Mairi Laverty, Director at Glasgow-based Collective Architecture, reflects on a suddenly positive UKREiiF, the growing momentum behind housing financial investment in Scotland, and the importance of socially mindful cooperation in forming the next generation of retrofit and new-build jobs.
Mairi Laverty, Director at Collective Architecture at UKREiiF 2026.
What has been your experience of UKREiiF 2026?
I included a little unpredictability about participating this year, however after the first day I was happily surprised by the panels and discussions I went to, and by the optimism around financial investment, especially around real estate, which is a crucial interest of ours.
Which talks or occasions stood out?Being from
Scotland, and with the majority of our operate in Scotland, I concentrated on the Scottish pavilions, Scottish events and Glasgow-focused sessions. Finding out more about the chances and investment coming to Scotland was truly important, and seeing the Scottish representation was extremely encouraging.
What will you reclaim to the office?Optimism is the essential thing. It was a suggestion to look beyond our own limits, to be available to various ideas and ideas, and to keep leaning into collaboration working. That is something we already do nationally as Collective Architecture, but there is a real chance to build on it further. What was your program before reaching UKREiiF?Much of our work remains in the public
sector, consisting of retrofit tasks including structures from the 1950s, as well as new-build work. I was interested in meeting like-minded people, particularly socially conscious designers and others who value a collective technique. What does the rest of 2026 and early 2027 appear like for Cumulative Architecture?It is hectic. There was a quieter start to the year, but a lot
of jobs that had been waiting to move on are now advancing. We have a large task
at Catherinefield Farm in Dumfries, with around 300 homes. It is the largest housing advancement in that region and has protected preparing approval. Along with that, we have a rich mix of other projects at various phases. Existed anything else that struck you about the week so far?The positivity was something I was not anticipating. There was a real sense of joined-up thinking and conversation around collaboration and the need for partnership working. It was not almost focusing on one little part of the problem. Individuals were looking at the larger picture. Collective Architecture is part of the Regenerative Architecture Index.