Mayor of London launches hunt for new design advocates

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has kicked off the recruitment process for a new cohort of independent built-environment design experts to help ensure the future delivery of good-quality buildings and public spaces.

City Hall is looking to appoint 30 “mayor’s design advocates” to offer their insight on a range of projects to the Greater London Authority at a rate of £500 a day.

The new recruits will replace thecurrent panel of MDAs appointed in 2017– which included big names such as David Adjaye, Alison Brooks, Sunand Prasad, Elsie Owusu and Andy von Bradsky. They will undergo induction in February next year to start work the following month.

An application pack for would-be advocates says they should expect to have a minimum of three days work a year in their roles, with the potential for more – to be billed at the same rate.

According to the candidate pack, City Hall is keen to hear from professionals with a range of built-environment expertise, including architecture, public space strategy, planning, regeneration, heritage and conservation, and development economics.

The pack said architects with experience in housing and mixed-use schemes, commercial projects, workspace, social and community infrastructure, health, education and civic buildings were particularly welcome.

Jules Pipe, London’s deputy mayor for planning, regeneration and skills, said the current set of MDAs had undertaken design reviews on more than 150 schemes through the London Review Panel since they were appointed in 2017.

Scrutinised projects range from high-profile schemes like Foster & Partners’ Tulip, FaulknerBrowns, Buckley Gray Yeoman and Eric Parry Architects’ Bishopsgate Goodsyard, and proposals for the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, to supportive workshops for community groups in receipt of Crowdfund London funding, Pipe said.

“We know that good architecture and planning can make a real difference between the places that work – socially and environmentally as well as economically – and those that age gracelessly,” Pipe said.

“That’s why we are delighted to be recruiting a new cohort of 30 experts who will use their extensive expertise and skills to help us build back fairer and greener after the pandemic and support our vision for Good Growth in London. We look forward to reviewing applications and welcoming the new cohort in March 2022.”

A key part of the role of MDAs is helping the London mayor deliver his Good Growth by Design programme, which supports quality, sustainability and inclusion, and aims to deliver a better built environment for all Londoners.

候选人团队表示，除了参与设计评审小组外，倡议者还将参与一系列工作流程，通过项目、计划、政策和工作实践，支持GLA员工在建筑环境中嵌入质量。2022年北京世界杯

这些工作流程包括听取意见，帮助确定新研究和政策发展的方向;协助GLA团队评估其设计质量管理流程和采购等问题;并为获资助人准备简报。

Theapplication deadlinefor would-be MDAs is 23:59 on December 15.