Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from all of us at Collective Works! 2020 has indeed been a difficult year for most, and it has required us to adapt, both physically and virtually, our personal and professional lives. In these precarious times we have necessarily had to adapt our workspaces, be it the communal office, or, for those of us who could, set up a remote home office. To keep businesses afloat specifically over long periods of physical closure, many have had to diversify their services offered, none more so than those working in the hospitality sector.

With much dedication and hard work, our old clients at Heads & Tails cocktail bar, have expanded their services from a traditional bar which relied on footfall, to a takeaway and home delivery service. Early last year they developed a vast selection of delicious pre-mixed takeaway cocktails to enjoy at home. They have also got stuck into virtual online classes and now deliver weekly online mixology courses. This period has reinforced the significant role hospitality venues like Heads & Tails play within our local communities, not only as spaces of social gathering, but also spaces of placemaking, generators of local jobs and hubs of activity.

Collective Works, and the architecture industry as a whole, also had to adapt to the way we work and operate in order to continue providing valuable services to our clients. Fortunately, as a studio that has practiced remote working for several years, we were not completely thrown into the unknown when we had to set up remote working. However, working remotely all of the time was a new territory for us and made effective communication all the more important. To this end we established regular virtual meetings throughout the week in both large groups and smaller ones, in order to keep up to date and on track with various projects running simultaneously. We also carried out socially distanced site meetings when possible and safe, virtual homeowner consultations via video conference, as well as delivering a full set of drawings to our clients through the post.

In order to maintain excellent visual and verbal communication with our clients, we expanded our scope of deliverables issued to our clients across project stages. We adopted the online simple 3D model platform – Modelo.  This accessible tool allows our clients to explore the proposed design in 3D from within their own home. We use this online tool to accompany a virtual video call with one of the partners so that a more holistic overview of the project can be understood and allow for greater clarity and discussion regarding the project intentions and aspirations.

To keep memento rolling and spirits high within our team we have carried out regular virtual meetings for both professional gatherings and social ones. Earlier last year, we established monthly team days in which we carry out knowledge sharing, training, business development and end the day with a virtual drink. These days have proven to be very successful and we will continue to hold them going forward with the hope that in the near future we can enjoy them together once we’re back in the studio.