The built environment sector is evolving rapidly, but pathways into it and through it are not always keeping pace. As careers become increasingly non-linear, questions of access, progression and belonging remain central to shaping a more inclusive and representative industry. 

In the NLA NextGen Committee, these questions sit at the heart of our 2026 programme. Following the launch of our NextGen Rising workstream at the end of 2025, we are focusing on how emerging professionals enter, navigate and grow within the sector – and what needs to change to better support them. As Chair of the group, I’m particularly excited that these questions are embedded in our future activities. 

A key part of this work is ensuring that the voices shaping these conversations reflect the breadth of the sector itself. Following an open call earlier this year, we are delighted to welcome seven new members to the NextGen Committee. 

Welcoming new voices 

The selection process was conducted through a structured scoring approach against published criteria, ensuring alignment with the committee’s priorities, a balance of disciplines and seniority, and a diversity of perspectives. 

We are thrilled to welcome: 

The open call explicitly encouraged applications from those working in varied roles and sectors, as well as those from smaller organisations. These new members reflect that ambition. They bring perspectives that are currently underrepresented within the committee, strengthening our ability to engage with the realities of a broad and evolving built environment sector.

Their contributions will be central to shaping our NextGen Rising work, particularly in exploring progression pathways, skills development, and inclusive workplace cultures.

Looking ahead

Over the coming months, we will be advancing this work through a programme of events, research and collaboration across the NLA network.

As part of the London Festival of Architecture 2026, we will host NextGen Rising: Shape Your Path on 9th  June at Hawkins\Brown, in collaboration with the NLA Diverse Leaders Steering Group.

Built environment careers are rarely linear. This interactive workshop will bring together emerging and established voices to explore how early and mid-career professionals can navigate non-linear journeys. Through a series of PechaKucha-style presentations, speakers will share key skills that have shaped their careers – from communication and public speaking to resilience and confidence. Participants will then take part in breakout sessions to develop these skills in practice, gaining tangible tools and insights.

Grounded in themes of belonging, interdisciplinary practice and agency, the event will offer a supportive space to reflect, connect and take meaningful steps towards shaping a more intentional career path.

Alongside this, we will convene an industry roundtable exploring how people enter, move through and remain in the built environment – and why the system continues to produce unequal outcomes. Bringing together institutional, delivery and alternative actors, this conversation will examine where change can realistically be made within this complex and distributed ecosystem of a sector, and who is best placed to drive it.

Our summer party will provide an opportunity for the wider NextGen community to come together, build connections and celebrate emerging talent. Looking ahead to the autumn, committee members will also be contributing to the NLA public programme through Coffee Conversations and participating in events such as London Real Estate Forum.

Shaping what comes next
 
Taken together, this programme reflects a continued commitment to supporting the next generation of built environment professionals – not only by creating space for connection and learning, but by actively interrogating how the sector itself can evolve and change to support emerging professionals.
 
As the NextGen community grows, so too does its potential to influence how the industry thinks about progression, representation and leadership. We look forward to working with our new committee members, collaborators and wider network over the year ahead to turn these conversations into meaningful action.