A new collective of 25 architecture practices based primarily in Manchester and Liverpool has formed the Northwest Small Practice Forum (NSPF) to address gaps in support that traditional institutions fail to provide for smaller studios. The forum will announce its official launch this week with a month-long festival featuring talks, workshops, and showcases of member projects and working models.
Tom Partridge, director and architect at Common Practice and chair of the NSPF, explained that the idea emerged from informal conversations about the need for regional support networks. The concept crystallized during a pub meeting with Dan Kelso from Architecture Unknown and Suzi Winstanley from Turner Works, who had been speaking to the Manchester Society of Architects. "Suzi told us about what can be achieved when architects pull together, referring to the London Practice Forum," Partridge said. "That conversation sowed the seed for us to start a forum for practices in the North West."
While the group drew initial inspiration from the London Practice Forum, the NSPF was deliberately built from the ground up to address regional challenges. Over the past 12 months, organizers held roundtables to understand what small practices needed most. "The forum is a safe space for practices to open up," Partridge explained. "We wanted the NSPF to feel like a safe space for practices where they could open up and share experiences with other like-minded studios, regularly discussing projects, clients and everyday issues they are facing."
The forum directly addresses limitations in institutional support, particularly from organizations like the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). "We have found that institutional membership is not currently able to offer the type of support small practices often need," Partridge noted. "The NSPF operates on a foundation of trust that enables members to talk informally and privately about the gritty side of business, including about fees, employment, salaries, insurance, etc." He added that institutional responses often provide generic advice rather than addressing the lived experience of small practice operations.
Currently comprising 25 practices, the NSPF continues seeking new members while managing sustainable growth. The organization operates as a not-for-profit entity, dividing operating costs among members. Partridge acknowledged that governance presents challenges, noting that volunteer work requires significant time from members who run their own businesses. "Our most pressing challenge is growing sustainably and ensuring that we have a level of governance that can support a larger group," he said.
The forum's primary external objective focuses on increasing opportunities for members to participate in regional place-shaping initiatives. "Public procurement opportunities are limited within the North West, and there seems to be a distrust of new inexperienced practices," Partridge observed. He noted a concerning trend where major projects consistently go to established firms or London-centric practices that recently established regional bases. "There is a wealth of development and regeneration happening in our region, but smaller practices and developers are often left on the fringes."
Day-to-day concerns among forum members reflect common industry challenges. "Typically, finding decent contacts for specialist consultants or builders" ranks high, along with questions about handling difficult clients, technical details, and professional indemnity insurance. Marketing and networking strategies feature prominently in discussions, as emerging practices seek to establish themselves while maintaining profitability.
The NSPF operates both as an internal support network and an external promotional platform. This dual approach will be showcased in their inaugural "Scale" festival, a four-week exhibition at Seesaw in Manchester running from September 19 to October 15. The event aims to publicly launch the NSPF to the wider industry and engage diverse voices in architectural discourse.
Forum membership spans the Northwest region and includes diverse practices: Alter Studio from Arnside, Andrew Jackson Architects from Salford, Another AI from Stockport, Architectural Emporium from Liverpool, Architecture Unknown from Manchester, and many others across the region. The complete roster demonstrates the geographic spread and variety of small practices seeking collective support and representation in an increasingly competitive market.
Partridge encourages similar initiatives in other regions, suggesting that challenges faced by Northwest practices extend beyond regional boundaries. "The issues we're all facing in the North West are not necessarily specific to that region," he said. "I'm sure small practices across the UK have similar problems and could benefit from their own version of the NSPF."
