Access to Architecture
Access to Architecture is our in-house mentoring initiative, running in parallel with our wider outreach programme.
Open to students aged 16 to 18 at schools designed by Jestico + Whiles, the programme runs over two days: one day of workshops, talks and networking at our studio, and a day spent at the students’ school evaluating it from an architectural and environmental perspective.
A2A is based around three interconnected ideas:
- by supporting students in areas beyond the reach of other largely London-based initiatives, we can broaden access to the profession and improve its diversity
- by carrying out real post-occupancy evaluation work with the students as part of the programme, we can gather insights about our built projects that drive improvements in our design work
- by developing the programme in-house, we can ensure it remains aligned with our values and makes the best use of our resources, while fostering ongoing relationships with our schools and their communities
A2A is led by Charity Whitehead, who won a New Talent award at the 2025 AJ100 Awards for her mentoring and outreach work.
The initiative began as part of School Stories, our 2024 multimedia project celebrating our education studio’s milestone of designing 100 schools, before evolving into a standalone programme.
In 2025, A2A ran in partnership with Abbeygate Sixth Form College in Bury St Edmunds, a Jestico + Whiles project completed in 2021. Watch our film about the initiative below.
