Discovering Architecture: Shawn Adams' Journey
Updated: Oct 21
Early Inspirations and Background
I grew up in south London, in a community where architecture wasn’t an obvious career path. However, the built environment shaped daily life in profound ways. From a young age, I knew I wanted to be an architect. That early curiosity grew into a passion that I simply followed.
Co-founding POoR Collective
I co-founded POoR Collective (Power Out of Restriction) to address the lack of young voices, especially from minority backgrounds, in shaping the built environment. We aimed to create a platform where young people could influence decisions affecting their neighbourhoods. Since our inception, our mission has evolved. We now develop structured programmes, partnerships, and toolkits that embed youth-led co-design into real projects. Today, POoR operates at the intersection of education, community engagement, and spatial design, continually adapting to meet the needs of the communities we serve.
Outreach Lead at HTA Design
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; 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.
Encouraging Non-Traditional Paths
I understand that many students feel they don’t fit into the traditional architecture mould. I tell them that architecture is far broader than 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.
The Importance of Co-Design
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.
Heritage and Design Thinking
As a Black British architect and designer, I’m always aware of the narratives often erased or overlooked in architectural discourse. This awareness 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: stories about resilience, identity, and the right to belong. I’m driven to design spaces that celebrate multiplicity rather than conformity and challenge the systemic biases embedded in the built environment.
Barriers to Access and Representation
Architecture and the built environment often struggle with issues of access and representation. 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.
Architectural Education: A Call for Change
As a Lecturer for the Architectural Association and previously Central Saint Martins, I would 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 aesthetics 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.
The Impact of Writing on Design
My freelance writing and communication have enhanced my 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.
Overcoming Challenges in My Career
You have achieved many great things in your career, and your journey is inspiring! 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 was tough. I overcame this by staying rooted in purpose and surrounding myself with collaborators who understood the mission.
Cultivating a Humble Mindset
Finally, I believe the most important mindset for all designers, especially those interested in the built environment’s social value, 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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