The Architects Series Ep. 25 - A documentary on: Make Architects

The Architects Series – A documentary on: Make Architects
The twenty-fifth Architects Series will focus on international architecture studio Make Architects.

Ken Shuttleworth founded Make Architects in 2004. It now has a team of over 150 professionals in London, Hong Kong, and Sydney that provides architectural services at every level, from interior to urban design, and from concept to completion.

Since 2004, Make Architects has completed over 100 projects around the world, including commercial buildings, laboratories, hotels, housing, education facilities, heritage restoration and conversion shopping malls, and urban masterplans.

The firm is distinguished by its democratic approach to design. Make Architects has always been 100% employee-owned, with every employee an owner. When Ken Shuttleworth decided to set up a new studio in 2004, he envisioned a workplace where everyone was a co-creator and solutions were found together through cooperation and not competition. The firm’s structure is such that every employee owns the company, is a partner, can influence decisions, and receives an annual profit share.

Innovation is a key element of Make Architects’ design process. The firm invests a lot of its resources into the potential of virtual reality using BIM design from the very beginning. Extensive research and development supports each creative phase, expanding the potential of each project. Their Future Spaces Foundation focuses on broadening the horizons of architectural dialogue regarding the challenges facing the cities of the future and looks at how the built environment can impact societal change.

The goal of Make Architects and its clients for 2030 is to achieve net zero whole life carbon design. Make Architects is a signatory to the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment (NZCBC), the United Nations’ Race to Zero, and the United Kingdom’s Architects Declare. The firm’s in-house sustainability task force, Make Neutral, works to educate staff, clients, and collaborators on how to strengthen the design process and make it more climate resistant, with an emphasis on environmental impact assessment after structures go into use and minimizing carbon emissions.