Architecture Week 2025

Celebrating Community, Heritage, and Sustainable Design

From 6–10 October 2025, MWK Architects hosted Architecture Week 2025 at the iconic 78 Derngate in Northampton, home to one of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s most celebrated interiors. The five-day event brought together architects, designers, students, and the local community to explore the future of architecture through themes of sustainability, heritage, and creativity.

Here’s a look back at the highlights from the week:

Everyone’s Design – Mathew Leung

Architecture Week 2025 opened with an inspiring evening and a full house — some attendees even travelled nearly two hours to be part of it!

Mathew Leung, architect and founding member of the Turner Prize–winning collective Assemble, delivered a thoughtful, masterclass-style talk on how architecture rooted in care and understanding can create lasting impact within communities.

Roots & Revival – Madeleine Adams

Tuesday’s session, led by Madeleine Adams, reminded us that heritage isn’t about looking back, it’s about building forward with care and intention.

Madeleine Adams, RIBA Chartered Architect and Specialist Conservation Architect, brought over 25 years of experience to the conversation. As director of Studio MA, she shared how heritage-led design can advance climate resilience, sensitive retrofit, and landscape integration. Her talk highlighted how existing buildings, far from being sentimental relics, are vital assets in reducing environmental impact and sustaining the stories, identity, and sense of belonging that define communities.

We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Madeleine, whose support helped us secure the RIBA East Midlands sponsorship. Her leadership through the Northamptonshire Society of Architects and the Women in the Built Environment Group continues to strengthen connections across our architectural community.

Once again, we were thrilled to see a full room and such engaged discussions on preservation, continuity, and responsibility.

Your home retrofit – Robert Prewett

For the third session, we were honoured to host Robert Prewett, architect and co-founder of Prewett Bizley, and one of the UK’s leading voices in sustainable housing design and retrofit.

With decades of experience in low-energy refurbishment and whole-house retrofits, Robert guided us through the realities and opportunities of upgrading existing homes. His talk covered insulation, airtightness, intelligent detailing, and how to stage retrofit projects over time, all while emphasising the importance of making interventions both effective and beautiful.

Robert also introduced his forthcoming book, Your Home Retrofit (RIBA Publishing), giving attendees an exclusive preview ahead of its release. His pioneering work, including co-authoring A Bristolian’s Guide to Solid Wall Insulation and contributing to conservation area guidance for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and ESSA, continues to shape how retrofit is understood and implemented across the UK.

The session made one thing clear: sustainable retrofit isn’t just possible, it’s essential. Whether architect, homeowner, or policymaker, we all have a role to play in transforming how we care for our built environment.

Biophilic Design – Maggie Fennel & Mark Stefan

Day 4 brought a breath of fresh air with a session on Biophilic Design, led by Maggie Fennell and Mark Steflan.

Maggie Fennell, landscape architect and educator, and Mark Steflan, architect and advocate for sustainable urban design, explored how bringing nature into architecture isn’t just a trend but essential for human and ecological wellbeing.

The discussion invited us to think beyond human-centred design, to create spaces that support all living beings. From tackling air pollution through planting strategies to reintroducing natural systems into dense environments, the conversation felt both urgent and hopeful.

The audience was fully engaged, contributing thoughtful questions and reflections throughout the evening. It was a reminder that biophilic design is not only about aesthetics, but about reconnecting with the living systems that sustain us.

Learning to draw buildings – Kardi Somerfield

Thursday’s evening continued with “Learn to Love Drawing Buildings”, a beautifully personal talk by Dr. Kardi Somerfield, one of our new favourite artists!

Kardi reminded us that drawing is far more than a skill; it’s a way of thinking, observing, and experiencing the world. Through her work, she showed how sketching can reconnect us with places, memories, and our own creativity.

We were especially inspired by how deeply Kardi’s practice is rooted in Northampton’s community, not just its buildings, but its people. Her talk captured the emotional and human side of architecture in a way that truly resonated with the audience.

Both sessions that day — Biophilic Design and Learn to Love Drawing Buildings — brought completely different energies, yet shared one powerful message: design has heart, purpose, and personality.

Future Architects: Where to begin – Helen Taylor

We wrapped up Architecture Week 2025 last Friday with a full house at 78 Derngate for an inspiring session led by FRIBA Helen Taylor. The room was filled with curious young faces and thoughtful questions from start to finish.

Helen Taylor, architect, educator, and long-time advocate for inclusive pathways into the profession, delivered an engaging and practical overview of what it truly means to be an architect. She covered everything from what to consider before applying to university, to how the course is structured through Parts 1, 2, and 3, and gave a clear introduction to the growing opportunities in apprenticeship routes, which sparked great interest among attendees.

It was also encouraging to see curiosity about international pathways. Valeria Bobadilla, from MWK Architects, shared insights from her own experience as an architect trained abroad now practising in the UK, while Dominic Kramer, also from MWK Architects, added valuable perspective on career development within British practice.

Seeing such a bright group of aspiring architects at the very start of their journey was truly motivating, we can’t wait to see where they go next, and wish them every success.

Closing Reflections

As Architecture Week 2025 came to a close, we were truly grateful for the energy, curiosity, and generosity shared by everyone who took part. Our sincere thanks go to all attendees, speakers, and our sponsors — RIBA East Midlands, Northamptonshire Society of Architects, and EH Smith Architectural Solutions — for making this week such a success.

We’re especially thankful to 78 Derngate and the 78 Derngate Trust for hosting us in such an inspiring setting. All proceeds from Architecture Week 2025 have been donated to support their ongoing work in preserving this remarkable architectural landmark.

The conversation doesn’t end here, let’s keep reimagining and building together.