BE INSPIRED | FEATURE 08 Shawn Adams
- Johannah Fening-Ajakaiye
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
In our latest interview, Architect, Educator, Writer and Co-founder of POoR Collective, Shawn Adams shared how he followed an early spark of curiosity into a career grounded in community, equity, and storytelling. From leading outreach at HTA Design to teaching at the Architectural Association, Shawn’s work champions access, agency, and youth-led design.
Could you share a bit about your background, where you grew up, how you discovered
architecture, and what motivated you to pursue it?
I grew up in south London, in a community where architecture wasn’t an obvious career path but where the built environment shaped daily life. From a young age, I knew I wanted to be an architect, and that early curiosity grew into a passion I simply followed.
You co-founded POoR Collective (Power Out of Restriction). What led you to start this practice, and how has its mission evolved since inception?
POoR emerged from the lack of young voices, especially from minority backgrounds, shaping the built environment. We wanted to create a platform where young people could influence decisions affecting their neighbourhoods. Since inception, our mission has evolved from simply advocating for representation to developing structured programmes, partnerships, and toolkits that embed youth-led co-design into real projects. Today, POoR works at the intersection of education, community engagement, and spatial design, continually shifting to meet the needs of the communities we serve.
How did you move into the role ‘Outreach Lead’ at HTA Design? What drives your focus on
outreach and community engagement?
My role at HTA Design grew organically from my longstanding commitment to education and
community engagement. I had been delivering workshops and working with young people through POoR, and HTA recognised the value of embedding outreach into practice. The move wasn’t about stepping away from architecture, but it was about expanding its reach.
What drives me is the belief that the profession must create pathways for people who traditionally don’t see themselves represented. Outreach allows me to connect young people with career possibilities, demystify the industry, and ensure their lived experiences inform the places we design. It’s architecture as advocacy.
You have taken a non-traditional route as an architect, navigating your practice across
architecture, writing, teaching and community design and potentially more! How would you
encourage a student who feels they don’t fit into the traditional/typical architecture mould?
I tell students that architecture is far broader than the stereotypes suggest. The discipline thrives on hybrid thinkers: writers, researchers, makers and activists. My own journey across writing, teaching, and community design has shown that the profession evolves through those who challenge its boundaries. Your difference is a strength, not a deficit. Follow the parts of architecture that excite you most, even if they don’t fit neatly within conventional practice. The built environment needs diverse approaches, especially from people with lived experiences rarely centred.
Many of your projects at POoR focus on co-design with young people. What does “co-design”
mean to you, and why is it so important?
Co-design, to me, is a process rooted in shared authorship. It means genuinely valuing the
knowledge, experiences, and aspirations of community members as equal to professional expertise. It’s not a consultation exercise or a final checkbox; it’s a collaborative journey where decisions reflect collective voices. Working with young people is vital because they often feel excluded from shaping their neighbourhoods yet hold powerful insights into how places function socially. Co-design fosters ownership, builds confidence, and ensures that projects respond to real needs rather than assumptions.
As a Black British architect and designer, how does your heritage shape your design thinking,
your choices of collaborators, and the stories your work tells?
As a Black British designer, I’m always aware of the narratives often erased or overlooked in
architectural discourse. This pushes me to centre community histories, cultural expression, and spatial equity in my work. It influences the collaborations I take on. My heritage also guides the stories my work tells: ones about resilience, identity, and the right to belong. I’m driven to design spaces that celebrate multiplicity rather than conformity, and that challenge the systemic biases embedded in the built environment.
Architecture and the built environment often struggle with issues of access and representation. From your perspective, what are the biggest barriers today and what are the most promising solutions?
One of the biggest barriers remains the financial and cultural inaccessibility of architectural
education and practice. Many young people simply can’t see themselves in the field because of cost, lack of representation, or limited exposure. Within the profession, leadership remains unreflective of society, which reinforces who feels “allowed” to participate. Promising solutions lie in paid early pathways, meaningful outreach, transparent hiring, and partnerships between practices and community organisations.
As a Lecturer for the Architectural Association and previously Central Saint Martins, what one thing would you like to see change in architectural education and why?
I’d like to see architectural education place far greater value on social responsibility and lived
experience. Too often, students are encouraged to prioritise form over context, or aesthetic over impact. Education should empower students to understand the political, economic, and cultural forces shaping the built environment. This means diversifying who teaches, how teaching happens, and which voices are celebrated within the curriculum.
How has your freelance writing and communication enhanced your impact as a designer?
Writing has sharpened my ability to articulate ideas clearly and advocate for communities. It’s taught me that design isn’t only about drawings, it’s about narrative, context, and persuasion. Through writing, I’ve reached audiences far beyond traditional design circles, building conversations around equity, representation, and youth-led practice. It’s also made me a better listener and researcher, which directly informs my design work.
You have achieved many great things in your career so - your journey is inspiring! What has
been your most challenging moment in your career so far, and how did you overcome it?
One of my biggest challenges was navigating the early years of POoR Collective while trying to
establish myself professionally. Balancing the demands of a growing organisation with the
expectations of an unconventional practice, I overcame this by staying rooted in purpose and
surrounding myself with collaborators who understood the mission.
Finally, what is one habit, mindset or practice you believe all designers should cultivate,
especially those interested in the built environment’s social value?
The most important mindset is humility. Approach every project as a learner, not an authority.
Designers should actively listen, question assumptions, and remain open to collaboration with
people whose experiences differ from their own. Cultivating curiosity and patience helps build trust, especially in community-led work. It’s also vital to understand your own biases and the power dynamics inherent in design.
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