Loneliness Awareness Week: Design for belonging.
- huw174
- 7 days ago
- 1 min read
Updated: 9 minutes ago
This week, we’re reflecting on a challenge that’s increasingly shaping our built environment: loneliness.
Huw from our team shared how living in modern flats often meant never meeting neighbours — a reality made more common by short-term rentals and transient communities. Without shared spaces to gather and connect, local communities can’t take root.
As traditional social venues like pubs fade, we must ask:
What role can design play in rebuilding community?
Jacob from HPW reminded us of the timeless work of Herman Hertzberger — particularly his Montessori College Oost in Amsterdam, where architecture created connection among students from 56 different nationalities, many without a common language. Thoughtful design turned the school into a micro-city, encouraging interaction, play, and a sense of belonging.
At every scale — from housing estates to coworking spaces like Network Eagle Labs, which we were proud to design — well-designed spaces can help counter loneliness. They can promote well-being, seed connection, and foster community.
✅ Should community coordination be a standard part of new developments?
✅ Could co-working hubs become vital mental health infrastructure?
✅ Are we doing enough to prioritise belonging through design?
We believe architecture is not just about form and function — it’s about people. And people thrive when they feel part of something.
For more information www.lonelinessawarenessweek.org
