Claire McAndrew

Claire McAndrew is an Associate Professor at The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, where she serves as Co-Design & Participatory Practice Director (since August 2023) and Co-Director of AUAR Labs (since February 2021). She joined The Bartlett in 2011 and holds Chartered Psychologist status. Her academic journey began at University of Surrey where she earned her BSc (2003), MSc (2004), and PhD (2008).

Her research focuses on frameworks for participation in the built environment, drawing upon contemporary theory and debate around community and public engagement. As a social scientist working within architectures and practices of care, her work shifts social practices toward more care-full capacities. Through projects like the British Academy-funded Caring—with Cities (2021-22) and experimental work at AUAR Labs on Block West (Bristol, 2020) and House Block (Hackney, 2021), she explores how communities can reclaim local housing production.

Her 15 most recent publications (2018-2023) demonstrate a consistent trajectory exploring care practices in urban environments, participatory architecture, community-led housing, and the application of discrete automation technologies. These works bridge architectural theory, social science, and practical implementation, with increasing focus on relational understandings of care in urban action and spatial justice.

Notable Awards:

• AJ Small Projects Award: Social Sustainability Prize 2021 for Block West
• The Pineapples Awards: Community Engagement 2021 (shortlist)
• Responsible Disruptors Program 2022 honorable mention from Metropolis Magazine
• Creative Placemaking Award 2023 nomination

McAndrew has secured funding from AHRC, ESRC, and the British Academy, including an AHRC Fellowship at the National Institute of Design, India in 2014. She supervises doctoral theses on topics underscored by feminist thinking and participatory forms of practice across sustainable fashion, housing crisis, care futures, craft, and design computation. She teaches on MA Situated Practice and has held visiting appointments at RMIT Australia, University of Westminster, and University of the Arts London.

As Co-Director of AUAR Labs, she leads a research laboratory that brings together advanced technologies, design, and communities to radically rethink architectural production. Her work exemplifies the integration of academic research with practical implementation in community contexts.