A new festival makes it debut this year, celebrating the second city’s structures, with everything from the heights of the skylines to the hidden corners. The Birmingham Architecture Festival will be running from the 24th to 27th of May, with the theme ‘Take a Second Look’. This independent festival will span across the city and will take your on tours to the lesser known (and even secret) spots, as well as some of the centre’s well known favourites. All this explored through a multitude of lectures, exhibitions and workshops.

So far events include a Pinhole Camera Workshop with Matt and Pete’s Photo School, Wild Walls Tour looking at the planet and wildlife that in habits the city;s structures and a Derelict Buildings Tour. Loads more events can be found on their page, with plenty more to be announced.

Keep up to date with the latest on their Twitter and Facebook, and if you’re interested in getting involved then find out more here or go to the contact page.

Really excited about this, so we’ll be sure to update you with more information as it comes out.

It’s not new that during times of economic austerity, graduates will take different routes into employment, finding work in areas that differ from their educational field. This coupled with the sometimes abstract services that the design industry provides, the intangible tasks a client needs to be convinced to pay for prior to seeing the end result; adds up to a tricky over-subscribed recruitment situation.
What’s different now is a cross-pollination of skills in creative industries, architects working in construction, product designers working in kitchen installation and design.

Graduates coming into the Built Environment industry for example are, with an ongoing complex, passionate politik. Fear for the industry’s survival, a whirlwind of legalities, employment ethics and pay rates have been news in the Built Environment for over 12months, especially within Architecture; whose students read for longer than a Doctor or Lawyer, but will rarely expect to earn the levels of their contemporaries, despite it’s regulation and representation by a chartered professional body, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
We are seeing a rule-change for established professions, supported only last week by RIBA, who said in in order to take advantage of opportunities, architects “need to develop greater financial nous and commercial acumen.”

Substitute the word Architect with Designer/Craftsperson/Art maker/Curator and most can see how this situation can be applied throughout the creative industries. Read more.

A multi-disciplinary practice allows for a flexible approach.

Collaborative collectives are emerging as necessary alternatives: A design practice isn’t going to have a whole project under their remit; a sharing mentality is an emerging theme for tackling cuts in a cold climate. Read more.

Rita Semedo, graduate of Interior Design from BCU has struck out entrepreneurially with partners Thomas Slack and Carla Imbimbo. Since setting up a studio at Zellig, Custard Factory in October 2010, projects have been steadily setting up for the trio of interior, product and graphics designers trading under the name Cubed3.

They didn’t consider basing their new creative business elsewhere; and it hasn’t proved a problem so far.

We know the West Midlands, are graduates of it’s universities and have connections that have helped us start out. While we understand there is risk in starting any business, we saw a gap in the design market to represent the region in enterprising, fresh product and interior design.

-Rita Semedo.

Rita told me they are building collaborative partnerships with fellow creatives in Digbeth, coming together with a graphic designer to complete a children’s nursery project most recently. Projects on Cubed3’s order books include work refurbishing a 75 bedroom hotel and bar, and work with Birmingham Community Healthcare, refurbishing a secure healthcare environment in one of her majesty’s prisons!

At the Interiors show, Birmingham earlier this year, Cubed3 exhibited their furniture range in a stand of their own design. ‘Stack’, which was designed by to utilize off-cuts from the timber trade; by using multiples of the same section shape. The stool has a brightly printed cushion and by applying graphics to the ends, the piece becomes more than a typical birch plywood piece. Exhibiting was collaborative; Cubed3 invited students from BCU to exhibit work from an elective textile design module; accessorizing the space with printed and embroidered t-shirts.

Certainly with such a variety of projects underway, it will be interesting to see this team develop; after exhibiting at the Interiors show in January at NEC, where the designer’s were invited to attend both Grand Designs Live and Tent London (part of London Design Week), it’s going to be a busy 2011.

Architect Ben Parsons, practicing as Ben Parsons Design since 2003, in Sutton Coldfield has been working on residential buildings and conversions for private clients and developers recently. The practice tackles specialized projects such as listed buildings, such as a series of recently completed barn conversions near Stratford-upon-Avon for a private developer.

Keeping the original character of the barn intact, Parsons has joined the two buildings by creating a clean-lined connection link area, employing full height glazing and doors, all finished in a grey-green colour, which sits well with the countryside landscape.

What’s clear here, is while Parsons says that his work comes from word of mouth recommendations and successful completion of projects kept within budgets and timescales, there is also a benefit of small-scale business operations, lower overheads working from a home or city studio. Working in the Midlands, despite its cacophony of motorways, the opportunities for designers to reach a wider landscape of rural community counties and urban developments are on the doorstep.

For graduates yet to find their place in a practice or as entrepreneurs, the Midlands Architecture and Designed Environment centre (MADE), have been encouraging newly graduated Architects to volunteer on education and social community projects.

Between September and November of 2010, Ben Pipkin and Kerry-Ann O’Neil, were part of a team asked to produce a model as part of the master-planning process for the Churchfields area of Kidderminster. This has since been used in consultations with members of the public, local schools, urban planning experts and councillors.

Has this work led to further opportunities?

Whilst Kerry-Ann admits finding paid work in Architecture has been a struggle since returning to the region after completing her MA (Part II of a trio of degrees required to qualify as an Architect), it seems that engaging, volunteering and participating with projects such as those run by MADE can deliver results.

Ben has since gone on to work with K4 Architects in Digbeth, and Kerry-Ann is involved with Birmingham Architectural Association (the regional branch of the RIBA), who together with Trove Art is preparing for an Architecture showcase in June 2011 in Newhall Square, Birmingham.

I was brought up in the Midlands and I moved away to study, I didn’t find Birmingham very inspiring as a city. After studying Architecture for three years, I realized that I looked at the built environment from a different perspective. I have returned once again and find that I appreciate and discover so much more from the city now. I believe it is crucial to have an understanding of how a city works, its culture, the success of its past, what is happening at present and the aspirations for its future, and think that to engage with your local region is really important

– Kerry-Ann O’Neil

Victoria Delany, an RCA graduate, a silversmith and product designer is working back in the Midlands and engaging with retailers and organizations to solve a variety of design concerns.

Commissioned by Black Country Museum, as part of an ongoing product design programme, Victoria is currently working on designing product that reflects the heritage of the museum’s collection, which will be sold in the museum and other retailers.

Producing elegant contemporary silverware, tableware and dining objects, Victoria’s Candlestacks are currently on display at a independent design Boutique, Wolf and Badger, London.

Talking with all the designers featured, it’s clear that to make a name for yourself as a graduate in the creative industries, success lies in being wiling to acknowledge that education doesn’t finish when you step from the lecture theatre into the studio, and understand that to set yourself apart when working in the built environment, whether a landscape architect or industrial designer, it’s vital to seek out opportunities that give you experiences of working in environments that impact on your interests and feed your passions.

If a good practice is naturally a professional and commercially successful one, it could be fair to say that it’s not enough to be talented in these times. Enterprise and continuation of creative practice depends upon engagement with existing and new clients, collaborators and local communities. A designer, artist or architect should be prepared to incubate ideas, and ideally deliver a social, human, sustainable, viable product and service.

Contact Information:
Royal Institute of British Architects
Cubed3 studio Email: info@cubed3studio.co.uk
Interiors Show
Ben Parsons Design Email: bp@benparsonsdesign.co.uk
MADE
Trove Art
Victoria Delany Email: info@victoriadelany.com
Black Country Museum
Wentworth Pewter
Wolf and Badger

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By Laura Katriina Pollard

Laura Katriina Pollard is a consultant for creative businesses, providing development and marketing services to individuals and micro business in the West Midlands.
Contact: www.laurakatri.com Email: enquiries@laurakatri.com

Project Brutal: Initial Meeting: 20th April 6:30-7:30pm. CiB Shop.

Project Brutal is a plan to bring together people and networks interested in creatively celebrating and capturing Birmingham’s Brutal library before it’s too late. We’re looking to formulate a series of events and projects under the Brutal banner over an extended period of time.

So if you’re passionate about the library’s architecture, space and history and are keen to find out more and get involved in making this a reality then come and join us on April 20th

You can register your attendance on Eventbrite and follow developments on the Project Brutal website. There’s a tag for Twitter too: #projectbrutal.