The London Festival of Architecture and the London Borough of Merton are pleased to announce the shortlist for Morden Moments.
This design competition for Morden town centre invited emerging architects, designers and artists to propose a team that will create and deliver imaginative and innovative interventions to enliven the public spaces across Morden town centre interventions to enliven the public spaces across Morden town centre.
The judging panel felt the shortlisted teams shared engaging visions that would bring bespoke ‘moments’ directly into the heart of Morden. Their submissions demonstrated an understanding of the engagement findings and the placemaking principles developed in Merton Council’s Meanwhile Action Plan. They also demonstrated the strength and suitability of their teams, as well as a clear capacity to successfully deliver the project.
The shortlisted teams are:
Studio Folk Architects
Bio: Studio Folk is a collaborative architecture studio dedicated to context, craft, and sustainability. The practice is led by Edward Powe, an architect and urban designer with broad experience in strategic placemaking, public realm projects, and adaptive reuse. Our skilled team also includes architect Patrick O’Keeffe, a former BSR Rome Fellow, who brings specialised expertise in public realm wayfinding design. Each member combines active architectural practice with teaching, fostering a reflective and research-led approach to design.
We have extensive personal experience working on public sector and community-led projects and are passionate about creating places deeply rooted in their local context through genuine collaboration. We believe great places are made by many hands, regularly partnering with local artists, craftspeople, and fabricators to enrich our design and construction processes.
For Morden Moments, we are partnering with RASKL, a multidisciplinary design and build studio with an outstanding track record of delivering bold, high-quality furniture and public realm interventions. Together, we seek to create proposals that celebrate Morden’s distinct character through a collaborative, community-driven approach.
“We’re thrilled to have been shortlisted for the Morden Moments design competition.
As an emerging collaborative practice, we seek out opportunities where we can engage meaningfully with local context and community. Morden Moments offers a chance to do just that — to co-develop a vision that celebrates local identity, responds to community needs, and helps shape a welcoming and inclusive public realm in the heart of Morden Town Centre. We look forward to developing our design proposals further in the next stage of the competition.”
POoR Collective
Bio: Power Out of Restriction is a design practice that works with young people to create tangible outputs in their local environments. POoR sees the power of the younger generation and seeks to get young voices heard. We do this through design, programmes and engagement.
As a team primarily made up of members who grew up in the Merton area, we are thrilled to be shortlisted for this competition which offers us the chance to give back to the communities that raised us.
OUT Architecture
Bio: We are OUT Architecture, a design studio led by Alessandro Minotti and Francesco Nardacci, two Italian architects with a shared passion for design and experimentation.
Through a seamless combination of passion and expertise, we have shaped our professional journey, ranging from the fascinating realm of concept design to the most intricate technical details. We continuously seek creative solutions for contemporary needs, transforming in-depth research and the analysis of practical and theoretical issues into driving forces of design. We are firmly convinced that the social environment and space are inextricably linked, just as local traditions are tied to economic sustainability.
Our experience, built through years of work in diverse international contexts, has broadened our perspective and refined our approach, allowing us to tackle each project with a clear vision and adaptability.
We are thrilled to approach every new challenge as an opportunity to design places that leave a lasting impact, uniting meaning, functionality, and aesthetic value.
We’re truly excited to be shortlisted and to propose a new Moments for Morden. When we first came across the Open Call and saw the site, we were immediately inspired by its scenographic potential, the idea of transforming an everyday space into a meaningful place, open and accessible to all. For us, this project represents a unique journey, an opportunity to bring our approach to urban regeneration into a different country and cultural context, and to explore how architecture can shape bold, inclusive, and site-specific collective experiences. The aim is to adopt a conscious design approach that enhances value through simplicity, precision, and respect for context. Each element is essential, each detail deliberate. By working with existing resources and minimising impact, the studio creates architecture that is responsible, refined, and rooted in place.
Off Ground X DO + CO
Bio: Based in a former electrical building in West Norwood, Off Ground Collective emerged from passionate conversations within the Do+Co Studio, which focused on community-driven
architecture and meaningful urban interventions. Do+Co Studio, founded by Darren Oldfield in 2013 is an architecture practice focused on the creation of low-carbon, sustainable spaces that enhance people’s lives. The practice works on a variety of different types of projects, the versatile nature of which sets the collective up to take on the specific design challenges. Do+Co’s ongoing commitment to connecting people with their environment has laid the foundation for something truly special in Morden. The team is led by Jake Obichere, a passionate advocate for socially responsive and inclusive design, and Rita Farrell, sustainably-minded Architect and local Morden resident – as a group we are united by a shared belief in collaboration and community engagement. This approach allows us to build deep, lasting connections through the work we create, ensuring that every design is not only functional but truly resonant with the people it serves.
We’re thrilled to be shortlisted, it’s a truly wonderful feeling! Deeply rooted in the world of transport, Morden plays a vital role in connecting people to central London and its surrounding counties. We’re passionate about giving people a reason to visit, explore, and stay in Morden. This is a fantastic opportunity to create something truly special that resonates with the community, rekindles civic pride, and celebrates the area’s rich culture and heritage.
Betty Owoo, Siraaj Mitha and CARD Projects
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Bio: We are a trio of architects, designers and educators committed to creating inclusive
public spaces that empower communities and reflect the everyday lives of Londoners. Our practice is rooted in a shared belief that the built environment can be a tool for equity, joy and agency – particularly for underrepresented groups.
Together, we bring experience across architecture, placemaking, planning, policy, education and community engagement. Our work is shaped by lived experience as Londoners, and by a commitment to collaboration as a design methodology – centering local voices, co-creation and shared authorship.
From built pavilions to public policy, writing to live workshops, we explore circular processes that combine design, education and making. We believe in creating spaces and platforms that allow people to learn new skills, build confidence, and shape the future of their neighbourhoods. Our
collective strength lies in blending strategic thinking with practical design knowledge, and in championing a built environment that is not only more equitable – but more imaginative and joyful too.
We are thrilled to be able to explore this exciting project further and excited by the opportunity to work with the community in Merton to co-create a vibrant and flexible space that is welcoming at all hours.
@card.projects @katiefisher___ @siraajmitha @bettsbubbles
Andre Kong Studio with Wayward
Bio: Andre Kong Studio and Wayward form a collaborative team with a shared commitment to community engagement, sustainability, and imaginative design. Their partnership was first established through ‘Connecting Colindale: A Flight Path Folly’, commissioned by the London Festival of Architecture and Barnet Council. Originally conceived as a temporary installation, the project was so well received that it became a permanent beacon – a testament to the lasting impact of their collaboration.
Andre Kong Studio is a young London-based architecture practice that tells stories through playful and distinctive design. Rooted in sustainability, the studio’s work often uses salvaged, borrowed, or recycled materials to create joyful spaces that empower local and underrepresented communities.
Wayward brings extensive experience in community-led placemaking and a strong connection to Morden. Their House of Wayward Plants Reuse Initiative, in partnership with the National Trust at Morden Hall Park, redistributed thousands of plants and materials from RHS Chelsea Flower Show to local schools and groups. Their gifted pavilion continues to serve the community as a cherished public asset.
We’re thrilled to be shortlisted and excited to take on this challenging site, full of untapped potential just behind the high street. It brings together several threads we’re passionate about: bold placemaking, amplifying community voices, and continuing our long-term work in the Morden area.
@andrekongstudio @waywardplants
Each team will now receive £1,000 + VAT to further develop their design proposal before a second round of judging in which the panel will choose one or two winners for the Station Yard and Abbotsbury sites in the town. Working closely with the team at Merton, the teams will further their understanding of the local area, working towards creating spaces across the borough that will truly reflect the identities within Merton. This development ensures the final installation is able to reflect the identity of this unique space in London, as well as the people who give the area its character.
Stay tuned for more on this project and for the winner’s announcement.
