Monthly Archives: February 2025
Collaborative Hartree Masterplan is a Finalist for The Pineapple Awards, ‘Future Place’ Category
Our collaborative 120-acre neighbourhood in Cambridge, a masterplan rooted in place and local heritage, is a finalist for The Pineapple awards by The Developer and Festival of Place in the ‘Future Place’ category!
We have been contributing to Kjellander Sjöberg’s Hartree masterplan for regeneration specialist, LandsecU+I, and profit-with-purpose developer, TOWN. Alison Brooks Architects is proud to be part of the team alongside Bell Phillips, Haworth Tompkins, 5th Studio, Feilden Fowles and Nooma Studio.
Read more at the Festival of Place.
[less..]
Alison Brooks Lecture at Cambridge University
21.02.2025, Cambridge, UK
Alison Brooks delivered a lecture on ‘An Architecture of Kindred Spirits: Identity, Community, Belonging’ at the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge.
Alison Brooks delivered a lecture on ‘An Architecture of Kindred Spirits: Identity, Community, Belonging’ at the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge.
In this talk, Alison Brooks shared her philosophy and practice, focusing on three questions: how can new spaces of learning enhance daily experience, embody both cultural memory and a more sustainable future, and simultaneously foster the social connections that underpin communities?
Her talk outlined both the process and craft that underpins her approach, featuring her firm’s notable education projects in the UK and Canada, including Homerton College’s new Entrance Buildinthe g, Cohen Quadrangle at Oxford University and the revitalisation of the Claude T. Bissell Building for the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto.
[less..]
RIBA Architecture work experience placement
Congratulations to Leul, our pre-university student, for successfully completing his RIBA Work Placement.
Congratulations to Leul, our pre-university student, for successfully completing his RIBA Work Placement.
As part of the Diversity Emergency program, Leul gained his first work experience in architecture, joining us for a week-long placement designed to open doors for state-school students.
Leul confidently took on a design brief, and by the end of the week had maturely developed a proposal for a private residence while mastering advanced computational tools. Aligning with our office’s developing Computational Design Group – it was inspiring to see his passion for residential design reaffirmed, under the guidance of senior members, Zoe Haysom and Hannah Puckey.
Thank you to RIBA and Beyond The Box CIC, Ash Goyal and Sophie Draper, for making this opportunity possible.
[less..]
Alison Brooks Delivers Two Canadian Lectures at McGill and TMU
11.02.2025, Montreal, Toronto, Canada
Alison Brooks recently participated in a roadshow for architectural discourse at the prestigious McGill and Toronto Metropolitan Universities, as part of her ‘An Architecture of Kindred Spirits’ lecture series.
Alison Brooks recently participated in a roadshow for architectural discourse at the prestigious McGill and Toronto Metropolitan Universities, as part of her ‘An Architecture of Kindred Spirits’ lecture series.
In it, she explores how her practice embeds memory, material culture, and the concept of journey in works that help strengthen communities.
Brooks presented the annual Sheila Baillie Lecture in Architecture at McGill University’s Peter Guo-Hua Fu School of Architecture in Montreal on February 11th.
Following her Montreal engagement, Brooks continued her tour with a lecture series at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Department of Architectural Science on the 13th of February. In addition to her academic engagements, Brooks was the guest of honour at the BEAT Dinner Series in Toronto. Building Equality in Architecture Toronto (BEAT) is a Toronto-based volunteer-run organization seeking to creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship within the built environment.
Brooks’ ‘An Architecture of Kindred Spirits’ series, premiered in London, United Kingdom, in 2024, presented by the Architecture Foundation x the Barbican. The series continues to reach audiences in Canada and beyond, emphasising lessons from her personal narrative underscoring her commitment and establishing her reputation as one of the most individual voices in architecture.
McGill poster by Atelier Pastille Rose
[less..]
Stockholm Furniture Fair Talks with Oli Stratford of Disegno
7.02.2025, Stockholm, Sweden
Alison Brooks delivered a keynote at the Stockholm Furniture Fair Talks in Sweden on 6th February, moderated by Oli Stratford, Editor-in-Chief at Disegno.
Alison Brooks delivered a keynote at the Stockholm Furniture Fair Talks in Sweden on 6th February, moderated by Oli Stratford, Editor-in-Chief at Disegno.
Her talk explored architectural practice as a form of cultural research, discussing how architecture can engage sensitively with place, community, and landscape – while expanding how our built environment reveals more about ourselves, our cities, and social values.
Titled ‘The Construction of Research’, the talk was highlighted by Charlotte Ryberg, creative director and founder of the ENTIÈRE newsletter, who praised Brooks’ emphasis on, “the importance and possibilities of using extensive research to understand place, people, and origin of material – making work more relevant, authentic, and opening new dialogues around authorship.”
Check out the event here.
[less..]