Partner Carl Vann opened our first conference day of 2025 with a simple yet pressing question: “What do we mean by active frontages?” It’s a term planners and others use frequently yet often struggle to define. We know it’s not just about vast expanses of glass, but how do we help educate the industry on ground floor approaches that truly contribute to the urban experience.

As Carl explained, our work frequently grapples with the challenge of designing buildings that meet planning demands for ‘active’ frontages on all sides. Traditionally, active frontages engage the street, fostering vibrant public spaces and supporting economic and social activity. However, achieving this is not always straightforward. Practical constraints—such as servicing requirements, fire safety regulations, and commercial viability—often limit activation potential.

Two insightful sessions by experts Andrew Sissons and Paul Augarde anchored our day, each one bringing a unique perspective on why ground floors are fundamental to vibrant, economically successful, and community-driven places.

Andrew Sissons, former head of regeneration at Hackney Council and now director of AND London, kicked off his session with a clear message: “Failing to integrate active frontages into your developments can lead to lifeless urban environments.”

Drawing from experience, Andrew urged developers to challenge planning approaches that simply meet technical requirements rather than fostering real engagement. He emphasised early consultation with local communities, ensuring developments respond to actual needs rather than assumptions. This, he argued, not only enhances placemaking but also delivers stronger financial returns over time.

One of the biggest challenges, he pointed out, is the common prioritisation of upper-floor residential development over ground-floor activation. The result? Empty, uninspiring storefronts that developers often scramble to fix years later - at great expense. He cited case studies demonstrating the economic advantage of integrating community spaces, creative workspaces, and flexible commercial strategies that support both social and financial sustainability.

Post-COVID, urban spaces need to move beyond traditional retail dependency. Andrew advocated for experiential, mixed-use ground floors that reflect local character and provide value beyond transactions. Andrew’s key takeaway? “Active frontages aren’t just about compliance; they are fundamental to long-term success.”

Later in the day, Paul Augarde and Jamie Robinson, directors at Augarde & Partners, took the conversation further, focusing on vibrancy and placemaking. “A place can die if its ground floor is not activated,” he warned, highlighting how neglecting ground-level spaces can lead to sterile, uninviting streetscapes.

Paul, alongside his partner Jamie Robinson, critiqued the widespread tendency to treat ground floors as an afterthought while maximising residential values above. Planning approaches where pedestrian engagement at ground level is prioritised have a much better chance of generating thriving, attractive urban environments, he said.

He also called for an end to outdated zoning approaches, which arbitrarily divide town centres without considering how developments connect to their surroundings. Instead, he argued for “intensity” - ground floors designed as dynamic interfaces between buildings and people. As Paul put it, "It's less about asking what people want and more about understanding existing needs and futures."

According to Paul, cultural hubs – like the jazz club PTE has proposed at the base of its recent 29-storey housing development in Stratford – as well as creative workspaces, and adaptable commercial strategies, are crucial in driving footfall, strengthening local economies, and fostering meaningful social connections.

Ultimately, Paul echoed Andrew’s message: active frontages aren’t just about retail – and they’re way more than glass facades; they are the bridge between architecture and community. If cities want to create spaces that are both economically resilient and socially vibrant, they must stop treating the ground floor as an afterthought. Instead, it should be the starting point for great placemaking. "What we're missing is transforming the methods of planning from being purely economic to embracing community identity,” he concluded.

To celebrate Women’s History Month this year we reviewed our own work through a feminist lens, as part of our Conference Day Thursday at Four session. We wanted to focus on how taking this approach could lead to more equitable placemaking and urban design, where safety, children and accessibility for all are prioritised.

After my introduction and overview of this complex topic, our office coordinator, Negin Namdar, guided us through existing ‘gender mainstreaming’ projects. She first introduced Vienna’s pioneering gender-sensitive initiative, Frauen-Werk-Stadt - a 357-home development completed in 1997, designed exclusively by women and centered around women's daily lives and experiences. Next, she highlighted Barcelona’s pedestrian-friendly superblocks, which prioritize people - families, the elderly, and children - over cars.

Associate architect Rebecca Lee then brought us back to London, with a refresher on key recommendations and insights from recent gender-inclusive design guidelines - the London Legacy Development Corporation’s handbook Creating Places that Work for Women and Girls and This is for the Majority, published last year by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Architect Nina Virdi emphasised how an intersectional approach, taking protected characteristics into account – neurodivergence for example - is key to equitable design. She identified three key themes integral to gender-inclusive design: accessibility, safety, and a care-centred approach.

We then split into groups for partner Sarah Eastham’s workshop – persona-led urban design. Sarah allocated characters to each PTE staff member: fictional local residents and neighbourhood visitors with diverse lived experiences and priorities. Our colleagues were asked to imagine a day in their lives at one of our schemes – from Riba award-winning Dover Court and City Park West in Chelmsford, to Eastman Village, East Square in Basildon and Coronation Square, which is nearing completion in Leyton - and what we might redesign to improve their experience.

Lighting, navigation, play on the way, overlooking, and inter-generational and affordable housing were key topics of discussion. Using these insights we plan to create our own gender-inclusive design checklist to help shape our projects in the future.

Oh – and we expanded our library too – with 100 Women: Architects in Practice by Monika Parrinder, Naomi House, Harriet Harriss, and Tom Ravenscroft. Great book!