The Role
We are looking to commission a freelancer to coordinate, deliver and analyse a pilot and test bed project for the Built Environment Trust. Rooted in conversations and practical engagements with residents and staff on a minimum of two housing estates in London we are looking to gather evidence for funding applications and to inform our understanding of the benefits a future project can deliver, what key barriers there might be and how to mitigate them.
Job Type
Freelance
The Brief
Earlier in the year we delivered a Design Sprint project together with the design practice IF_DO, University of the Arts and Stockwell Estate, we explored with residents and the management team, the lack of greenery on the estate, how this could be improved and if there was an appetite for more greenery on the estate. There definitely was a desire to add greenery and improve biodiversity and it is this project that is the foundations of our new commission.
The successful person/s would be working closely with the Head of Learning to plan the project and set outcomes. There would also be some practical support from the Trust on days of delivery. Although gathering evidence is paramount, this is an engagement project alongside its consultation focus and the project should be enjoyable and interesting to the participants in its own right and deliver positive outcomes. We are particularly looking towards the part of our mission that focus on inspiring and connecting people with their built environment.
We are looking to engage with two groups as part of the project: residents of identified estates and the management. This might happen as one group or separately, depending on what gives the best results for the project. In terms of the residents, we expect the appointed freelancer to make every effort to ensure that multiple voices are heard and different needs considered. Selection of estates and recruitment of participants will be a shared responsibility between the freelancer and BET. The final output would be a clear and astute report including evaluated outcomes, participants’ and estate management’s feedback and thoughts on a large-scale project with practical recommendations from the freelancer.
Who are the Built Environment Trust?
The Built Environment Trust’s (BET) mission is to inspire, connect and empower people to improve the quality of our built environment. The Trust’s public engagement initiatives aim to create a new generation of informed citizens who can understand and critically assess their built environment, recognise the ways it impacts communities, and advocate for the changes they want to see. Across its activities, BET seeks out opportunities to capture and disseminate knowledge as it is being created, producing public exhibitions and learning materials and white papers that are openly available to the public.
All BET initiatives grow out of our belief that the built environment shapes lives and communities, alongside our commitment to involving all members of society as knowledgeable and active voices in determining how we construct our future. These ideas inform our core principles which have been developed to help ensure that all of our projects, across our various initiatives, are planned, developed and implemented in service of our mission: to support people to build a better world.
Time commitments and delivery schedule
We are looking for the project to be delivered this autumn and we would like findings presented to us by the end of the year. A timeline might look something like this:
| Freelancer appointed | |
|
Planning & recruitment of participants |
3-4 weeks (Sep/Oct) |
|
Delivery |
3-4 weeks (Oct/Nov) |
|
Reflecting and creating a report |
4-5 weeks (Nov/Dec) |
|
Present report and wrap up |
1 week (Dec) |
The Budget
There is £6,300 available for this project (ex VAT). This is an inclusive fee and would cover all expenses such as, travel, incentives and other costs incurred as part of the delivery of the project. There is an additional £500 available for materials. The fee will be paid in two instalments, the first on signing of the contract and the second on delivery of the report.
Expression of interest
If you are interested in applying for this work, please write a short statement outlining your approach and any previous experiences that would be relevant. Please send us your expression of interest no later than Monday 16 September 2024 at 9am to shedblad@buildingcentre.co.uk.
If you would like to discuss the project beforehand, I would be more than happy to answer any questions.
Your expression of interest should include the following;
We will be looking for candidates who will be successful at communicating effectively and positively with a mixed group of stakeholders, deliver projects that motivate and bring out curiosity and excitement in participants, and who has experience of evaluating set outcomes and turning them into a useful report.
