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INSIGHTS
Canal Quarter, Sulyard Street © PRP
to retain its “multicultural” workforce. This offi ce has since evolved into a multinational hub in its own right, serving as “an extension of the London studio.” According to Manisha Patel, senior partner at PRP, the different offi ces have made considerable progress in strengthening connections between the studios, including the new additions. Encouraging the cross-fertilisation of ideas and knowledge sharing is benefi cial both for the staff and its clients, she says, adding that “it ensures we are delivering the highest quality of design.” While housing remains a key focus, PRP has evolved from its roots to become an interdisciplinary practice that is attuned to the changing demands of the industry and the built environment. With a keen eye on the shifting landscape of the housing market and society as a whole, the fi rm has developed a range of specialisms that span key sectors; estate regeneration, later living, town centre regeneration, Build-to-Rent, and landscape-led masterplanning.
Culture & diversity A key focus of the fi rm, and an “ongoing process,” as Kilpatrick explains, is its aim to improve the equality, diversity and inclusion of their workforce. Patel, who hails from a family that lives in a working-class neighbourhood of London, says that at university she felt like “a fi sh out of water.” Not only was she one of few women on her course, she also felt different from peers due to her “lack of connections, ethnic background and comprehensive school education.” Therefore for her, creating a workforce at PRP that “represents and embraces the rich diversity and different cultures of communities” has personal resonance.
As part of a recent effort to provide greater accessibility to people from less advantaged backgrounds, the practice has focused on developing its apprenticeship programmes. With the cost of living crisis making it diffi cult for practices to recruit and retain staff, the team are “constantly reviewing staff pay and exploring ways to encourage people to join – and stay in – the built environment sector.”
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The practice also has another policy to both support female staff who are experiencing the menopause, and also break down the stigma surrounding it. Recently, PRP’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) Working Group hosted a live webinar and Q&A on the subject, which saw a healthy attendance by male and female staff. “If women can talk about it, we can share and receive advice based on our experiences, and feel less isolated,” says Patel. As a practice of putting great stores in collaboration, PRP has doubled down on creating a welcoming and friendly workplace atmosphere post-pandemic, seeing the offi ce as a hub for social interaction and wider staff benefi ts. “The pandemic taught us a lot about the value of the offi ce in combating loneliness and isolation,” asserts Patel. Celebrating a wide range of festivals such as Diwali and Lunar New Year to holiday festivities like Christmas and St Patrick’s Day, the practice aims to be friendly and inclusive.
Contextual reintegration Ensuring a context-specifi c design response forms the bedrock of PRP’s approach. The practice describes its strategy as “contextual reintegration,” a means to avoid “generic” architecture. It ensures the practice collaborates with communities, councillors and stakeholders to gather a nuanced understanding of the complexities of an area.
An example of where they’ve applied this is their recent commission to design a masterplan to revitalise the Canal Quarter in Lancaster. The area boasts some of the city’s most signifi cant cultural assets, but these have been underutilised and disconnected from the rest of the city. PRP recognised that an in- depth understanding of the site’s history was crucial in creating a “context-informed vision,” explains Kilpatrick. While community-driven projects remain a core value of the fi rm, the way in which they implement these principles has undergone “drastic” change, says Patel. In the early days, community consultation was not always an integral part of the design process. Today PRP has a dedicated in-house team specifi cally focused on community engagement. This allows for an “ongoing dialogue that
ADF MAY 2023
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