Ellie Wells

Throughout my university years, I was drawn to social, humanitarian, community-led architecture for its capacity to welcome, empower and unite people. From conceptualising a Ministry for Dissidence in Sarajevo, to designing a climate resilient community food hub in East London, to exploring the role of agency in Jordanian refugee camps, my projects gravitated towards addressing the future resilience of cities through celebrating, preserving and nurturing the communities they served. Embedded in historic and local context, these projects explored how architecture can encourage and upscale activism and self-management in their city; elements I believe are fundamental to the city of the future.

Exploring these themes surrounding urban resilience has been integral to the way I continue to think about place, design and community. In practice, I have found myself drawn to projects that seek to reconnect and re-establish communities. Sketching enables me to reveal their stories, test design ideas and visualise their future spaces. At Studio Egret West, I am able to explore these interests within complex projects, striving to create collaborative, inclusive and flexible environments of the future.

I have a passion for creating places with a strong sense of identity. I believe understanding people and context is fundamental in creating resilient, diverse and vibrant communities.