/other/7.2

Parallel Practice (online interview series) Co-conducted with ism magazine for Architecture Fringe 2021 Unlearning core programme
Various dates



The practice of the fictional architectural office formed by /other and -ism architecture magazine, and involving artist residents, was complemented by a series of online interviews, where experienced employers and employees, alongside those engaged in the interrogation of practice, shared their knowledge and stories.





Raymond Young

“The architecture was not apart from the community. This was a community that had an architect in the same way it had a bank.”

Raymond Young was a key figure in pushing towards housing reform which saw a rise of housing associations in Scotland. He also helped make sure that many of the ubiquitous tenement buildings, along with their associated communities, were preserved rather than demolished or displaced.





Charlie Edmonds and Priti Mohandas, founders of Future Architects Front

“I went into architecture thinking I was going to contribute to society, affect people and be affected by people. Now the profession has changed and has become driven by profit. The clients are totally different. We are very detached from who we design for and this affects the intimacy we have with the career.”

Charlie Edmonds and Priti Mohandas are the founders of the suitably abbreviated FAF, describing themselves as the “loud abrasive voice of those at the bottom of the professional hierarchy”. Through their campaign, they highlight unpaid overtime and other exploitative practices rampant in the profession today.





Becca Thomas, co-founder of New Practice

“Just as a building isn’t always the answer, what an architect can do isn’t always the answer. One must recognise the deep social structures require different solutions.”

Becca Thomas is the co-founder of New Practice. They stand for an architecture of interaction between people and within communities; an architecture that is sustainable not solely in its long-lasting materials, but in the long-term relationships it fosters.





Kathy Li and Miranda Webster, co-founders of Missing in Architecture (M.i.A.)

“The artistic community tend to question and provoke, but we don’t as a profession because we’re too busy getting on with the building and I think all those things have an impact on people. How we design the environment has an impact on people. We need to change the emphasis a bit.”

Kathy Li and Miranda Webster are members of Missing in Architecture (MiA) together with Kirsty Lees, Isabel Deakin and Nick Walker. From International Women’s Day events to forward-thinking lecture series at the school that brought them together, MiA promotes creativity and action within architectural pedagogy and practice.



For more information visit the Instagram of the imaginary office.

Audio recordings courtesy of
ism magazine