Putting communities at the centre of projects can revolutionise design

Heathlands is one of the largest schools for deaf children in the UK, and its brilliant new Woodland Building, designed by Manalo & White in collaboration with deaf architect-led practice Richard Lyndon Design, is the opposite of flashy. But each careful detail – from site to sightlines, from colour scheme to desk placements – focuses exactly on what signing and lip-reading pupils want and need.

Deaf people have spent their entire lives adapting to places that have not been designed for them. As Richard Dougherty, director at Richard Lyndon Design, explains: ‘Listening to the students’ lived experiences allowed us to strengthen their relationship with their environment. Their stories at the beginning became a creative force for the design process and generated an emphasis to provide a place that they value and feel valued in.’

Ensuring communities are at the centre of projects can revolutionise design. Sometimes, it requires a shift in perspective. Always, it’s about listening. Control of sound, for example, is critical for the students at Heathlands. Background noise from open windows can be an issue, so, in the Woodland Building, ceiling-mounted natural ventilation with heat recycling (NVHR) systems ventilate each classroom silently. It’s a simple solution. It’s effective. But it could have been an opportunity missed. Learnings from the Heathlands project, and the other community schemes featured in these pages, can easily be incorporated into design more broadly. Why don’t we always think like this to make spaces more accessible to a wider range of users?

Community is a particularly important theme as we shake off the old year and face the new. The architectural community is why the AJ exists. Your insight, skill and professionalism are what drive us. In 2025 we will continue to highlight the issues that are significant to you and emphasise your crucial role in designing quality spaces and places which enable communities to thrive.

We’ll be focusing, for example, on the important issue of housing. We know, too, that pay is a key area of concern (see salary survey). We will celebrate and highlight the value you bring to the built environment. (Do read Toko Andrews’ piece: ‘The real reason to work with an architect isn’t about the finished product alone – it’s about the journey we take to get there.’) 

To our wonderful community of subscribers, sponsors and cheerleaders, then: thank you for your support in 2024. We look forward to informing, challenging, encouraging and championing you in the year ahead. For now, we wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year.