Why Collaborate with Architects Aware?
Architects Aware operates as a non-profit collective, driven by a commitment to address housing insecurity without financial barriers. By collaborating with us, you gain access to a multidisciplinary team passionate about systemic change and community-driven design, focused on creating dignified, inclusive spaces. We bring together architects, policymakers, and advocates who contribute their expertise to tackle the root causes of housing challenges, offering innovative solutions and support for those most at risk. Join us in creating lasting, meaningful impact—together, we’re redefining housing for those who need it most.
Heather Macey
Heather Macey, founder of Architects Aware! and Director at Makower Architects, is a dedicated architect with a passion for community-focused, co-design approaches. Her experience spans adaptive reuse, student housing, and key worker and co-living accommodation. The Hidden Homeless competition, led by Heather to uncover emergency accommodation solutions, was the catalyst for Architects Aware!, a platform addressing housing insecurity through design and policy. Heather’s work combines policy review, design, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, pushing the boundaries of housing design to create sustainable, impactful living environments for vulnerable communities.
Alexia Murphy
Alexia started her work in the homeless sector as an outreach and shelter worker under the Government’s Rough Sleeper Initiative in 1991.
Accruing significant operational experience in housing, mental health, outreach and developing prison services, she is educated to post-graduate level in business management and went on to become New Business Director at St Mungo’s for 10 years.
Before joining Depaul UK, Alexia led on the Rebuilding Shattered Lives campaign to improve services for homeless women in the UK.
She also supported an exchange programme to help the women’s homelessness sector in the Czech Republic become established.
Miranda McLaren
Miranda is a compassionate architect and Director at Orms, where she leads housing projects with a focus on social and environmental sustainability. With experience across diverse housing types—from estate regeneration to co-living and senior living—Miranda is dedicated to creating inclusive, dignified housing solutions. Her journey into the complexities of emergency accommodation began seven years ago, co-designing a family shelter in Newham with fellow Architects Aware! member Polina.
Miranda and Polina later won a design competition initiated by Heather Macey, exploring innovative approaches to emergency youth accommodation. This led to the RIBA-funded "We Are Not Bad Kids" campaign, advocating for quality design in youth housing. Recently, Miranda co-authored the Family Emergency Housing Guidance with The Magpie Project, funded by Commonweal, providing vital insights for safe, high-quality family housing that meets urgent needs.
Jay Morton
Jay Morton is a Director at Bell Phillips Architects and the Founder of Architects for Change.
Phil Kerry
Phil is the Chief Executive of New Horizon Youth Centre. As long as young people find themselves homeless and unsafe in London, he will be on a mission to give their potential a home. Phil is a passionate advocate for what charities can and do achieve, often sharing his thoughts on the sector and the need for better leadership. Outside of his professional responsibilities (which take up most of his time), Phil mentors younger people in the sector, sits on the Board of OVO Energy’s Foundation, and occasionally organizes Cock-up Cocktails, a sector networking event centered around learning from failure.
Dieter Kleiner
Dieter is a founding director of RCKa, which was awarded Architect of the Year for Social Impact in 2022 for its body of work, that seeks to enhance the lives of people (250,000 by 2030).
His focus is to make things happen, which sees his work include project enablement, funding, strategy and asset development advice for public, private and VSO clients. These roles call upon his strategic design and stakeholder management skills that ensure projects under his direction secure local support and respond acutely to need. The practice is leading Camden’s trail-blazing new-build Family Hostel programme.
Catja De Haas
Catja is a qualified architect the founder and director of Catja de Haas Architects, an office with a long term interest in sustainability and bringing people together. Catja founded The Giant Dolls’ House Project, a social arts project that raises awareness for the importance of a home and community for all, on the back of her PhD by design. Catja qualified in Delft University under Professor Herzberger and holds an MA in housing and Urbanism from the AA in London and a PhD by design from UCL. Prior to setting up on her own she worked for Arata Isozaki, Itsuko Hasegawa in Tokyo, and Alsop Architects in London.
Polina Pencheva
Poli
Miles Delap
Miles Delap is a Chartered Civil Engineer, and a partner of Gardiner & Theobald with a team specialising in project management of complex building projects for a range of occupiers including hospitals, museums and galleries, universities, schools and commercial developers.