Last week, our colleagues travelled to London to take part in Clerkenwell Design Week, joining designers, architects and industry professionals from across the sector in exploring fresh ideas and innovative thinking.
In this article, our colleague Paul Ruding reflects on the highlights of the week.
What a superb week we’ve had in London, meeting colleagues, clients, collaborators and friends in Clerkenwell. This stylish corner of the capital is home to more creative businesses and architects per square mile than anywhere else on the planet – and it shows.
Clerkenwell Design Week celebrates this rich and diverse community with a packed programme of showroom events, curated exhibitions, panel talks and a lively fringe scene – basically, if it’s creative and clever, it’s happening there. It was a privilege to be part of it all, surrounded by bold ideas, fresh thinking and a shared commitment to doing things better – especially when it comes to sustainability.
Visiting the UK’s Leading Design Festival
Our team were out and about across the week, soaking up inspiration and insight. Things kicked off on Tuesday the impressive ‘How Sustainable is a Brick’ event presented by Emily Landsborough, Head of ESG at Ibstock Plc, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers. Their brilliant session focused on the sustainability of facing bricks, the environmental impact of brick production and the forward-thinking practices that are helping drive change across the construction sector. It was also a great chance to network with industry leaders and catch a glimpse of where things are heading. We then rounded off Tuesday with the ‘Road to Net Zero at EH Smith’ before getting early nights for the rest of our week.
Collaborations For The Future
On Wednesday we headed to an event hosted by Taylor Maxwell, with Mark Woolston of Swanage Handmade Bricks presenting, before then attending a talk by the brilliant Michael Mueller of Alison Brooks Architects. Hosted by Architecture Today at the EH Smith Design Centre, Michael reflected on projects past and present with warmth, insight and that kind of quiet authority that makes you immediately want to sketch something.
All in all, it was a week packed with learning, laughter and a renewed sense of purpose. Clerkenwell Design Week isn’t just a celebration of design – it’s a reminder of the impact our industry can have when we come together to share ideas, challenge conventions and push boundaries.
Same time next year? Absolutely. We’ll bring the bricks.
