Grant Associates showcases 20 years of collaborative design work with London exhibition

Grant Associates is to showcase 20 years of collaborative design work with an exhibition at architect Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios’ West London base, 4th – 29th June 2018.

Collaborative by Nature will be open to the public and feature a selection of projects presented by Grant Associates in partnership with Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBStudios) and communication design agency Thomas Matthews.

The three design studios have collaborated on a range of projects inspired by nature, ecology and conservation ever since they worked together on The Earth Centre in Doncaster in 1997 – the year in which Andrew Grant founded Grant Associates.

Other collaborative projects by the trio include RIBA Stirling Prize-winning housing scheme Accordia in Cambridge, and Singapore’s internationally acclaimed Gardens by the Bay.

The exhibition will also feature on-going collaborative projects such as Bath’s pop-up art event Forest of Imagination and a conservation project to protect the blue-eyed black lemur in Ankarafa Forest, Madagascar. In addition, Thomas Matthews will showcase its initiatives into cleaning up ocean plastic and FCBStudios will share its work on the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Collaborative by Nature is a free event that will be held between 9am and 5.30pm from 4-29 June, coinciding with the London Festival of Architecture, at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, 20 Tottenham Street, London W12 4RG.

"This is an exhibition that tracks our respective journeys into collaborative design, each one representing a new level of ambition for addressing national and global environmental issues. Design without collaboration is boring. Working together with individuals with different perspectives but a common goal is not only hugely enjoyable but it delivers better solutions. It is quite something to reflect on more than 20 years of design collaboration with Thomas Matthews and Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. In that time we have refined our respective approaches to sustainable design but we always know the next project will deliver a surprising and exciting outcome." 

Andrew Grant, founder and director at Grant Associates

“Being 20 years old as a studio is such an achievement and to be able to celebrate it with our long-time collaborators who have been present for all that journey is momentous. Our best work comes from the process of collaborative discussion and sketching. The stories of these studios weave in and around each other in a glorious supportive way. We have continuously pushed each other to find the very best solutions for our clients in creativity and sustainable practice. It’s like having the best ‘phone a friend’ list in the business!” 

Sophie Thomas, founder and director at Thomas Matthews

"So much comes from mutual trust and synergy. If we didn’t know each other so well and enjoy working together we might not have achieved all we have done.”

Peter Clegg, senior partner, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

ENDS.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Grant Associates is an international landscape architecture consultancy inspired by the creative possibilities of sustainable landscapes and driven by the desire to connect people and nature. Its work fuses nature and technology in imaginative ways to create cutting-edge designs guided by a concern for the environment and a desire to enhance people’s quality of life.

It has experience in all scales and types of ecological and landscape development, including strategic landscape planning, master planning, urban design and regeneration and landscapes for parks, housing, education, sport, recreation, visitor attractions and commerce.

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios [FCBStudios] has experience in designing for education, housing, masterplanning and urban design as well as places for art and the creative reuse of historic buildings.

The practice started small nearly 40 years ago and, in spite of its growth to over 200 staff, it continues to be committed to social and humanistic values. FCBStudios is proud to have won the RIBA Stirling Prize for Accordia, a scheme widely regarded as setting a new benchmark for housing in the UK.

With a strong track record the practice is well placed to face the challenges of the future: growing and fractured cities; climate change; massive shifts in the delivery of education; increased localism; embracing the pace of technological change. The face of architecture is changing and FCBStudios continues to pioneer imaginative and inclusive ways to create exceptional buildings.

Thomas Matthews designs positively impactful communication with sustainability at its heart.  The team believes in the power of beauty to create impact, and is committed to using creativity, collaboration and pragmatism to make positive change.

An awarding-winning social enterprise, Thomas Matthews designs brand identities and strategies, exhibitions, campaigns, wayfinding and signage. It has also created environments, public realm interventions and creative communications for more than 20 years. 

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About Grant Associates

Grant Associates is a pioneering international landscape architecture practice. Our work reconnects people with nature in insightful, delightful and distinctive ways whilst addressing the global challenges of urbanisation, the climate crisis and biodiversity extinction.

Our design process is underpinned by a knowledge of human behaviour, nature and ecological science combined with innovative design technology. We bring original thinking, creative collaboration and are exploring what regenerative design and the circular economy means to landscape architecture.

Our varied portfolio includes ambitious large-scale, landmark projects through to small, local ventures.

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