Common Ground

摘要

Q Why was Common Ground set up? A Common Ground Architecture was formally established to help realise Croydon Council's ambition to develop high-quality homes of all tenures. The practice is part of Brick By Brick, the award-winning development company established by the council in 2016. Any profits generated by Brick By Brick and Common Ground Architecture are returned to Croydon Council as sole shareholder to be reinvested in the borough. Q How is it driving change within the profession? A Our practice has social responsibility at its core. Ultimately, we want to create homes that people need and want, that will enhance the neighbourhoods they are built in for generations to come, and that facilitate communities to live within the natural resources of our planet. As an office we are demonstrating that architectural practice does not need to follow the norm. We have one foot in the development world as the design arm of Brick By Brick, as well as designing projects for other clients. As part of our work with Brick By Brick, we are leading the implementation of 'One Planet Living' principles throughout the business, helping to drive wholesale incremental change towards zero carbon. We are uniquely placed to understand how successful these homes have been and to be an active part of the post-occupancy evaluation process. We will use this information to inform future iterations of the brief and specification, but also to understand more clearly how people use and adapt their new homes.