Architects are more than the work they do. ‘Architects not Architecture’ takes a refreshing look beneath the conventional architects’ biographies with their lists of projects, awards and achievements.
At this pioneering event, some of our most influential architects will reveal their true motivations and passions as they tell their own personal stories.
Sumita Singha OBE – ‘Following my heart’
Sumita Singha is a woman of inspiration. Her achievements are many as a writer, a painter, a teacher, a passionate women’s advocate as well as a trail-blazing architect and founder of London-based Ecologic Architects. In 2021, she received an OBE for services to architecture.
In her keynote speech at Architects not Architecture she will be sharing her personal experiences and beliefs and the single most important thread that runs through her life which is to ‘follow her heart.’
‘Following my heart’
Experiences that shape our stories
The themes in her story are ‘Scarcity, Identity and Creativity’ as she takes us through her journey from her childhood in India, her academic achievements and receiving a scholarship to study an MPhil in Environmental Design at Cambridge University to becoming one a respected architect, author and academic.
We will learn how her childhood poverty drove her passion for education and how the love and sacrifices of her family taught her about personal frugality and the importance of supporting others in the community.
“Our stories shape our lives, and our lives are stories of our truths, lessons learnt and the people around us.”
Sumita reveals stories that are insightful, sometimes heart-wrenching, peppered with lots of funny incidents as she came to grips with British culture, but always courageous and inspiring.
An inspiration to others
"My experiences have given me the courage to dream, the ambition to succeed and the ability to help others”.
Sumita’s life experiences also inspired her to set up the environmental design charity, Charushila, which works on community projects in the UK, and places of conflict and scarce resources abroad.
Her passion for women’s rights and equality in the workplace prompted her to set up Architects for Change the equality forum at the Royal Institute of British Architects, after becoming Chair of Women in Architecture in 1999.
Lessons learnt through her early malnourishment and her battles with a stroke and heart failure led her to take a keen interest in healthcare design. She was a non-executive Director of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for nine years and wrote a book on healthcare design.
Designing through our stories
At Architects not Architecture Sumita will share how her experiences have shaped her passion for integrating sustainability, community-focused design, and participatory design at Ecologic Architects, the practice she founded in 1993.
Experiences that shape our passions
Photos by Tim Dornaus