To paraphrase President Jed Bartlett from “The West Wing”, who was presumably paraphrasing someone else… never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can change the world, because it’s the only thing that ever has.
Levitt Bernstein was founded on this principle – two passionate and talented architects attempting to improve housing quality standards from the ground up, by refurbishing properties and then renting them out themselves to those in housing need.
From those acorns has grown 55 years of our practice, and we now bring to a close a year of celebration of the (first) 10 years of our studio in Manchester.
Each essay in this series celebrating our anniversary, written by one of our brilliant team, has focussed on an area of the design and construction industry that they are especially passionate about. I am particularly struck by their ambition. To do things differently, to strive for better. Vicky, the other Directors, and I are extremely proud of the team of dedicated professionals that we are so lucky to work with at Levitt Bernstein. They are all committed to making things better through hard work and expertise, continuing the ethos of the practice to do so much more than simply design buildings.
From a consideration of how each of our projects will impact the wider context and how we can deliver benefits beyond the ‘red line’, to the tiny details that make individual buildings beautiful. Our commitment to sustainability ensures we consider every possible means to improve performance from new builds to retrofit, from orientation and massing to fabric and systems. From our work with all types of housing, through the importance of arts and education environments in supporting and stimulating communities, every project considers how we can best bring about improvements in people’s lives. Not only do our projects strive to do this, but so does the way we run our practice and our ongoing efforts to support our teams and clients through new ways of working and a focus on bringing greater diversity into the construction industry.
Here's to many more years of Levitt Bernstein and our core belief in “People.Design”. The future is bright.
To see our previous Manchester 10 essays you can use the links below:
Our Manchester studio is ten: a potted history — Levitt Bernstein
Life at LB: A pandemic, a Part 3 and a baby later — Levitt Bernstein
Women led: Celebrating International Women's Day — Levitt Bernstein
Behind the Scenes at LB Manchester — Levitt Bernstein
Celebrating New Methods of Qualification — Levitt Bernstein
A story of tens for sustainability on our Manchester Studio’s 10th birthday — Levitt Bernstein
“If they can’t see at least 10 years ahead, don’t call them an architect” — Levitt Bernstein
Sustainability in Schools – A Pathway to Net Zero — Levitt Bernstein
Reflections on a decade of school work — Levitt Bernstein
Reflection on Family housing — Levitt Bernstein
In Celebration of Sketching — Levitt Bernstein
Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion — Levitt Bernstein
Diversity in architecture – where are the working class voices? — Levitt Bernstein
‘Art becomes relevant when it’s made accessible’ — Levitt Bernstein
Reflections on the Collaborative Nature of Placemaking — Levitt Bernstein
Happy and Healthy Communities — Levitt Bernstein
Opportunities for social engagement through meanwhile use — Levitt Bernstein
M10: The Importance of Home and Community — Levitt Bernstein
You can find our short film showcasing our story of 10 years in Manchester here: Celebrating 10 Years of Levitt Bernstein in Manchester — Levitt Bernstein
