RMJM has designs for young urban architects

EDINBURGH firm RMJM has launched a £1m project with the Stephen Lawrence Trust to encourage more inner city youths from ethnic minorities to pursue a career in architecture.

The firm, which worked on the Scottish Parliament building after the death of Enric Miralles, hopes the project will help address the global skills shortage that is likely to hit the industry over the next 25 years.

The initiative is also aimed at increasing diversity and creativity in the sector, which is currently dominated by white, middle-class architects.

Stephen Lawrence was stabbed to death in south-east London in 1993 but had hoped to study architecture at university. The joint project will involve RMJM architects running workshops in locations such as youth centres and nightclubs in inner city areas, including in Glasgow.

In particular, they hope to persuade young people who are into street art and graffiti that they could channel their creative skills into architecture.

Peter Morrison, chief executive of RMJM, said the scheme was more than just a charitable initiative, and is one of two major projects in which the firm has invested in an attempt to stave off a looming skills crisis in the industry.

There are fears that the UK and other Western countries could suffer a ‘brain drain’ over the next couple of decades as China, India and the Middle East embark upon vast building programmes.

In March RMJM contributed $1.5m (£740,000) to Harvard University to set up a new course in design. Morrison said: “This is much more than a worthy initiative, it’s got a commercial and cultural imperative.

“There’s going to be a global boom in the construction industry and if we don’t take action now we will not have sufficient architects to service demand and those buildings we do design will be built by white, middle-class architects. We will be all the poorer as a nation for this lack of diversity.”

Six young people who attend the workshops will also win the chance to do an intensive introductory course in architecture at Harvard. Doreen Lawrence, mother of Stephen, said: “While Stephen was tragically prevented from fulfilling his dream of becoming an architect, this initiative will empower many other young people to rediscover and fulfil their dreams.”