Article
Best laid plans
5:08:18 1 November 2024
In a speech in 1957, US President Dwight Eisenhower declared: ‘Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.’ To which we might add that the
Article
Welcome Mark
5:12:24 29 October 2024
Delighted to welcome Mark Irving to FreeState. A consummate storyteller and something of a polymath, Mark joined the team as Head of Business
Article
To stadium or not to stadium
11:36:44 26 August 2024
The Paris Olympics just finished and Paralympics about to begin, we’ve been ruminating on the future of sporting venues and the effect they
Article
The making of new ghosts
8:43:58 8 August 2024
It is in his book Spectres of Marx that the French philosopher Jacques Derrida first introduces the neologism ‘hauntology’ – a splicing together of
Podcast
Speaking to Jane
5:06:19 5 August 2024
Geeking out on the non-lineal, Dave Waddell speaks to UI Breakfast’s Jane Portman about all things always meanwhile.
Article
The always meanwhile future of retail
1:08:06 1 August 2024
Schemes as diverse as New Working Class‘s plans for turning an empty shopping centre in Croydon (London) into a college or the city of
Article
Beyond the box
11:09:52 26 July 2024
Among many a fine nugget shared at the inaugural SPACE + Member Event The Agile City, this in his introduction as co-host from Head
Article
From REAAS to REAAX
12:27:14 18 July 2024
A quick post on yet another Space+ curated event, this time Built World Technology (BWT), held last month at the Ministry of Sound, co-hosted
Article
A wonderful bunch of places
4:46:40 3 July 2024
The late great Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck famously declared that ‘whatever space and time mean, place and occasion mean more’. He goes on
Article
Hear this, hear this
11:07:53 27 June 2024
Just a quick word about SPACE +’s first Member Event, The Agile City, which I will be hosting alongside the marvellous Kristy Lansdown, Head of
Article
Leaving room for creativity
8:38:33 5 June 2024
How plan-long term loose-fit big infrastructure might learn from start-now always-meanwhile small pilots. When it comes to unlocking the often unknown potential in
Podcast
31: James Boyce, Grumpy Sailor
5:17:54 29 May 2024
Today on the FreeThinking Podcast, we speak with James Boyce – Founder and CEO of Grumpy Sailor – Creators of adventurous, innovative and
Article
Making one’s own place, continuously
7:40:22 14 May 2024
In the spirit of its subject, the following article is not mine, at least not in the usual sense of what might be understood
52 Cities
Ballet for the insane
8:28:08 13 May 2024
The dance kicks in as I enter the first corner. The universe tilts one way, and then the other, and the forces that hold
52 Cities
Coming home
3:12:39 6 May 2024
In my grandfather’s time, the air either stank of the tanneries or of the sweetness of vanilla and today it is still rich with
52 Cities
Falling in love again
7:59:37 28 April 2024
It doesn’t matter that the city charges an entry fee or that it’s impossible to jump the boats or that we have to queue
52 Cities
Another true story
7:19:48 22 April 2024
My life changed the day I walked into an office in the Titanic Quarter. The man I was there to meet was dressed in
52 Cities
My first handkerchief
5:15:40 15 April 2024
It was 50 years ago to the day that I was given my first handkerchief . We had prayed and we had paid our
Article
The art of gathering
12:10:56 4 April 2024
Much of the following first appeared as a set of smaller articles on Linked-In. Thoughts posted there over the last month or so have
52 Cities
Island of the Dolls
12:40:32 31 March 2024
I can’t say exactly when we came across the dolls. We had been on the water for an hour. The other boats had disappeared
52 Cities
My grandmother’s cakes
12:43:26 20 March 2024
We have jumped the fires and knocked on the doors and saluted the moment night and day became the same. Spring is here and
Press
Threads of urban resilience
11:40:22 19 March 2024
Earlier this year, I was invited to speak at the inaugural International Craft Summit in Jajpur. A wonderful occasion, it brought together a community
52 Cities
Watching flowers fall
4:56:05 14 March 2024
We watched the flowers all day. I arrived at dawn, to save a spot. The petals were already falling. I cleared the grass and
52 Cities
The day I saw god
6:44:36 4 March 2024
The day I saw god I was in the city without borders. The millions were already here, massing in the lanes and camps. They
52 Cities
Conversations with ice
4:37:05 29 February 2024
The smell of cigarettes has gone. The unspoken confinement to our hotel is over. Lei Yang has stopped asking us to sleep with him.
52 Cities
The first most beautiful day
9:12:01 23 February 2024
The first most beautiful day is here. The bells have rung. It is night and all the lights are out and we are in
52 Cities
Peace in Salvador
1:26:45 17 February 2024
We have seen the men in white and blue dance past us. The last few pass in dribs and drabs. My mother says something
52 Cities
The art of making luck
11:30:06 6 February 2024
The day for drawing boundaries is here. No one is to clean, for fear of washing away a year’s worth of future luck. Firecrackers
52 Cities
Day of the City
2:57:35 1 February 2024
The birds have been released and we are at the gates of the city. Everything is silent. The flags are still. The soldiers have
52 Cities
Keys to the labyrinth
3:38:00 24 January 2024
There is no single entrance to this labyrinth, no views by which to set a compass, no shared geometry for the easy mapping of
52 Cities
Anatomy of a crowd
12:00:20 15 January 2024
The crowd shimmers in the bright glare of the day. It waves. It consumes its iced drinks and fruit. It banters and it
Article
(Birthday) love from Scroggs
5:28:45 14 January 2024
The following birthday note from James Scroggs was first published on Linked-in following our we’re-20-years-old bash at Lantana Shoreditch. We save it here for
52 Cities
Message from the dead
9:00:08 8 January 2024
The drumming has stopped. The dust kicked up by the ancestors has settled. Their human overlookers have retired with their sticks and the priest
52 Cities
Neer Day Dook
12:30:45 1 January 2024
The piper greets them as they rumble along towards the slip road. Towel robes, speedos, smocks, onesies, superheros, fairies – a slice of Dundee
52 Cities
The 52 Cities Project
3:40:11 14 December 2023
Last month FreeState held its 20th birthday at Lantana Shoreditch. As well as a little overview of what the night might hold, we asked
Article
The future of work must be experience-led
11:54:00 7 November 2023
I have been watching with interest the various decisions and debates about the world of work and workplace. I, for one, have been a
Article
Old people everywhere
6:15:03 25 October 2023
The following article first appeared on Medium. It is republished here with the permission Menno Cramer, its author and a recent attendee at the
Podcast
(Experience) designing the workplace
8:51:43 6 October 2023
Adam Scott chats the past, FreeState, and (experience) designing the world of work on The Unworking Podcast. Image courtesy Chris Spiegl on Unsplash
Press
The supremely sticky campus
6:53:54 4 August 2023
The following article first appeared in the August 2023 edition of Education Design & Build. There’s nothing quite like a global pandemic to
Press
Speaking futures
6:21:10 26 July 2023
Scott & Waddell were interviewed by the The Future Laboratory’s Martin Raymond on his Back to the F**kture podcast. He was kind enough to follow
Press
Creating hospitable landscapes
12:41:25 12 June 2023
The summer issue of Journal of the Landscape Institute or Landscape‘s just out and features two stories from The Experience Book. See pages 39 /
Article
Stepping forward, beautifully
1:14:43 8 June 2023
Melbourne Airport’s Head of Traveller Experience Wendi Pearce is full of real-life stories that are testament to the way the airport has – and
Press
A machine for belonging
1:17:21 2 June 2023
Ross Othen-Reeve’s write-up Brighton Fringe talk A Machine for Belonging begins: ‘For the past several years, Dave Waddell has been living with a god.’
Article
I can design too
7:35:39 3 May 2023
The following article by architect and researcher Dr Fiona Young – called Comfort, convenience or control: Optimising the student learning experience, and which I’ve
Article
Look back @ the Big 4
7:47:34 13 April 2023
We’re 20 years old this year. As a way of celebrating what went before and marking the start of what’s to come, we’ll be
Press
The always meanwhile airport
7:10:24 12 April 2023
In an article for aviation magazine Airport World, Adam Scott and Dave Waddell extol the virtues of Munich Airport as the always meanwhile airport.
Press
Designing for identity
11:55:02 7 April 2023
A piece by Adam Scott and Dave Waddell in Icon Magazine on the sapeurs of Congo Brazzaville and how to design for identity.
Press
The value of mixed-experience design
1:47:39 6 April 2023
Adam Scott contributes to a paper on ‘nexus value’, a description of the value accrued via mixed-experience developments.
Press
A love letter
12:36:02 4 April 2023
Following the Australian launch of The Experience Book, Charlotte Huston interviews Adam Scott for the Australian Design Review. See here for the full article. Image
Press
Think of the workplace as a giant festival
1:26:20 2 January 2023
Adam Scott and Dave Waddell talk to FRAME about The Experience Book, a source- and guide-book on the growing field of experience design. They share
Press
Molecule of Light
3:55:57 23 December 2022
Chris Levine at Houghton Hall, The Molecule of Light created with FreeState and Atelier One, 22 October – 23 December 2021. WATCH
Press
Cities born fully formed are simply bad ideas thrown at the world
12:02:31 16 December 2022
The Experience Book’s story on the dangers of the built-from-scratch-city is featured in DEZEEN. Image credit Walt Disney. See here DEZEEN for the full article.
Press
How New York’s legendary Paradise Garage redefined the nightclub experience
11:43:54 2 December 2022
Paradise Garage – which was open between 1977 and 1987 – represents a singular chapter of nightlife, music, New York, and gay, black and Latino
Podcast
30: Nigel Coates, Architect & Designer
11:52:04 14 October 2022
Today on the FreeThinking Podcast we have architect, designer, artist, teacher and conductor of urban narratives – Nigel Coates! We discuss the
Podcast
29: Roger Black, Ballymore Property Group
4:59:52 4 October 2022
Today on the FreeThinking Podcast we have Roger Black, Creative Director for Ballymore Property Group. Roger is a visionary leader across the board;
Article
In the Remix
11:03:59 28 September 2022
At the beginning of the month, Adam and I spoke at the London Remix Summit 2022 as part of a cohort of thinkers and practitioners
Press
We Heart review The Experience Book
1:34:36 23 September 2022
In The Experience Book’s first piece of press, James Davidson from We-heart.com delves a little deeper into what it all means, questioning the authors about
Podcast
28: James Parkinson, Greater London Authority
3:01:20 6 September 2022
Today’s guest on the FreeThinking Podcast is James Parkinson – Senior Programme Manager for Regeneration & Economic Development for The Greater London Authority
Podcast
27: Suzana Bishop, Fed Square
1:12:07 23 August 2022
Today on the FreeThinking Podcast, we speak with Suzana Bishop, Chief Experience Officer for Federation Square in Melbourne. We hear about the
Podcast
26: Beth Hise, Sydney Living Museums
12:38:03 9 August 2022
Today on the podcast it’s our pleasure to speak with Beth Hise, Project Director for Sydney Living Museums – and a wonderful storyteller.
Podcast
25: Sophie Travers, Collingwood Yards
11:04:58 26 July 2022
In May, Adam was in Melbourne and fortunate enough to visit a major new ‘contemporary arts incubator’ called Collingwood Yards… A veritable melting pot
Podcast
24: Neil Schneider, former Chief Executive of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
1:56:49 30 June 2022
‘Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park – Is Stockton the future of Britain?’ So ran the headline in The Guardian
Podcast
23: Will Chamberlain, Creative Wick & the Cultural Interest Group
3:59:13 16 June 2022
Today on the FreeThinking Podcast we have stellar connector Will Chamberlain, founder of Creative Wick and the Cultural Interest Group in London, UK.
Article
It’s all about people: the importance of student experience
4:38:13 24 May 2022
Universities are increasingly aware of the significance the campus experience plays for student engagement and belonging, two critical outcomes required for the creation of strong
Podcast
22: Ben Gattie, Triple P Group & The Working Capitol
5:12:07 12 May 2022
Today on The FreeThinking Podcast we have Ben Gattie. Ben is the Founder and CEO of The Triple P Group, a neighbourhood building platform
Podcast
21: Simon Pitkeathley, The Camden Highline
3:30:15 28 April 2022
Today on The FreeThinking Podcast we have Simon Pitkeathley; CEO of The Camden Collective – The Business Improvement District for Camden Town –
Article
Co-designing for a better design practice
3:47:07 11 April 2022
Built environment practices are increasingly needing renovation – clients are demanding it, and practices are morphing to cater to it. We see the critical need
Podcast
20: Kate Willard OBE, Thames Estuary Growth Board
6:01:32 5 April 2022
Today on The FreeThinking Podcast, we have Kate Willard OBE – Chair of the Thames Estuary Growth Board and the Thames Estuary Envoy
Article
Returning to the Workplace: Mandate or Choice?
2:45:20 29 March 2022
As government restrictions ease, organisations are looking at ways to reignite the workplace. We’re seeing pubs and restaurants buzzing with people once again, yet most
Podcast
19: Penny Cameron, Stanhope PLC
6:15:50 10 March 2022
Today on The FreeThinking Podcast we have Penny Cameron – Development Director at Stanhope plc – and a key player in the Visioning, Designing and
Article
IWD2022 x FreeState
9:51:04 8 March 2022
Every day, we at FreeState are actively working to #BreakTheBias in our world by empowering women* and women’s stories. It starts with representation, and having
Article
Higher Order: A place where dining becomes a sensory experience
4:00:50 18 February 2022
It was the ‘culinary hallucination’ that caught our eye through a targeted social media campaign. Beulah’s Hanover House in collaboration with restaurateur and chef Scott
Podcast
18: James Scroggs and Christy Traore, New Working Class
7:08:45 16 February 2022
Today on the podcast we have Christy Traore and James Scroggs – Founders of New Working Class – the worker/learner college that both
Article
Embracing Friction
10:44:32 2 February 2022
It seems self-evident that we want to move towards our goals directly, with as little stress and friction as we can. Emphasis on
Podcast
17: Rumi Bose, Regeneration Project Manager, Southwark Council
5:39:00 31 January 2022
The FreeThinking Podcast is back for 2022 and today we have Rumi Bose from the London Borough of Southwark – a facilitator for
Press
More than architecture: Designing experience
6:03:05 10 January 2022
Today, I bring you an incredible conversation with the Founder of FreeState, Adam Scott. In this episode, you’ll discover how he’s taken his skills as
Podcast
16: Kat Hanna, Masterplan Strategist, Lendlease
5:25:56 20 December 2021
Kat is a Masterplan Strategist on Lendlease’s big Euston Project in Central London. She talks about the virtuous circle of how the right
Podcast
15: Tara Poole, Coordinator of City of Ballarat’s “Creative City” Strategy
5:20:25 17 December 2021
Tara urges us to push beyond the rhetoric of re-ignition, to how we might better nurture the flame with long-term support for the
Article
Regenerating the high street: funding, localism, engagement
11:21:10 24 November 2021
Margaret J Wheatly once stated: ‘There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.’ As Wheatley might say, local
Podcast
14: Chris Levine, world-leading light artist
6:18:37 9 November 2021
This week we chat with Chris Levine – acclaimed light artist, best known for his holographic artworks of the Queen and Grace Jones
Podcast
13: Sally Curtain, CEO, Bendigo Kangan Institute
6:17:52 1 November 2021
The next episode of the FreeThinking podcast has arrived and today we’re speaking with Sally Curtain; board member, leader and current CEO of
Podcast
12: Tom Dyckhoff, historian, writer, broadcaster and educator
6:16:14 13 October 2021
Today we spoke with Historian, Writer, Broadcaster and Educator Tom Dyckhoff about the rise and fall of the late capitalist city – the
Article
Why office space still matters to your employees
10:40:42 30 July 2021
More than a third of employees still want to work in the office post-pandemic, finds a new survey from Nespresso Professional, Nadia Moore, featuring Adam Scott.
Press
High streets need to find their ‘appetite for design’
2:11:19 27 July 2021
In this call to action, Freestate global creative director Adam Scott is asking designers to help high streets become flexible, theatrical, community spaces. The late
Podcast
11: Bill Grimsey, legendary retailer
12:30:47 23 July 2021
Today on the FreeThinking Podcast, we have Bill Grimsey, retailer with 45 years experience – from butcher’s boy to CEO of Wickes and
Podcast
10: Emma Beverley of Leeds 2023
12:59:46 15 July 2021
We are excited to have Emma Beverley – Executive Producer of LEEDS 2023 as a special guest to Episode 10 of FreeThinking podcast!
Podcast
09: Hugo Warner of Benugo + The Fisheries
1:34:53 25 June 2021
Our next special guest of the FreeThinking podcast is Hugo Warner, who co-founded hospitality group Benugo – with brother Ben – and last
Podcast
08: Mark Bourgeois of Hammerson
9:37:30 7 June 2021
Our special guest to Episode 8 of our FreeThinking podcast is Mark Bourgeois – Managing Director, UK and Ireland, at Hammerson. He talks
Podcast
07: Kim Cook of Burning Man
10:01:59 6 May 2021
We are excited to have Kim Cook – Director, Creative Initiatives for Burning Man as a special guest to our second series of
Press
The new methodology: The art of being together
6:57:07 13 April 2021
In the hitherto niche world of disaster management, worst-case scenario planning is everything. While no doubt someone somewhere will have thought it through, I’d wager
Podcast
06: Natalie Slessor, on how Silicon Valley can inspire cities
1:46:50 31 March 2021
We are thrilled to have Natalie Slessor – Head of Customer Futures for Lendlease as a special guest to Episode 7 of our
Podcast
05: Ross Bailey; “This is not about property”
2:51:01 11 March 2021
Our special guest to Episode 5 of our FreeThinking podcast is Ross Bailey, founder of Appear Here, who has helped more than 200,000
Press
RIBA: Why adaptability is essential for post-pandemic projects
6:20:26 4 March 2021
Rethink Design Guide authors explain why adaptability is essential for post-pandemic projects.
Press
FX: Radical thinking with Adam Scott
4:13:45 4 March 2021
Global Creative Director and Founder of FreeState, Adam Scott, spoke with FX about what radical thinkers have influenced him. Can you pinpoint the thought, whether yours or someone else’s,
Podcast
04: Amy Lamé. Night-time myth busting
6:14:38 25 February 2021
Our special guest to Episode 4 of our FreeThinking podcast is Amy Lamè – performer, creative leader, activist – Radio 6 DJ, Past
Podcast
03: Lloyd Lee. Dynamic co-authored developments.
6:20:49 10 February 2021
Our special guest to Episode 3 of our FreetThinking podcast is Lloyd Lee, Managing Partner of Yoo Capital and driving force behind Olympia
Podcast
02: Amahl Hazelton. Programmable places at super-scale
2:05:11 1 February 2021
Today, we have City-Maker/Brand-Builder/Story-Teller extraordinaire Amahl Hazelton from MomentFactory – from a Super Bowl show to a storytelling airport – he is a
Podcast
01: Roger Madelin. The idea of a new roaring twenties
6:51:24 21 January 2021
The book launch that turned into a podcast Last week we shared some exciting news about the new book launch. Inspired by the great
Article
Architecture for a post pandemic world
4:38:00 18 January 2021
Researching last year the state of the highstreet and its post-pandemic future, we interviewed a tonne of architects, developers, and retail experts, among them
Press
The power of the citizen
3:44:37 10 November 2020
Adam Scott joins an Estates Gazette panel to discuss the future of city-making in the session The Power of the Citizen. The future
Press
Death to the cathedral
5:45:45 18 September 2020
As the world wrestles with a Covid-dictated new normal, so the opportunity for a fundamental rethink of the design of our transit hubs arises.
Article
Don’t exit through the gift shop
5:45:12 23 July 2020
An already super-ailing high street killed off by lockdown, the future of retail lies not in the standardised hierarchy of strict planning regulations, masterplans
Press
RIBA Journal: How to sell the high street after lockdown
4:56:13 23 July 2020
For a sector already in crisis, Covid-19 looked like the final straw for physical retail. But four specialists see a chance for change.
Article
Experience masterplanning the future city
9:08:53 27 April 2020
This article first appeared on the Roca Gallery site. My most terrifying read of last year was a short article by the author
Article
University campuses should be more like Glastonbury
11:34:06 22 July 2019
The following was published in Architect’s Journal (May 2019). A response to the slowdown in university-funded architectural projects, it’s a rallying cry for other
Article
Creating the workplace as brand experience
11:52:42 5 July 2018
In the cliff notes for the white paper How to Create Loyalty Beyond Reason, Jonathon Midenhall (Airbnb) and Neill Barrie (TBWA)’s check list for what
Article
Airbnb: Workplace as advert for future employees
10:03:24 8 June 2018
Read anything on what it is that a business or organisation needs to do if they’re going to attract and retain talent, and sooner
Article
Be like Jordan
9:51:29 21 May 2018
Having had the opportunity to work with many a fine brand, I’m a massive fan of the vision well done. Truly innovative brands know
Article
First life, then space, then Gardens by the Bay
1:35:50 27 April 2018
As a lesson in experience design for city makers, Gardens by the Bay is one of my favourite examples of the virtues of thinking