AT chats to JJ Lorraine from Morrow + Lorraine about persuading the GLA and local authorities to divert S106 budgets towards trainees, the joys of ‘plug-and-play’ and ‘desk-to-bed’ and submitting ideas to paper in the middle of the night.
What do you hope to get out of attending UKREiiF?
Last time I learned a lot, it was a great event. I was educated by cool teenagers at The Regeneration Brainery studio. I was inspired by smart folk working on climate-positive solutions and I loved the connections and conversations that were made around the conference fringe. So more of all that please.
What are you looking forward to most?
With MORE and South Facing we are co-hosting a party for people who believe in connecting others together. As an invitee you get a PLUS ONE; to bring someone along you’d like to see do well. Look out for the PLUSONE bright orange business cards with a guestlist QR code or contact me on LinkedIn for an invite.
Aerial view of M+L’s transformation of 25 Moorgate, currently on site.
If you could change anything about UKREiiF what would it be?
I think they have got the programme, mix of attendees and general vibe just right. For example, on Thursday, Olivia Benjamin MacDonald, the Programme Co-ordinator of Build The Way and I will attend the Social Value Summit which focuses on hearing the voices of Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises. We are there to learn but also to try and persuade the GLA and local authorities to divert a tiny amount of their S106 budgets towards funding the 2025/6 intake of trainees. I’d also love to see some kind of post-event follow-up on the impact that the event has on actual deals, project updates and new transactions.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m happy to say that all our commercial, residential and leisure projects have a re-use focus. There are 7 projects on site including 25 Moorgate in The City and The Mayfair Quarter in Westminster. Ebury Gate is a deep retrofit projects that will extend the life of the building for another 30 years. We have completed the first of four Padel tennis clubs, the practice’s first leisure projects. Many of our commercial projects we now design as fully fitted as ‘plug-and-play’ workplaces. We anticipate doing more ‘desks-to-beds’ projects for B-grade offices if the BSA doesn’t kill all appetite for this emerging sector specialism.
Facade view of Ebury Gate, a deep retrofit project for Grosvenor and view of the proposed co-working area at High Holborn House.
What keeps you awake at night?
I’m fortunate that I sleep soundly but if I’m awoken in the night, it’s typically due to the spark of ideas. A technique that works for me is to get up, leave the bedroom, turn on the lights and then madly try to commit everything to paper. Once they’re emptied from my head, sleep seeps back in.
