Placed

21/08/2026

🎓 PLACED ACADEMY CASE STUDY: Zeke

Zeke took part in PLACED Academy Studio after discovering the programme through school and says the experience opened his eyes to the breadth of careers within the built environment.

Through PLACED Academy, Zeke developed his confidence, communication and teamwork skills, while gaining hands-on experience and the opportunity to share his ideas with professionals working on live projects across the city.

👏 Now, looking ahead to A-levels and a future in civil engineering or architecture, Zeke says the experience has given him new skills, connections and a much clearer understanding of the opportunities available to him!

To read Zeke’s case study in full, please head to: 🔗 placed-academy.com/news/case-study-zeke

19/08/2026

🎓 MANCHESTER PLACED ACADEMY STUDIO SUMMER SCHOOL 2026

We had an incredible four days at our 2026 Manchester PLACED Academy Studio Summer School!

Hosted by Manchester School of Architecture, we welcomed 40 young people to kick off our 2026-27 Studio programme.

Across four days, our young people stepped into the shoes of developers, urban planners, and local communities to tackle real-world questions to re-evaluate how town and city centres function and who they are truly built for.

✅ Our young people…

• Conducted a site analysis at All Saints Square, mapping safety, blind spots, and light levels. Live sketching, our cohort examined how lighting, heritage and weather impact how public spaces function across a 24-hour cycle, using their findings to design a new pavilion for the space.

• Working in partnership with Cityheart on a live research project, our cohort shared their perspectives on where they live, quality of life and what would make them stay in or leave an area. Their insights are directly shaping a youth-focused ‘toolkit’ for future designers and planners!

• Explored how the built environment impacts long-term health, job creation, sustainability and community safety, proving that design isn't just about how a building looks, but how it gives back.

• Constructed detailed masterplan models of town and city squares through 3D models and spatial planning. The Public Realm Team and Building Activation Team balanced their priorities to directly address the wants and needs of young people while also considering two selected community members.

• Pitched their final schemes, project boards, brand identity and social value strategies to a room full of supporting professionals and their peers.

🤝 Hearing directly from industry experts gave our young people a first-hand look into built environment careers and pathways. A big thank you to all those who shared their time, insights, and feedback with our students, including:

Andrew Sanderson, Olivia Roche and Darren Jones of Cityheart, Sofie Swindlehurst and Jasmine Whims of Landuse, Ashley Taylor of Define Architects, Sandeep Menon and Rachel Newton of MSOA, Jade Meeks and Jenny Etheridge of EWA, Andrew King and Rosa Kenny of Hawkins Brown, Sharvari Mate, Louise Fountain and Manou Veignal of SLR.

Another special thanks to Giulia Rauth and PLACED Ambassador Urooje Wahid of PLACED Academy Pathways and Academy Alumni Faizan Ahmed.

Thank you to Manchester School of Architecture for generously hosting in their beautiful space to inspire the next generation!

17/08/2026

We are delighted to have been shortlisted in the Liverpool Chamber 2026 Innovation and Impact Awards!

We are very proud to be finalists in the ‘People, Place, Planet’ category, sponsored by Growth Platform, ‘celebrating organisations whose ESG commitments translate into real, measurable impact - whether sustainability is fundamental to the business case or a leap beyond core operational expectations.’

An huge honour to be listed alongside other incredible local businesses! 👏

To find out more, please head to: 🔗 liverpoolawards.com/awards/people-place-planet

13/08/2026

We would like to wish our PLACED Academy Alumni and all those collecting results today a HUGE congratulations and the very best of luck on an exciting new chapter! 👏

As ever, whatever the grades, please remember that exam results DO NOT define you. There are many different routes to success, you should all be very proud of your journey!

12/08/2026

⏰ APPLY BY SUNDAY 16TH AUGUST

🎓 Could you be a PLACED Academy Alumni mentor?

No matter where you are in your own career, you’ve got something special to offer.

If you are based in the North West and can spare one hour per month to encourage, inspire and support a motivated young person, then our PLACED Academy Alumni Mentorship programme could be the perfect fit for you!

It only takes one supportive voice to give a young person the confidence to pursue their future career.

💥 DO NOT MISS OUT, MENTORSHIPS BEGIN SEPTEMBER 2026!

To find out more, please email: 💬 [email protected]

To APPLY NOW, please head to: 🔗 https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/4stvZrTsVQ

11/08/2026

📍 PROJECT: Westmorland and Furness Design Code

Westmorland and Furness Council, working with LUC, McMullan Studio and PLACED, has been developing a comprehensive Design Code to establish a clear vision for design quality across the council area. Early community and stakeholder engagement took place in summer 2024, gathering local views and preferences on what matters most for design in Westmorland and Furness.

The Council and partners developed and later published a draft Design Code for public consultation in November 2025, and in response to this, PLACED delivered a second round of engagement.

✅ PLACED provided multiple opportunities for people to share their views and kept local people and stakeholders informed and involved throughout the process.

A short survey was designed to collect views on the broader themes of the draft Design Code, and a longer survey was used to allow more detailed feedback on specific codes. In-person drop-in events and a series of workshops were also held across the area to ensure accessibility and enable face-to-face dialogue. The consultation emphasised that although the draft Design Code is technical, it should be shaped by local people and local knowledge.

Approximately 225 people and stakeholders shared their views through the consultation, generating thoughtful and detailed feedback from participants across the area!

To find out more about this project, please visit: 🔗 placed.org.uk/projects/westmorland-and-furness

04/08/2026

📣 Find out more and get involved!

Please head to: 🔗 placed.mysocialpinpoint.com/community-energy-LCR/

Free support on offer for community energy projects!

If you are part of a community organisation interested in producing, saving or sharing energy then free expert support is available.

Community energy is when local people work together to produce, save or share energy in ways that benefit them and their neighbourhood.

Projects could include:
• community-owned solar panels on community buildings such as village halls and schools to generate electricity
• shared battery storage systems to store energy for use when it is needed most
• insulation and draught-proofing schemes to help buildings stay warmer and use less energy
• heat pumps to provide low-carbon heating
• local electric vehicle charging points to support cleaner transport.

The Combined Authority and the North West Net Zero Hub are working with PLACED CIC to deliver a Community Energy Capacity Project across the region.

The project aims to help community organisations learn more about community energy and explore how locally-led energy projects could benefit their communities.

If you’re interested, visit our Information and Engagement Hub to find out about the support available to your organisation: https://ow.ly/NPbz50Zw3pX

03/08/2026

📍 PROJECT: BirkenEd’s Place, Wirral Council

Commissioned by Wirral Council, PLACED created BirkenEd’s Place as a welcoming community hub in the heart of Birkenhead. As the town is expected to go through major transformation as part of the Birkenhead 2040 Framework, the space was designed to put local people at the centre – making sure they had real opportunities to understand, shape and influence what happens next.

From November 2022 to October 2023, BirkenEd’s Place opened its doors to thousands of residents, workers and visitors offering an open invitation to explore the future of the town, have meaningful conversations and share ideas in an accessible setting.

✅ We turned a high street unit into a creative, welcoming space where anyone could pop in to learn what’s happening in Birkenhead, and have their say. Open four days a week, it became a familiar fixture in the town centre, hosting 59 free events including walking tours, art workshops and school visits.

Over 4,000 people visited BirkenEd’s Place - more than half had never taken part in anything like it before. Once inside the space, 92% felt able to share their views, 98% found the activities clear and easy to understand, and 98% enjoyed spending time in the space.

Insights and feedback directly shaped the next stage of each project, with reports feeding into design teams and decision-makers.��

To find out more about this project, please head to: 🔗 placed.org.uk/projects/birkeneds-place

31/07/2026

📣 SHARE YOUR VIEWS!

📍 Central Station Strategic Regeneration Framework

The area around Liverpool Central Station is set for a major transformation as part of the Central Station Strategic Regeneration Framework.

We want to know what local people, businesses, visitors and other stakeholders think about the future of the area before we develop detailed ideas. We’d love to heard from YOU!

Head to our online engagement platform to share your views by completing our quick survey, adding a pin to the interactive map and sharing your ideas on the ideas wall.

It takes just a few moments to get involved!

Please visit: 🔗 placed.mysocialpinpoint.com/centralstation
⏰ Online engagement open until SUNDAY 9TH AUGUST

🤝 We're proud to be part of the team working on the area around Liverpool Central Station to produce a Strategic Regeneration Framework. Working with Liverpool City Council, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Platform4

30/07/2026

🎓 LIVERPOOL PLACED ACADEMY STUDIO SUMMER SCHOOL 2026

What a week! 👏

Hosted by the University of Liverpool in their new School of Architecture building, we welcomed 54 young people to kick off our 2026-27 Studio programme.

Across four days, our cohort stepped into the shoes of developers, urban planners and local communities to tackle real-world questions to re-evaluate how town and city centres function and who they are truly built for.

✅ Our young people...

• Conducted a site analysis in a mini project at Abercromby Square, mapping safety, blind spots and light levels. Live sketching, they examined how lighting, heritage and weather impact how public spaces function, using their findings to design a new pavilion for the space.

• Working in partnership with Cityheart on a live research project, our cohort shared their honest perspectives on where they live and what would make them stay in or leave an area. Their insights are directly shaping a youth-focused 'toolkit' for future designers and planners!

• Explored how the built environment impacts long-term health, job creation, sustainability and community safety, proving that design isn't just about how a building looks, but how it gives back.

• Constructed detailed masterplan models of town and city squares. The Public Realm Team and Building Activation Team balanced their priorities to directly address the wants and needs of young people while also considering community members.

• Pitched their final schemes, project boards, brand identity and social value strategies to a room full of supporting professionals and their peers.

🤝 Hearing directly from industry experts gave our young people a first-hand look into built environment careers and pathways. A big thank you to all the professionals who shared their time and insight:

Penny Langton, Anika Day and Andrew Sanderson, Chloe Mickleburgh of Cityheart, Lucretia Ray of Liverpool School of Architecture, Daniel Wiglesworth, Joe Smith and Lauren Neary of Avison Young, Treicy Javiera Letelier and Claudia Frost of Land Studio, Penny Fletcher of K2 Architects, Sharon Kayll Mathews of GRAHAM Group

Along with PLACED Ambassador Peter White and Academy Alumni Elise Ainsworth, Adam James and Janna Abdullah.

Special thanks to the University of Liverpool School of Architecture for generously hosting us and opening up their beautiful space to inspire the next generation!

Next week, we head to the Manchester School of Architecture for our Manchester Summer School. We can't wait to welcome our Manchester cohort and dive into another action-packed week!