The Glass-House: Community-led design

Link to web site

"The Glass-House is an independent national charity supporting and promoting public participation and leadership in the design of the built environment. We provide independent advice, training and hands-on support to community groups and organisations, housing associations, developers, local authorities and other stakeholders, to help them work more effectively together to create better quality places and spaces."

"Over the past year we've created new dialogues, provoked a wider audience and brokered new, exciting relationships and collaborations. We've helped shape and influence placemaking practice and worked with beneficiaries to share and celebrate their stories and knowledge. Our research partnerships with higher education are building an evidence base to support the movement of community led and participatory design, at a time when we are engaging with stakeholders from the housing and property industry like never before.

To find out more about our recent work and our future plans for supporting great placemaking please download our 2012/13 Year Review:
Supporting Great Placemaking in 2012/13: The Glass-House Community Led Design Year Review

We want to make great places a reality for everyone

"Since 2001 The Glass-House has been helping people make better buildings, spaces, homes and neighbourhoods. As a national charity we support and promote public participation and leadership in the design of the built environment.

"We champion great placemaking built on collaboration, and we bring people together through design to develop a shared path to better places.

We believe

• Design influences the way people feel about their homes, communities and neighbourhoods.
• Local people should be at the heart of changes to their neighbourhoods.
• Good design can lead to places that are better used, more easily managed and more sustainable.
• We should all be surrounded by buildings and spaces that delight us.

"We believe in the power of community led design to transform places and bring positive and lasting change to local people

We aim to promote and support community led and participatory design through:

• Improving awareness and understanding of design and how it affects our quality of life
• Providing the skills, confidence and practical tools to create inclusive and sustainable neighbourhoods
• Enabling a design process that involves local people and leads to delightful spaces and places that work for everyone
• Promoting respect and appreciation for what everyone can contribute to a collaborative process for change 

See our blog and project showcase for examples of our work."