How Can the Built Environment Sector Authentically Integrate Co-design

Our Vision: A society where everyone has the opportunity to shape our world.Our Purpose: Beyond the Box believes in  creating equity by design

Beyond The Box CIC

This in-conversation event will explore how the built environment sector can authentically integrate co-design with young people.

Zaha Hadid Architects

<h1>How can the built environment sector authentically integrate co-design with young people, with Beyond the Box</h1> Set against the backdrop of Beyond the Box’s much-anticipated People’s Pavilion 2025, opening this summer at the William Morris Gallery, join us for this dynamic event that explores the transformative potential of co-design.How can architecture and design practices move beyond tokenistic engagement to truly embed youth leadership and lived experience into the spaces we live, work, and play in?This in-conversation session explores how the sector can embrace co-design as a powerful, authentic approach to creating places that reflect and respond to a new generation of thinkers, makers, and change-makers. It invites you into a vital conversation about the role of young people in shaping the built environment.Speakers &amp; Panellists:<ol><li>Michelle Sin - Architect, Zara Hadid Architects</li><li>Nile Bridgeman – Architect, Writer and Co-founding director of Saqqra</li><li>Shirin Naveed – Architectural Assistant &amp; Multi-disciplinary Creative</li><li>Tomi Balogun – Architectural Student &amp; People’s Pavilion 2023 Co-designer</li><li>Akif Rahman – Aspiring architectural designer, co-founder of Cor Collective</li><li>Joshua Carnaje – Aspiring Young Designer; People’s Pavilion 2025 Participant</li><li>Sukhy Kaur – Aspiring Young Designer; People’s Pavilion 2025 Participant</li><li>Blessing Uzoh – Aspiring Young Designer; People’s Pavilion 2025 Participant</li></ol>Chaired by:Neil Onions – Director, Beyond the Box CICRooted in creativity, collaboration, and community voice, this series of events celebrates co-design as a driver for inclusion, imagination, and systemic change.Spanning architecture, public space, and cultural institutions, each session brings together young people, industry professionals, and thought leaders to spotlight lived experience, bold ideas, and new approaches to shaping our world together.From conversation to provocation, join us as we explore what it truly means to design with, not for, and how we can co-create a more equitable, inspiring future.Be part of the conversation. Be part of the change. Speaker and Pannellist BiosMichelle Sin is an architect based in London. Sydney-born, internationally-bred, she finds strength in a cross-disciplinary and multicultural awareness when navigating the landscape of architecture and design. She has worked mainly on educational and residential projects at studios like Zaha Hadid Architects, Rick Mather Architects and Aedas, with a growing interest in adaptive re-use and emerging methods of material assemblies. She has also collaborated on projects and delivered workshops with Serpentine Gallery, AA Visiting School and more recently, programmes like Accelerate and Girls Under Construction, expanding her experience with engaging young people in spatial thinking.Nile Bridgeman is an architect, writer and co-founding director of Saqqra, an architecture and research studio based in London. Saqqra create environments reflective of the multiplicity of the people that inhabit them; through an investigation of the site-specific, they aim to unlock new material and cultural narratives. Prior to establishing Saqqra, Nile was a co-founding member of Afterparti, a collective creating platforms for radical, under-represented voices in the culture and criticism of architecture through their event-and-zine series of the same name. He was a member of the inaugural Civic Futures cohort - an initiative by Dark Matter Labs, Koreo and the Young Foundation, in partnership with the Greater London Authority to support a group of 24 in developing and delivering ideas around creating transformative social change.Shirin Naveed is a multidisciplinary artist, spatial designer, DJ, and creative producer whose work spans the intersections of architecture, public art, community engagement, migration, and sound. Through mediums including craft, carpentry, photography, sound, and 3D design, Shirin explores how environments shape identity and the evolving relationships between people and place. She uses co-design, oral histories, workshop facilitation, and research as core methodologies. Shirin was an integral part of the People’s Pavilion in both 2021 and 2023, helping shape a new standard for youth-led design and public space. She has worked across the arts and built environment sectors with DSDHA, Beyond the Box, The Line Art Walk, IKON Gallery, and more, alongside her freelance practice. A DJ and member of DAYTIMERS and Mehfil Arts, she was also a recipient of UCL Trellis artist funding. Shirin is currently pursuing a Master’s in Architecture at the RCA and recently co-designed ARRIVALS, Glastonbury’s first dedicated South Asian space.Akif Rahman is an aspiring architectural designer who studied at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. His work is deeply influenced by cultural pedagogy, visual storytelling, and the ongoing process of decolonisation—interests rooted in his familial history and inherited generational memories. He is the co-founder of Cor Collective, an educational initiative that brings people together through peer-to-peer mentoring, research trips, and community salons. Akif has collaborated with renowned institutions including Rich Mix, House of Annetta, Bold Tendencies, Nottingham Contemporary, Freelands Foundation, and the Royal Academy of Arts.He is the winner of Beyond the Box’s Expressions of Resilience design competition, a member of the Barbican Renewal Co-Design Programme, and an active facilitator in the People’s Pavilion 2025. Akif is also part of the 2025 cohort of New Architecture Writers and a Young Producer for the RA’s Access25 programme, continuing his commitment to inclusive and community-rooted design.Tomi Balogun is a second-year architecture student at the Bartlett School of Architecture with a passion for human-centred design. Her journey began at 15 through the Ardagh Young Creatives programme at the Design Museum, igniting a lasting interest in architecture. Since then, she has participated in Open City’s Accelerate and Curators programmes, and continues to mentor new cohorts. In 2023, Tomi co-designed Roots of Heritage, the winning People’s Pavilion structure installed at Lea Bridge Library. The interactive project celebrated cultural diversity and encouraged community storytelling through the ‘Things You Wish to Say but Never Have’ initiative. Her team was awarded an RIBA certificate of participation for the work. Most recently, Tomi received the RIBA Student Award for Diversity and Inclusion for her project The Sanctuary of Sound, which responds to the sensory needs of neurodivergent individuals. She aims to challenge conventions and champion inclusion through architecture that truly listens.Joshua Carnaje is an emerging designer and aspiring architect, currently part of the 2025 People’s Pavilion cohort. He is co-designing a new pavilion to be installed at the William Morris Gallery in summer 2025, collaborating with professionals to explore materials, sustainability, and storytelling through space. Passionate about community-led design, Joshua is particularly interested in how architecture can foster connection, belonging, and social change.His commitment to inclusive and sustainable design is reflected in his growing portfolio of experiences, which includes placements at architecture and engineering firms and attending events like the Festival of the Future at RIBA. These experiences have allowed him to engage with aspects of the industry often overlooked in traditional education. Through the People’s Pavilion, Joshua is gaining hands-on insight into participatory design while championing underrepresented voices. He represents a new generation of creatives shaping a future where architecture is more equitable, joyful, and rooted in community.Sukhy (Sukhdeep) Kaur is an A-level student and prospective architecture student with a deep interest in the built environment and community-focused design. Sukhy is passionate about creating spaces that foster connection and inclusivity, she explores how different interpretations of community can be integrated into design. As an aspiring designer, Sukhy is part of this year’s People’s Pavilion 2025 Co-design cohort, where she collaborates with like minded pupils on an innovative and socially impactful project.She has also participated in multiple work experiences, including Open City’s Accelerate, Design Museum’s Ardagh Young Creatives and Drawing Matter’s Architecture Summer School and many more. These experiences expanded her understanding of architecture, urbanism and the role of design shaping communities. At A-level, Sukhy studies Graphic design and Interior architectural design, refining her creative and technical skills.Blessing Uzoh is an aspiring young architect and designer, passionate about creating spaces that prioritise communities and sustainability, currently part of the 2025 cohort of the People’s Pavilion. As one of the selected young creatives, she is co-designing a new pavilion that will be installed at the William Morris Gallery in summer 2025. This opportunity allows her to collaborate with industry professionals and other young designers to push creative boundaries in public space designs. Also a part of the RIBA Youth Forum, she exposes herself to new opportunities for collaboration, presentations and design projects, including exploring historical architecture in London. From work experiences and insight days, she has been able to expand her knowledge in this industry. This has allowed her to develop her skills in model-making, historical research and technical drawing. Blessing advocates for a built environment that promotes the well-being of communities.Chaired byNeil Onions FRIBA is a creative strategist, cultural leader, and Founding Director of Beyond the Box CIC, an award-winning social enterprise creating space for culture and community to connect. Based in London, Neil brings over 20 years of experience in co-design, placemaking, and youth-led engagement. His work champions equity, representation, and spatial justice, collaborating with institutions like the London Museum, V&A Museum, and the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre redevelopment.He leads projects that centre underrepresented voices, including the People’s Pavilion, Barbican Renewal Co-Design Programme, and Festival of the Future. With a background in education, youth work, and the built environment, Neil designs participatory processes that are as impactful as the outcomes. Whether curating public programmes or advising on policy, his approach is rooted in care, creativity, and collaboration, pushing for systemic change and empowering communities, especially young people, to shape the spaces around them and feel true ownership over the places they live in.&amp; Yashneil Ramlall is an A Level student currently studying Maths, Physics, and Computer Science, with ambitions to pursue a career in structural engineering. Passionate about problem-solving and innovation, he thrives when learning through hands-on experience and real-world application. Yash brings curiosity and enthusiasm to everything he does, always keen to explore how things work and how they can be improved.His interest in engineering has been a driving force in his involvement with the People’s Pavilion 2025, where he has taken a particular focus on the structural and engineering elements of the project. He has actively participated in a range of workshops led by renowned architectural practices and engineering firms, gaining valuable insight into the built environment and the collaborative nature of design. Through these experiences, Yash continues to build both his technical knowledge and creative thinking, ready to shape the future with a thoughtful and practical approach to engineering.

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How Can the Built Environment Sector Authentically Integrate Co-design

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