Our long-standing partner, HKS Architects (HKS), took home the award for Community Investment at this year’s prestigious West London Business Awards (WLBA).
The 8th annual West London Business Awards – which transitioned to a virtual event this year – recognises the outstanding achievements of organisations and individuals in West London, across five themes: SME sector leadership, sustainable & responsible business, economic resilience, corporate leadership, and individual leadership.
HKS Architects – an international design firm of over 1,400 Architects, Interior and Urban Designers, Scientists, Artists, Anthropologists, and more – were recognised as a leading sustainable and responsible business by WLBA’s judging panel. This is testament to their significant and ongoing contributions to the work we are collaborating on at Blueprint for All.
HKS’s strategic approach to the Community Investment Programme involved working with Blueprint for All to tackle social mobility and the underrepresentation of ethnically diverse people within the Built Environment industry. One of the ways in which this was achieved was by contributing to our advisory board, providing feedback on our future projects and ambitions, and promoting these initiatives through their networks.
HKS Architects have also committed to a three-year developmental journey with one of our partner schools, setting up the ‘Into Architecture’ programme, which helps young people on their journey into the architectural profession. Through informational workshops, presentations, and talks that align with the schools’ curriculum, HKS have been able to create a blueprint for other schools and architectural studios, to partner up and help young people break into the industry. Additionally, our ‘Into Architecture’ toolkit produced in collaboration with HKS employees, is a comprehensive manual for aspiring young architects and careers teachers, providing essential information, routes into the profession, and insights into day-to-day life as an architect.
Furthermore, senior studio members from HKS committed to a year of monthly 1:1 mentoring sessions with students on our schools’ programmes, hosted in-house workshops, and ran site visits. There was also a memorable workshop in partnership with London Marathon Events Ltd based at the Stephen Lawrence Centre. This type of community engagement helps to inspire young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with a wider range of viewpoints, and gives them the opportunity to ask any career related questions.
Alfonso Padro with students at the Mile Marker Workshop
HKS are also supporters of our #BeMoreInclusive partnership with recruitment specialists urban. Our #BeMoreInclusive partnership seeks to connect talented people from under-represented groups, to employers in the built environment that want to foster a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
We are proud of our partnership with HKS Architects and delighted that they have been recognised for their investment into communities. We look forward to continuing our work together, supporting young people to access resources, expertise, and guidance in the architectural field, and providing them with tangible opportunities to thrive. Alfonso Padro, Principal at HKS Architects stated, “We hope that alongside helping young people to access the guidance they deserve, we can also inspire a new generation of architects who will be an integral part of design innovation in the future.”
Keep up to date on our ongoing collaborations via our socials below.