[edit] Our vision

Architects, urban designers and researchers. Led by Alex Ely, former Head of Sustainable Communities at CABE, Mæ design buildings that seek to address today’s urban, social and environmental challenges. Our aim is always to create buildings and places that enrich culture and society.

We thrive on collaboration. Working on regeneration projects for public and private sector clients, we talk – and listen – to colleagues and communities. Our design solutions match the client’s brief with the varied day-to-day needs of the building’s users.

Focusing on brownfield sites, we promote green policies. We’ve designed the UK’s largest newbuild Passivhaus scheme and each new project reinforces our environmental credentials. At Mæ, we blend creativity, humanity and sustainability.

We see the big picture. To us, placemaking is a vital part of the process. Working in the housing, workplace, health & care, civic and cultural buildings sectors, we design at all scales. From the city to the living room, we apply integrated thinking.

[edit] Our aims

1. To make great architecture that adds value– economic value, and crucially, social value
2. To create great places that are sustainable
3. To build an enduring company made up of people motivated to make great work.

[edit] Our sectors

We undertake design commissions across five sectors identified below. In addition we carry out research and commissions to write built environment policy documents and guidance for the likes of GLA, DCLG, Design Council CABE and Housing LIN.

[edit] Urban design

With a strong social purpose, we focus on the long-term needs of individuals, families and neighbourhoods. As we design buildings, we aim to build communities. We plan cities as more than the sum of their parts enriching culture and society.

[edit] Housing & Regeneration

Recognising that the test of a good home is how easy it is to live in, we design from the inside out. We make great places to live and understand the complexity of urban regeneration. To us, housing is more than mere housing – it’s an opportunity to enrich people’s lives.

[edit] Health & Care

With a generalist approach we understand specialist needs. Whether it’s health centres or care homes we design to meet specific requirements. Through creativity we plan delightful healthcare environments, avoiding an institutional feel, convinced that everything benefits from good design and that good design has a positive impact on our health.

[edit] Civic & Community

Recognising cultural diversity we design buildings with a sense of identity. We aim to realise sophisticated and landmark buildings that have a presence responding to the site and their setting. By putting people at the heart of what we do we create spaces that offer long-term pleasure in use.

[edit] Workplace

Combining efficiency with enjoyment, we create spaces for employment that address new patterns of working. Technically robust, carefully detailed and environmentally considerate, our aim is to design exemplary buildings with a commercial purpose: to accommodate innovative work processes that broadcast a set of business values.

[edit] Our headlines

Mæ has grown to take on larger and more complex projects. We particularly specialise in housing, urban regeneration and public buildings.

• Working nationally and particularly in London, with projects in 20 London Boroughs
• Appointed to numerous Design Frameworks including those of Homes England, the GLA, Genesis Housing, Home Group, Notting Hill Housing and L&Q
• Authors of best practice guides for Government and its agencies including CABE’s ‘Building for Life Standard’ and the Mayor of London’s Housing Design Guide, and our own publication ‘Places for strangers - Ideas for places, people and the city’
• Accredited Building for Life Assessors, CABE Built Environment Experts, members of the GLA and LLDC’s Design Review Panel and the RIBA Housing Policy Group
• Recognised as thought leaders. Our Principal is on policy task groups at No. 10, DCLG, the GLA, the RIBA and is a Mayor’s Design Advocate
• RIBA Chartered Practice and ISO 9001 and 14001 Accredited
• Winner of: RIBA London Regional Award 2018 for Brentford Lock West Block E, RTPI Award 2015 and AJ Retrofit Award 2015 for Hillington Square, Housing Design Awards for Agar Grove and New Islington, Finalist for Lisson Grove, Brentford Lock, Strand East, Grenadier House, Somerleyton Road, Aylesbury Estate and Hammond Court. New London Architecture Awards for Tybalds Estate in 2013, Somerleyton Road in 2016 and Croydon Projects in 2017, Finalist for Grahame Park at the AJ Architecture Awards 2017 and Inside Housing Development Awards 2017, Winner of an Archiboo Web Award in 2017
• Building Design’s Housing Architect Finalist of the Year 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018.

[edit] Articles

• Green Sky Thinking 2018