An Architecture of “Intention”
August 2026
Director Simon Henley, Associate April Glasby and Architect Elliott Wang have recently written an essay for Rassegna Di Architecture E Urbanistica, volume 177, published by the Sapienza University of Rome, entitled An Architecture of “Intention”.
The article explores the conditions which catalyse modes of Intergenerational living - proposing how this becomes less a defined typology and rather can be examined through questions of intention: how we choose to live together, and how architecture can enable that choice.
The essay draws on examples of both the practice’s work examining projects such as Copper Lane and 333 Kingsland Road, whilst selecting writings and architecture from the early to mid 20th Century which highlight that ideas of community and design which activate intergenerational environments are present but are often under appreciated within our built environment.
The article concludes that intergenerational living should be able to step away from being viewed as a standalone typology, but in order to do so “urban design and planning policy must progress in tandem”. Ultimately, “Integrating intention across scales [will cultivate] communities that thrive across generations.”