TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGING
March 24, 2025
From that fateful day of the first covid lockdown in March 2020 I wanted to reflect of how things have changed for both me & our business in Bristol.
For me the period of the lockdowns was a whirlwind of running Shu Architects with Geoff, managing projects on site, home schooling (never want to do that again), supporting the primary school as a school governor and virtual cub scout meetings as a leader (who knew virtual camp would actually work - although not as fun). There was some good times but there were definitely some dark times. However, overall I consider myself fairly fortunate.
Looking back, with an architects eye, I can see there has been a massive shift on how we live, work and play. Most of this change was starting to happen anyway but the restrictions lockdowns just accelerated things.
I think at the beginning of lockdown the techies thought we would all move online and never leave. Certainly, some things are easier now; I can have a virtual meet up with family or friends at the click of a button, no matter where they are in the world; I can get everyone to have a project co-ordination meeting ,without the 2 hour drive; I can work from home when I really need to. However, although I welcome some of the online world I can see that it really reminded many of us that we value meeting in person, engaging with the natural environment and being part of our work and home communities.
When we were banned from travel many people began to explore their local areas, to take up new activities and we valued what we found. Who would have thought five years ago that paddle boarding or a spot of cold water swimming on the Avon would be so popular - brrrrrr. Who would have thought five years ago that pavement culture in Bristol would now be thriving. Its the middle of winter and not raining? Great! get a coat on and let’s sit outside - the sun is just a bonus if it shines.
The lockdowns meant lots of parts of life came to a halt but when things did get going the changes were really noticeable. Reluctant to use the public transport systems more people started to cycle and scoot places. In hilly Bristol this was helped a lot by the rise of the electric bikes. Some of these travel patterns have stuck and I for one really enjoy the reduction traffic that’s come with the change.
Online shopping has ramped up in the last five years but this has come at the price to physical retail shops. Shops have to consider how they persuade people to cross their threshold. Certainly some of the areas in Bristol are struggling but lots of the characterful areas are thriving, including the businesses close to our offices on Park Street. Most of them benefit from being places where you want or need to go in person; the opticians, the barbers, the sellers of vintage/reworked clothing, the musical instruments and the art suppliers to name a few. These are all mingled with great independent cafes and restaurants and I for one am loving the atmosphere.
I can see a real change in the office culture including the kind of spaces businesses want for their work environment. There is a wish to not only to be productive but also to meet people and network. There has been a move away from the cellular spaces to more open plan/ mixed environments where people can engage together. This has meant increasingly that some buildings now no longer suit being offices and need to be repurposed. My work has always had a focus towards creative reuse of the built environment, including heritage buildings, and with this new work pattern this shows no sign of slowing down.
At Shu Architects we believe that life is for living, as well as working. We are passionate about what we do, but always try to achieve the right balance. Bristol is a fantastic place to achieve this balance.
Blog written by Claire Humphreys