD Architect of the Year awards annually recognise architectural practices that have made the most significant contribution to British Architecture over the past year.

Mæ have been selected as Finalist for the Public & Social Housing category, projects submitted include affordable housing across London such as Kentmere in Regents Park, Agar Grove in Camden, White City in Hammersmith & Fulham and Knight's Walk in Lambeth.

Winners will be announced across the 15 categories on the evening awards ceremony scheduled for October 2022.