Assemble (collective)

Assemble RA is a collective based in London, who work across the fields of art, architecture and design. ^[1] They began working together in 2010 and have described themselves as having between 16 and 20 permanent members.^[2] Assemble's working practice seeks to address the typical disconnection between the public and the process by which places are made. Assemble champion a working practice that is interdependent and collaborative, seeking to actively involve the public as both participant and collaborator in the ongoing realization of the work.^[3] Their socially responsible approach led them to win a Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2017.^[4]

While a number of members of the collective are qualified architects, some have no architectural training at all, and have backgrounds in set design, theatre, anthropology, philosophy and construction. Some art critics say that Assemble represents a different vision opposite to those mainstream values in the art world, an argument put forward in The New York Times by N+1 editor Nikil Saval.^[5]

Assemble teach architecture and urban design in a number of universities, and lecture and teach workshops around the world. All of their major project work is based in communities in cities in the UK. Some also work in research. Their studio and office space moved in 2016 from Stratford to Bermondsey, retaining its name, Sugarhouse Studios.