How Architects Design Better Places: Masterplanning, Building Safety, AI and the Future of Housing

What makes a building work for the people who actually use it?

Robin Johnson sits down with Michael Westlake and Alex Taylor of Supervene Architects to explore architecture, masterplanning and the realities of designing places that have to work for generations. From the seven year route to becoming an architect to navigating budgets, planning, construction problems and the Building Safety Act, Michael and Alex reveal how much of architecture happens beyond the drawing board.

The conversation explores housing density, walkable neighbourhoods, urban regeneration and why good masterplanning depends on the spaces and connections between buildings. Michael and Alex discuss the regeneration of Aire Park in Leeds, the preservation of historic buildings, Sugar House Island, modern methods of construction and homes designed for dramatically better energy performance. They also examine AI in architecture, the future of cities and why technology works best as a tool for designers rather than a replacement for human judgement.

Key Topics Covered

✦ Why becoming a qualified architect takes at least seven years and why practical experience matters

✦ How budgets, constraints and construction problems can produce better architecture

✦ The Building Safety Act, Building Safety Regulator and challenges facing UK development

✦ Housing density, walkable neighbourhoods and building around existing infrastructure

✦ Masterplanning, urban regeneration, Aire Park and preserving architectural heritage

✦ Modern methods of construction and the potential for highly energy efficient homes

✦ Why buildings should be designed to adapt to different uses over generations

✦ AI in architecture, future cities and why designers still need human judgement