7 Women came together in December 2020 to apply for the LHC/Southwark framework; our challenge was how to win a place on ADS1.1 in this 2nd cohort competition? We decided to form a company with all 6 practices and with the support of a larger established practice at the time( Scott Brownrigg). We submitted within a month, just in time for the deadline end January 2021, and were the first of its kind. Out of 78 practices that applied 14 made the final list and Unionne was one of them- we’re considered the best of the best. We also won 4 out of 5 submissions made during that year, one of them being the commission as PM for the interiors project for the New Africa Centre, Southwark.

Our aim now is to secure more work on other frameworks, as well as through more strategic collaborations on projects where our unique mix of expertise, skill, and representation makes it easier to engage with and design for inner city communities.

It’s a recipe for success, where we also bring much needed respect, authority and cooperation to the dialogue between, client, consumer, design and construction teams. We will oil the wheels of such projects as we help to distil the myths about what people like us can and cannot do