Why design has to fit its context

The industry is drawn to neat solutions, and to the idea that one approach can be scaled across every sector. The projects that succeed suggest otherwise. They work because the design was matched carefully to its context.

Four sectors, four different briefs

1. 01

   Refugee housing

   Rapid housing deployed for refugees in Europe had to go up fast, without compromising the dignity of the people living in it.

2. 02

   Hospitality

   Hybrid live, work and stay models are designed for a generation that values flexibility as much as comfort.

3. 03

   Healthcare

   During the pandemic, modular testing centres and pop-up vaccination hubs showed that rapid deployment can still be precise.

4. 04

   Education

   Schools delivered under the Department for Education’s MMC frameworks show that standardisation and adaptability can work together, giving learning spaces that are efficient and engaging.

None of these came from imposing a template. Each depended on listening to what the project needed, adapting to it and designing with care.

Capacity is not enough

Factory capacity on its own does not earn a client’s trust. The lesson of recent years is that factories and systems have to be shaped around real needs, not the other way round. Start with what the building is for and capacity follows, on a footing that lasts.

Factories and systems have to be shaped around real needs, not the other way round.

What the best work shares

Across sectors, the strongest projects have intent in common rather than uniformity. Design leads when it is precise in execution, bold in vision and grounded in collaboration and trust. Done that way, it gives clients confidence and resilience along with the building, and spaces that are better to use.

Thinking differently means accepting that housing, healthcare, hospitality and education each bring their own problems, and answering each one with a clear and imaginative design.