Promotes diversity in the profession through mentoring
Associate director and architect, HFM Architects; founder and lead mentor Narrative Practice; associate lecturer, UAL. Part 1: 2013, Part 2: 2018
To date, more than 740 young people have benefited from Narrative Practice, a mentoring initiative set up four years ago by architect and teacher Dhruv Gulabchande.
The non-profit venture, aimed at participants from under-represented backgrounds in architecture, was informed by Gulabchande’s own experience growing up as part of a South Asian family of asylum seekers living in council housing in Bradford.
He is clearly on a mission to support both aspiring and emerging architects, whether a 16 year old exploring a possible career in the built environment or a young practitioner needing advice about a workplace matter.
‘I wish I’d had it when I was younger,’ he says of the programme, which offers free one-to-one sessions, networking opportunities and careers advice in partnership with leading architectural practices.
Seeing the mentoring events in action and the positive results they bring is clearly hugely rewarding for Gulabchande, who says: ‘I have the satisfaction of being able to see myself in these students every month.’
Narrative Practice began during the pandemic when Gulabchande offered mentorship online, initially to overseas-based students whose education had been disrupted. Soon, he was talking to several each day.
After a couple of years, this morphed into in-person mentoring in the UK with Gulabchande and a small team of other mentors, before expanding further through collaborations with practices and educational institutions. Up to 40 participants are mentored at sessions each month, with about a quarter returning for further sessions.
‘NP aims to engage with our collaborator leadership teams to showcase diversity and inspire them to pursue similar success,’ he says.
The programme also includes a Saturday school pilot for students aged 16-plus.
‘Dhruv’s creative vision is matched by hard work and an ability to deliver,’ said referee Claire Pollock, partnerships lead at Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, which has hosted several Narrative Practice sessions. She also praised his skill at forging successful collaborations.
His achievements also impressed the judges.
‘He’s driven by a desire to help others facing similar challenges to his own,’ said Fiona Scott.
‘It’s impressive how many people he’s reached. He’s already making a positive change through his work,’ added Peter Laidler.
Gulabchande’s achievements are all the more impressive given that he combines his day job as associate director at HFM Architects with a teaching role at Central St Martins.
What existing place would you most like to tackle?
I’d like to tackle Bradford’s once-rich, industrial high streets, now vacant and overshadowed by the Broadway Shopping Centre. Growing up in this historically significant city, once the wool capital of the world, I’ve seen these central retail spaces decline. I’d be keen to support efforts through community mentoring, architectural consultation and integrating Bradford’s story into academic design briefs, to actively discuss reconnecting the fragmented urban fabric and restore its vibrancy.