Alex Ely: Resilience, networks and architectural practice.

Episode Nineteen of A is for Architecture’s second season is a conversation with Mae’s founding director, Alex Ely, talking about his practice’s recent book, Towards a Resilient Architecture, published by Quart in 2022. Mae’s work has an increasing focus on sustainability integrated into the whole life of the scheme. As Alex put it when we spoke, ‘I suppose reflecting on 21 years of practice, I suddenly sort of recognise that, in every project we've done, there's been an element of inquiry or hunting for alternative ways of doing things that might lend themselves to more sustainable solutions. That's not to say that environmental architecture has always been at the forefront of our mind. But the point about the book was actually saying: Right, now it needs to be, and we need as a practice to step up. But then so does the industry.’

You can get Towards a Resilient Architecture off the Quart website here but also elsewhere online. You can have a look at Mae’s built work on their website and all the online magazines too, but of particular pertinence to our discussion are their Sands End Arts & Community Centre, Fulham, their proposal for the Oxford to Cambridge Corridor and the John Morden Centre, Blackheath.

Alex’s professional profile is here, and his LinkedIn is here; Mae’s is here. Mae’s Instagram is here, their Twitter is here, and Pinterest is here.

Cheers!

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Music credits: Bruno Gillick

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