In the beginning

Craig White’s diary

At the end of January we were 14 years old. From the start we wanted to set up different kind of practice. We knew what we didn’t want to be, but had yet to fully define what we were going to be. One thing was clear, we had a simple aim – to help our clients live, work and learn more sustainably through the design of the buildings, places and landscapes we designed for them.

As a small start-up practice with our first project, a team of three and this certainty, we created our office culture as we went. It happened by osmosis and we changed as we grew – we were excited and knew the direction we wanted to take. Then we became concerned not to dilute the ethos and debated what size we should be. Should we be 10 or 15 people, and what would happen if we grew to 20? But we realised numbers should not define us. Our challenge was to design a sustainable practice that embedded our ethos irrespective of size.

We wouldn’t set up our practice around projects. Projects come and go, ranging from £50k to £25m. We needed to make sure we met our staff’s needs as well as our clients’. And projects are bullies: they’re demanding, always shouting for attention, always getting what they want. We also wanted to avoid setting up ghettos of sector specialisation, where people got pigeonholed.

What emerged is a practice which happens to have 23 staff, with what we call communities of about eight people each, who are a representative mix of everyone at White Design. Led by a co-ordinator, communities look after each other and all aspects of day to day business. They are also places where staff can grow a range of skills. For example, each community has knowledge, IT and office co-ordinators who meet regularly with peers from other communities to ensure that things work and experiences are shared. Another is the Life@ co-ordinator. Life@ White Design is where we ensure that we practice what we preach. These co-ordinators arrange our social life and remind us to have fun. They also ensure that each week one community prepares lunch for everyone else in the office.

So this is what we are: a practice where respect for people and planet underpins, overarches and threads through everything we do.

Craig White is a founder director at White Design