Any round-up of emerging design talent in the past five years has, more often than not, included London-based architect Shawn Adams. And for good reason. Also an educator, writer, and social advocate, Adams and his practice POoR Collective (Power Out of Restriction) burst onto the scene in 2019 with a participatory design approach and a commitment to using architecture as a tool for social change. Born and raised in south-west London, Adams was named a RIBAJ Rising Star 2020, and last year his studio was awarded the 2023 London Design Festival’s Emerging Design Medal. We caught up with him one year on as he was busy putting together POWERSHIIFT, the second iteration of POoR Collective’s group exhibition, taking place in Brompton during London Design Festival 2024.
