As the world begins to return to some level of normality it feels more important then ever to make sure we have a focus and purpose to what we do. The last year or so has been a useful time of reflection and a reminder that life is precious and what we do, or don't do, really matters.
Collaborative Craft is a name we have given our emerging practice philosophy. It is a new name for the things we have been doing over the last 10 years in practice and a sustainable vision for the direction in which we want to take the studio over the next decade. It celebrates craft and the warmth of the handmade. It is collaborative because we believe the best results are achieved by harnessing the creativity of the makers. It is also about creating circular economies and sustainable communities which value the individual skills and contributions everyone can make to the environment in which we live.
The construction industry is big and it is important, it already employs huge numbers of highly skilled people, and these skills are maintained because of the continuous flow of construction projects. This is great and whilst there needs to be much more done to make construction more sustainable both in terms of the communities it affects but also the affect it has on the environment, this is largely recognised and is being addressed. We work with small developers and owner occupiers; consumers if you like. Consumers can drive change by making small better choices. We feel as designers that it is our duty to help consumers make informed decisions.
Our vision is to build high quality hand crafted environments that are rich in texture and narrative. We want to do that in a sustainable way that enriches the lives of the local communities by celebrating specialist skills and promoting the contribution that local communities make. Social purpose is at the core of our principles and should extend to all our collaborators; be it craftspeople, contractors, clients and suppliers. We want to collaborate with people who care about their communities and their environment and not just the bottom line. It is my intention that we feature some of our collaborators - past & present; and companies we believe have corporate social purpose at their core in this blog over the coming months and years. It is all about having the conversations after all!
by Matthew Wood