Tara Gbolade is a sustainability-minded emerging architect to watch
The world is changing, architecture is adapting, and a new wave of young practices in London is emerging. They are armed with bold ideas, digital tools, new studio set ups and innovative design approaches. In our Next Generation series, join us in hailing these exciting studios from the UK capital through an ongoing series of weekly profiles. First in line is Tara Gbolade, the dynamic director of sustainability-minded Gbolade Design Studio.
![House with lawn](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sFZP5UEhVQpZyBdYwxPhk7-415-80.jpg)
When architect Tara Gbolade set up her studio in South London in 2018, she wanted it to make a difference. Focusing her practice ethos on a ‘design-led, sustainable, innovative and commercially-minded' approach was just the beginning. Pumping into her projects her fresh ideas, dynamism and specialist skills is what makes Gbolade Design Studio's work and energy really stand out. The goal, of course, is no mean feat. ‘[We aim at] making everyday places for people extraordinary,' she explains.
Since its foundation, the young studio has won awards and scooped competition wins, and has been going from strength to strength, even though it's still fairly small in size. What's the secret? ‘We have been specific in choosing clients that align with our ethos,' Gbolade says. ‘We are currently a small core team of five and work collaboratively with other practices and individuals which means we are able to expand and contract our capacity as needed. This has been a critical aspect in our development as a practice so we ensure we can offer the best value to our clients, while keeping the practice nimble and responsive to societal changes – including an impending market uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic – in order to provide innovative and considered responses to our changing societal norms.'
Sustainability sits at the practice's core and Gbolade abides by the Passivhaus standards, which she seeks to apply to her projects in order to produce buildings that are both functional and respectful. She also argues that sustainability is a critical element to embed in projects, right from the start – the studio is issuing a ‘Client Guide To Sustainable Development', which is downloadable from the website, and has aligned itself with the RIBA’s Climate Challenge to meet net zero whole life carbon for new and retrofitted buildings by 2030.
This is not just talk, as Gbolade puts her money where her mouth is. Current and older work includes an ongoing build complex of over 40 residences in West Sussex, which has been designed embedding sustainability principles (environmental and socio-economic), such as a public open space at its heart, which incorporates carbon sequestration through new tree planting; the ‘r-Home’, a self-initiated project designed to create a two-storey home model that responds to the twin challenges of meeting the UK housing need, as well as the high Passivhaus standards; and Tripos Court, a community-minded pavilion for students in Cambridge that is currently in design development. Everything is meticulously researched and presented in a crisp, contemporary aesthetic that offers a tactile, dynamic minimalism.
Projects like these are just the tip of the iceberg though, when it comes to Gbolade's activities. Alongside creating her own designs, as a certified Passivhaus designer, she offers sustainability consultancy to local authority clients, by preparing strategies that set the direction of practical and technical requirements for the environmental, social, and economic aspects for new and existing developments. She currently leads the Harlow & Gilston Garden Town scheme in that respect.
Taking things one step further beyond ‘traditional' building, Gbolade has just launched a new app created by her studio. The Architects' App was designed as a source of information for professionals in all stages of their career, offering a ‘digital library' for best practice guidelines to save young studios' time and support productivity. The range of information is impressive, including from project case studies, to practice models and admin advice on running a studio's day-to-day. ‘I’m most excited about the ‘Sustainability’ section within the app that gives so much information on categories including sustainability case studies, webinars and podcasts, information on energy efficiency and so much more,' she says.
The architect has also partnered up with other committee members to form The Paradigm Network, ‘after noticing a distinct lack of diversity (ethnic diversity) in architecture,' she says. ‘Forty per cent of Londoners are from a BAME background, yet only 1.2 per cent of the built environment is reflective of this number.' This professional network aims to champion Black and Asian representation within the built environment, also running activities such as industry-related workshops, events and networking opportunities. Bridging a desire to lead change with action and pragmatic designs and architecture, there is no doubt that this emerging studio is one to watch.
INFORMATION
gboladedesignstudio.com; paradigmnetwork.co.uk
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Tour the Natural History Museum’s new gardens, a Jurassic lark in London
The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled two new gardens, with resident dinosaurs, after a transformation led by architects Feilden Fowles
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Drama Republic moves into a colourful, handcrafted workspace in London
For the new creative HQ of production company Drama Republic, Emil Eve Architects remodels a warehouse into office space in London’s Holborn
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Hideaway House in London features timber panelling inspired by the New York hospitality scene
The elegantly refurbished Hideaway House by Studio McW in London features timber panelling inspired by Philip Johnson’s The Four Seasons Restaurant
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
An Uxbridge annexe by Bureau de Change is a design for effortless intergenerational living
Uxbridge Bower, a residential annexe in west London, is a contemporary addition offering both privacy and connection for the needs of a family
By Tianna Williams Published
-
‘Modern Buildings’ tours south-east London through a guide to post-war Blackheath and Greenwich
‘Modern Buildings: Blackheath and Greenwich’ is a detailed survey of a London borough’s rich trove of new modernist architecture
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Triangle House invites you to its inner world of colourful surprises
Triangle House by Artefact is a private home in Epsom, outside London, combining Caribbean style, colour and functionality
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour the refreshed Saint Andrew Holborn: an icon reveals its crisp new interior in London
DaeWha Kang reimagines Saint Andrew Holborn church through a sensitive architectural solution that blends tradition and modernity in London
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Suffolk house by Studio Bark pairs a fresh visual language with low-energy design
Suffolk house Water Farm is off-the-grid but defiantly on the map, a bold new object in the landscape with a strong visual impact and minimal carbon footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published