The Baylight Fellowship

Accredited by Open City, the charity behind the acclaimed Open House Festival which has championed special properties across 50 countries for more than three decades, the Academy of British Housing provides everything leading public and private sector clients of new housing and neighbourhoods need to deliver true long-term success.

The academy’s flagship programme – the Baylight Fellowship – will bring together rising star talents for a multi-part learning experience, visiting extraordinary examples of historic and contemporary housing across London and south east England. Combining famous and lesser-known high quality schemes, the modular course will feature talks by world-leading voices on the human experience of housing and will bring participants inside exemplary homes to meet residents and learn the simple elements behind their success.

 

The Baylight Fellowship

Resident led tour of Highsett Span Housing, Cambridge

Part 1 - Cambridge

The opening chapter of the Baylight Fellowship in April 2022 saw 12 public and private sector rising stars participate in a residential workshop and overnight visit to a series of extraordinary housing developments in Cambridge including Marmalade Lane co-housing designed by Mole Architects and the Stirling Prize-winning Accordia by FCBS, Alison Brooks, Maccreanor Lavington (2008)

Resident-led tour of 56 Ferry Street, Isle of Dogs

 

Part 2 - Central and East London

Part 2 was a day-long session in June exploring unique examples of successful housing across central and east London including 50-56 Ferry Street by Stout and Litchfield, Golden Lane by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, Span housing in Blackheath and Bonnington Square in Vauxhall.

Workshop, Haddenham

 

Part 3 - South East England

Part 3 was a day-long session out of London by coach visiting a series of extraordinary housing developments in South East England including a tour of Grade II*-listed Turn End, Haddenham, exploring both interiors and the development’s internationally renowned gardens.

BedZED, Wallington

 

Part 4 - South London

Part 4 was a day-long session exploring unique examples of successful housing across south London including Walters Way by Walter Segal (1980) in Lewisham.

Poundbury, Dorset

 

Part 5 - Dorset

Part 5 was a day-long session in the company of architectural historians and critics visiting Poundbury, an experimental urban extension to Dorset’s county town of Dorchester. Poundbury is a multi-decade ongoing development built on Duchy of Cornwall land in accordance with the principles of architecture and urban planning as advocated by King Charles III in his 1989 book ‘A Vision of Britain’.

Why join the Baylight Fellows?

The Academy of British Housing connects courageous public and private sector commissioners of new homes with the expertise, insights and passion to create popular and successful housing that will be cherished by generations to come.

It offers fellows the inspiration and embedded learning needed to embrace new perspectives and priorities in housing design, financing and delivery so they can develop both their careers and organisations. The course is suitable for those hoping to learn about the practice of creating extraordinary homes for ordinary people under tight constraints, to see and experience simple and sustainable examples of success, and to meet like-minded people with shared professional goals.

Baylight Fellows completing all modules will receive an Academy of British Housing certificate, a souvenir memento, and be inducted as lifetime members of the Academy of British Housing network offering a wealth of additional networking and professional development opportunities.

 

 What does a Baylight Fellowship involve?

  • Experiential journeys exploring time-honoured elements of successful housing

  • Learn alongside ambitious like-minded professionals

  • Visit extraordinary historic and contemporary housing across London and south east England

  • Resident perspectives across a range of tenures – private ownership, private rented, self-build, social rented and cooperative rented

  • Tours inside homes – illustrating technical examples of successful estate management, resilient build quality, shared active outdoor space and more

  • Group seminar discussions allowing Baylight Fellows to share their reflections and professional insights

  • Inspirational speakers on a range of topics including experiencing space; taste; seeing and spectacle; music and architecture; poetry, feeling and belonging

    Visits to include: Accordia, Cambridge by FCBS, Alison Brooks, Maccreanor Lavington (2008); 56 Ferry Street by Stout and Litchfield; The Ryde, Hatfield by PRP (1963); Walters Way by Walter Segal (1980); Golden Lane by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon; and Turn End, Haddenham by Craig & Aldington (1963)

  • Multi-part modular learning and accredited CPD

 What will Baylight Fellows gain?

  • Long lasting inspiration to help rethink priorities in light of fresh challenges facing housing delivery

  • Prestigious recognition of personal and professional strengths, and commitment to housing sector advancement

  • Build long-term collaboration between Baylight Fellows drawn from across the public and private sectors

  • Master basic elements of long-term housing success which could enhance contemporary schemes without compromising viability

  • Collective troubleshooting on barriers to progress, ways forward, and how to seed learning from the Academy of British Housing across the wider sector

  • Lifetime membership of the Academy of British Housing network

The Baylight Fellowship is accredited by Open City and counts as 40 hours of CPD.

If you have any questions please email: baylightfellowship@open-city.org.uk

Any profits from this programme are invested in Open City’s work supporting children and young people from under-represented backgrounds to pursue careers in architecture and city-making professionals.

Testimonials

‘It’s always memorable when someone speaks for their work and anchors it in a wider story. It’s an expression of care and connection. We would do well as an industry to remind ourselves of it’

Rupesh Varsani, Development Manager

‘The Academy of British Housing is all about delivering a step-change in the delivery of new homes so that the industry can create truly long-lasting dwellings that delight and inspire their residents. Its flagship course, the Baylight Fellowship will take participants on an experiential journey exploring the senses and feelings that have defined our concept of home throughout time.’

Crispin Kelly, founder of Baylight and chair of Open City

‘Great public speaking isn’t about talking loudly or using long words – it’s about how you connect with an audience on an emotional level’

Phineas Harper, CEO Open City

‘Open City has 30 years of experience in opening up amazing homes to the world and creating transformational learning opportunities. The best way to discover the secrets of great residential planning, design and delivery is to go inside an inspirational home and hear from the people who love living there.’

Alison Brooks, founder Alison Brooks Architects

‘Landscape is fundamental to the creation of successful living places with true longevity. Open City has been championing the design and management of high-quality landscape in the built environment for decades and has unparalleled expertise in educating the public and professionals about the role landscape architecture plays in the creation of successful housing.’

Paul Lincoln, Editor, Landscape, the journal of the Landscape Institute

‘Everybody needs to take a break from their day job to be inspired by exemplar housing schemes from past and present. What better way to do that than with Open City’s expert-guided visits?’

Claire Bennie, founder Municipal

This course is accredited by Open City, a registered charity dedicated to making architecture and the urban landscape more open, accessible and equitable. To find out about other training programmes accredited by Open City including the Golden Key Academy, visit our courses page.