Community

Make Change

Make Change is Make’s social value working group. We believe our value and impact on communities reach far beyond the buildings themselves. Our project-specific social value commitments equip us to deliver broader social, environmental and economic benefits throughout the project life cycle, and are structured around four key areas: environment, community, wellbeing and inclusivity.

We take an evidence-led approach to social value on each project, informed by census data analysis and local council guidance. We use this research to uncover local community needs and identify disadvantaged stakeholder groups who are likely to be impacted by our proposal. Our social value interventions focus on three key themes:

• Early engagement and co-design
• Upskilling and employment support
• Direct positive action in the local community

Charity

Giving back is vital to Make. Each year, we dedicate our time and professional expertise to support local communities and designated charities. Volunteering and pro bono work are actively encouraged, with each Maker provided an annual charity day. Some of our individual and collective efforts include:

• Gardening at the Maggie’s West London Centre in Hammersmith.
• Taking part in a community planting day with Fitzrovia Youth in Action.
• Serving meals for the homeless at soup kitchens in Camden and Tottenham Court Road.
• Co-design workshops with youth charity 4YP to design a new waterfront centre in Ipswich.
• Undertaking pro bono design work for a London homelessness charity in collaboration with CRASH.

We also organise and participate in fundraising activities. Recent initiatives include:

• Our annual sunflower-growing competition to support those affected in the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts.
• A studio pub quiz and Sip & Paint evening in support of Maggie’s West London Centre.
• Pancake Day with proceeds for The Felix Project.
• Bake sales to fundraise for The Outside Project LGBTIQ+ Centre and Motor Neurone Disease Association.
• LandAid Trek 2025.

In addition to our fundraising efforts, we earmark a percentage of our annual profits for charity.

Aspire outreach

From our earliest days, we have insisted on architects’ responsibility to not only serve the communities around us but also accurately represent them within our profession. Aspire is our in-house outreach team working with schools and community engagement organisations to support students from diverse ethnic heritage and disadvantaged backgrounds on their journey into architecture and the wider built environment. Some of our activities in support of young people include:

• Working with The Bartlett to establish Open City’s Accelerate programme in 2012.
• Delivering creative workshops via our long-standing partnership with RIBA Architecture Ambassadors.
• Participating in mock interviews organised by the Mayor’s Fund for London.
• Delivering Revit training and architectural writing workshops in collaboration with Blueprint for All and Beyond the Box Consultants.
• Attending careers fairs and giving assembly presentations.
• Offering work experience schemes organised through The Creative Dimension Trust and Inspiring The Future.

Co-design case study: 4YP

The charity 4YP works with young people aged 7 to 25 at its Ipswich town centre hub as well as in schools and the community. Founded in 2000, it provides a counselling service, youth work one-to-ones, open access drop-ins and needs-tailored small groups.

In 2022, one of the charity’s directors invited Make to reimagine 4YP’s existing facilities, which kickstarted our ongoing involvement with the organisation. Instead of working to an existing brief, we’ve actively engaged staff and the young people they support in a series of workshops, both in Ipswich and in our London studio. The aim is to equip them with the skills to shape the direction of their new space. Since joining forces, we’ve turned stakeholders’ own drawings and models into fully realised virtual worlds and helped the charity secure a £1.14 million grant from Ipswich Borough Council to fund the acquisition, refurbishment and fit-out of the new facility. We look forward to delivering these proposals. Read more about our partnership in the BBC here.