Shawn Adams is an architect and outreach lead at HTA Design. He co founded POoR Collective (Power Out Of Restriction), a platform that works with young people to co design projects and build real skills. His work sits at the intersection of practice, education and community, bringing young voices into live briefs and treating them as the client.

He is a published writer with bylines in Wallpaper, Frame and Icon. He trained at Portsmouth and the Royal College of Art, and came through the New Architecture Writers programme. Shawn’s focus is clear. Make design public. Cut the jargon. Open the door for the next generation.

0:00 - Intro

1:15 - Why architecture?

2:07 - Experience at architecture school

4:20 - Founding the POoR Collective

7:15 - What do the POor Collective do?

8:38 - Finding the balance between designer and facilitator

11:40 - Build the Way Internship

12:40 - Getting people to believe in your ideas

14:25 - Working at HTA Design

19:32 - Becoming a published writer in design

22:16 - The relationship between architecture and writing

24:37 - The architect as the polymath

28:22 - Communicating design via social media

30:38 - Drop the jargon

33:19 - Increasing representation in architecture

36:13 - Has your career turned out how you imagined?

40:18 - Advice for the next generation

43:46 - What change do you hope to see in the industry?