Davids West and Taylor catch up on the phone about the former’s Earls Court masterplan win, collaboration, the importance of public realm and DNA of places, being a ‘jazz’ practice, and doing a whoop and a jig around the garden on hearing good news…

David Taylor: Hi David, how are you? 

David West: Hey! I’m very well, thanks mate.

DT: So what has lockdown been like for you?

DW: A rollercoaster, I guess, like for many others. There’s been highs, there’s been lows.  There have been moments of being very aware of what's going on in the world and very concerned about it, and then there's been moments of really enjoying spending time with my children, my family and my local neighbourhood.

DT:  Which is where?

DW: Herne Hill/North Dulwich, and I've really grown to understand the value of the Dulwich Estate and its myriad parks and gardens and plethora of gigantic trees.

DT: It is interesting you mention that because obviously public realm is something you care passionately about as a practice. Would that be a fair assessment?

DW: Yes! It’s really to the fore of our thinking. We often refer to the public realm as being the DNA of the place, and we now have eight landscape architects full-time within our 70 strong team. And we're actually authoring, on many, many occasions the public realm within our framework plans and offering this symbiosis of architecture, urban design and landscape within many of our commissions.

DT: Now, two weeks ago I spoke to Roger Hawkins, who's obviously well known to you as a practice; you've collaborated with them before I think in Sheffield predominantly, and now you're going to be collaborating again I see (at Earl’s Court)

DW: Yeah, we’ve collaborated many times over the years. Sheffield was the first outing. We then worked together at Nottingham Science Park, then we worked on the East Croydon masterplan and bridge, and then Middle Harbour village in South Quay, Canary Wharf. And then, most recently we have two connected commissions. We are the architects and placemaking for the transformation of Smithfield market. They are looking at the public realm surrounding the market and adjoining. So, yes, so we know and work with them very well. We're very excited to be collaborating together again and working 50:50 on the overarching masterplan for Earl’s Court.

DT:  Where were you when you heard the news that you'd won? And what is the secret of collaboration, would you say?

DW:  I was in my shed! (laughs) 

DT: (laughs) 

DW: I have a shed at the bottom of the garden – a little garden room, where I’ve been spending lockdown! (laughs) 

DT: Were you pottering? 

DW: No, I was on a very official call! (laughs). Six o'clock on a Sunday night - it sounds like it might be good news for 6:00 o'clock on a Sunday night.

What’s the secret?  We think that the age of the starchitect is potentially in question, or the value of a starchitect is now in question. Actually, we are of an age where the next generation really want to have places designed by many hands, whether that be through community, co-authorship or listening and responding to myriad stakeholders and the ability for everyone to pick up a pen and have their voices heard – their ideas tested – is crucial. And so therefore collaboration and collaboration with another designer? It just makes sense; it's quite natural. 

We also think that collaboration gets the best outcome for our clients and communities because ideas are generated and tested and people don't get lazy and say: “this is my idea and it’s the only idea”. There's constantly a level of iteration and challenge and a positive energy.

DT: So when did you know that your particular ‘fit’ was working? Was it on that first project that you got involved with?

DW: I suppose yes, and also the relationship has matured. I think the benefit of the collaboration is perhaps Studio Egret West bringing a great deal of placemaking and public realm experience and Hawkins \Brown having a significant amount of infrastructure and transport interface experience, both of which are crucial to the evolution of the vision for Earl’s Court.  We have a huge amount of constraints, huge amounts of infrastructural challenges and we need a big picture ambition and a big vision and we need to combine the two, both of us always combining poetry and practice.

DT: You describe your outlook as a practice as ‘more of a jazz band than an orchestra’, I note from your website. Could you enlarge on that?

DW: Well, we pride ourselves on being a studio and not an office, and anybody who's visited the studio is quickly reminded of that. I guess the reason why we refer to that is because we really value the notion that, once you finish your education in a collegiate or University environment that your education is not over, and you shouldn't suddenly have to fit within a kind of a very hierarchical structure where you’re told what to do. And we love hearing people’s opinions and we love inspiring people to feel confident to try things out, to get things wrong, to learn and to share. And therefore we are not always perfectly in sync! (laughs).

We're not an orchestra, and we are definitely more of a jazz band, and every now and then people play their own riffs and we learn from those and the music becomes richer.

DT: Love it! So: just back on Earl’s Court for a moment: when you were in your shed and you heard the news, did you whoop? Did they hear you from the house? How did you celebrate?

DW: (laughs) There was a whoop. And it was quickly followed by a nice cold pale ale. (laughs) And I did a jig around the garden. Yeah. It was it was a tough competition and we were delighted with the outcome.

DT: Sorry, one last question. What was it do you think that tipped the balance in your favour?  

DW: In all honesty, enthusiasm. It’s a short answer but is actually the truth.  Every single person that interviewed us we asked what made us win and they said: ‘your enthusiasm’. (laughs) What about our amazing designs? ‘Your enthusiasm’ (laughs). But maybe we need that in a post-Covid world! Open-mindedness and enthusiasm. 

DT: Maybe! 

Brilliant! Thanks David

DW: Thanks! Bye!