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INSIGHTS
PRACTICE PROFILE Ackroyd Lowrie
In founding their own practice, Oliver Lowrie and Jon Ackroyd were able to pursue their passion for future cities, while applying lessons learned in their shared background as sustainability specialists. They tell ADF’s Laura Shadwell what drives them, and why the practice puts tech at the top of the agenda
B
oth having worked previously at Architype, a leading practice specialising in sustainable and Passivhaus design, Oliver Lowrie and Jon Ackroyd founded Ackroyd Lowrie in 2016 in a quest to apply the principles of low energy design to city-scale projects. This has led to a wide-ranging portfolio across many sectors, including masterplanning.
“I think that the scale of climate emergency that we’re engaging with is so big that it’s an oversimplification to look at one building at a time,” asserts Lowrie, explaining their rationale. Both architects believe that the industry needs to be transformed in order to rise to the challenge, and that architects must harness innovative technologies such as AI and VR – or risk becoming obsolete in the wake of their emergence.
‘Being the change’
Ackroyd Lowrie specialises in urban regeneration and masterplanning, and aims to create residential, commercial and educational developments that “put people at the heart of the design process.” The practice, which has grown fairly organically, was founded on the principle that it would “shape the cities of the future.” Now employing around 30 people, its design ethos centres around harnessing technology, in the pursuit of great design with sustainability at its core.
As well as residential-led urban regeneration projects, the team has a specialism in designing film and photographic studios. Their Alva Coachworks project, the creative re-use of a Victorian tram shed into a high end film studio, was Highly Commended in the AJ Retrofit Awards.
The founders believe that cross-sector collaboration is crucial in shaping future cities, and have been hosting events where politicians, planners, consultants and developers can come together to form consensus on policy. Known as ‘The Breakfast Club Briefings,’ these are designed to place Ackroyd Lowrie at the centre of thinking around shaping the future of cities, as well as raising the profile of the practice among the politicians and planners who have the ability to create this change.
Key decision makers and those with direct links to effecting change are often in attendance; recently including Brandon Lewis MP, the former Lord Chancellor and Minister for Housing and Planning, as well as senior individuals from councils and other bodies. This is an example in action of Jon and Oliver’s philosophy
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that if you want to change the system on a macro level (rather than just one building at a time), then it is crucial that there is a dialogue between leaders, politicians, planners and developers. Ackroyd adds, “We need to be the change we want to see, and try to reach out and influence key people. The Breakfast Club Briefings provide the platform to achieve this and move the conversation forward into action.”
Their passion for cities, and identifying how to create routes to what they see as a sustainable future, has been a real driving force for the practice’s specialism in sustainable retrofit, including integrating landscape design. “We’re interested in greening cities by working with lots of different landscape schemes to increase biodiversity and improve projects,” explains Ackroyd. The firm has also placed focus on education within the practice – upskilling their team, and developing designers of the future. Its initiative, the ‘AL Academy’ – inspired by the academy Sir Alex Ferguson built at Manchester United – aims to “tackle the challenges of employing students out of university, as well as introducing students from the East London Boroughs surrounding our studio in Tower Hamlets, to a career in architecture and tackling the challenges they face,” explains Lowrie.
ALVA COACHWORKS Creative reuse of a Victorian tram shed into a high end film studio
ADF OCTOBER 2023
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