Our role as architects involves working with others and the image of the shoal recalls the act of swimming with others, whoever they might be, perhaps clients, community groups, individuals, builders or consultants. As Brady Mallalieu Architects we have worked with many people over the years, tailoring projects to closely meet their needs. The result of this process is generally a building, a physical entity that, we hope, will serve the people we have worked with . More recently, we have begun to understand the shoal in another way. Rather than swimming amongst the shoal to help tailor a building, we instead swim with others to establish a shoal of activities and processes. Collectively they form the larger project, evolving in time as new opportunities emerge and others dissolve, new individuals and groups enter the frame and others leave. This loose, fluid collective is a shoal of both people and actions.

Our essay ‘Swimming with the Shoal: Working with people and processes, fixed objects and fluid action plans’ explores two projects, Brickworks and Green Skibbereen, and reflects on collaborative design processes and a shift beyond the design of finished objects to architects as instigators of patterns of ongoing actions and processes.

www.greenskibbereen.ie

The uses of time in architecture is the subject of ongoing design-based research by Andrew Carr. A snapshot of the research is summarised in recent peer-reviewed paper published in Architectural Research Quarterly. Design propositions are used to examine different temporal structure and phenomena, such as; the weather, inhabitation, circadian rhythms, entropy and open-endedness. Ideas from this research have been used to inform many Brady Mallalieu projects, such as Brickworks, pictured here at Chinese New Year when the main space in the centre of the building hosts a festival – a good example of an inhabited lobby – an approach we have adopted in other projects. Andrew has also published research on the work of time in others; including a review David Leatherbarrow’s book Building Time and a study of the work of fellow Anglo-Irish practitioner Níall McLaughlin.

Angela Brady served as President of the Royal Institute of British Architects from 2011-2013. During this time she initiated work on procurement reform and successfully promoted the work of architects in the London Olympics and Paralympics 2012. A poll in the Architects Journal voted Angela the most effective RIBA president of the last 28 years.

The British Papers is a collection of invited essays and opinions from architectural and urban design leaders, as a snapshot of current thinking and approaches to sustainable city-making.

This series of essays, compiled and edited by Angela Brady, brings together the thoughts of leading figures in the industry – such as Richard Rogers, Sir Terry Farrell, and Judit Kimpian to name but a few – to share their particular viewpoints about latest design thinking. This wide ranging collection of essays covers everything from Historic England (English Heritage) Carol Pyrah, promoting regeneration via constructive conservation to the Academy of Urbanism Steven Bee, discussing how our history, culture and identity anchor us in place and time. Our top universities – the LSE, Manchester and Birmingham among others – are key to shaping our city-design thinking and creative architects and engineers pave the way with their innovative ideas and projects – and this collection of essays is a testament to their hard work, creativity and ingenuity.

The mistakes of the western world in recent decades are continuously being repeated in many developing countries – soulless, rootless, gas-guzzling buildings have been built without reference to their cultural context or suitable to local climate conditions. However, in Britain we have a wealth of experts and professionals – some of whom have been brought together in these essays – who can offer a clear message about how we can learn together to build better cities to help prepare our world for a low-carbon future.

The Cork Papers – Sustainable City in the Making is a collection of 20 invited essays intended to act as a critical analysis of the city from the perspective of selected from individuals with advice and experience to share

The book was published by Cork City Council in time for the Academy of Urbanism Congress in June 2018. It is intended as a catalyst for change to help Cork realise its great potential as a European sustainable city. This advice applies to many cities in Ireland and around Europe

A complete digital edition of The Cork Papers is now available free online.

The inhabited lobby is a recurring architectural device present in the work of Brady Mallalieu Architects. Peer-reviewed research on this approach to social spaces developed in our work was published in Architectural Research Quarterly. Characterised by a central space in a building it connects different activities physically, visually, acoustically and socially. Notionally a circulation space, it assumes an expanded role, becoming an inhabitable entity in itself and the social focus of a building.

Architects for Change was founded in 2000 and Angela chaired Women in Architecture 2000 – 2005. The group campaigned to promote the role of women in architecture and BAME architects through events, talks, awareness raising and advocacy. The “DiverseCity” exhibition curated by Angela, collected multiple under represented voices in architecture to a new platform. This rolling exhibition called “The Global Snowball” launched in London was exhibited in 34 cities around the world. The exhibition expanded to collect new people from a growing range of cultures and backgrounds.

Brady Mallalieu have also supported other work, such as the ‘Opencity Accelerate! Programme’, and ‘Adopt a School’ and Angela made the video “Designers of our future” based on workshops she gave in secondary schools. Available on Angela Brady’s Vimeo

Andrew Carr and Angela Brady serve as guest reviewers to Design Studio 22 at the University of Westminster run by Nasser Golzari and Yara Sharif. They have both taught and examined at many other universities including the Macintosh, Welsh School of Architecture, Newcastle University and London School of Architecture, London Met. and TUDublin, as well as giving invited keynote lectures. Angela is an external examiner at Westminster School of Architecture.

Angela sits on the TUDublin Foundations Board.

Brady Mallalieu Architects have designed numerous housing schemes for a range of different clients and users. They demonstrate a diversity of handling tenure, site selection and client ethos including Local Authorities, Developers, Housing Associations and emerging new forms. Our ongoing research in this area, at a time of housing crisis, was discussed in Five Housing Models, a paper given to the West London Business Forum. Another paper on ‘Delivering Social Housing’ was published in Architecture Ireland, November 2015 and BMA designed the first “Foyer Housing and Training” pilot project for 50 young people for Dublin City Council introducing a new form of housing & training for 18 - 25 year olds.

We are active amongst a range of Local Authorities serving on design panels. Currently Angela Brady chairs the new 2023 Croydon Design Review Panel and previously chaired for 6 years the Croydon Place Review Panel. Angela is also a Design Council Ambassador.
Robin Mallalieu reviews projects for the Hackney Society and the Stoke Newington & Brownswood Conservation Area Advisory Committee in Hackney.
We also work with Islington Council to create new housing, community and health care projects.