about

ft’work was founded by architect Clare Richards. Following a career making social interest documentaries, she trained as an architect believing that she could help transform the living conditions she had witnessed. She discovered that architecture schools don’t teach you about the social purpose of design, so spent an extended period researching both the history of place-making and the factors that determine whether communities thrive or fail. In Happy Communities (RIBA President’s Dissertation Medal 2010) she explains that good design alone does not have a transformative effect on people’s lives; to create communities when we build places, social needs must first be recognised and addressed. She has worked extensively on community-based projects, leading consultations and collaborative design. ft’work has been a Patron of the London Festival of Architecture for the past 3 years and is a regular contributor to New London Architecture’s ideas and research initiatives. Initially prepared in response to the New London Plan consultation, ft’work has recently launched a set of social design principles.