Amy Francis-Smith
Vice President – Birmingham Architectural Association & Architectural Assistant RIBA Part III
Amy Francis-Smith is the Vice President of the Birmingham Architectural Association, an Architectural Designer for Pinnegar Hayward Design, almost a fully qualified RIBA Architect and a passionate advocate for Inclusive Design. With her work and research focused on providing decent housing and accommodations across the Built Environment for people with disabilities.
Campaigning for legislative change, she educates students/professionals of their social responsibility, encourages disabled students into design and sits on the advisory board for Habinteg (an accessible housing association) lobbying government to improve the Building Regulations.
In 2020, she was shortlisted from 64,000 for the National Diversity Award – Positive Disability Role Model and as a UK Construction Week Role Model. Amy was also named as one of Birmingham Live’s 30 under 30 of 2019 and invited to become an ambassador for the Architects Benevolent Society.
She’s helped run a pilot course at top architecture school, The Bartlett, UCL bringing blind and visually impaired students into Architectural education and has been published numerous times.
Her Master’s thesis on accessible housing was selected for the RIBA’s Research Matters conference; which was partly inspired by the experience of loved ones as well as her own disabilities.
Amy has done this all whilst recuperating from multiple severe chronic illnesses; most notably Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Crohn’s, a hearing impairment and subsequent mental health issues.
Having experienced Architectural Disability first hand, Amy is determined to improve the lives of the 1.8 million people currently in need of accessible homes across the UK.
Useful links and information
“Good design provides an antidote to a world that works against so many; alleviating the daily battles and burdens of those who don’t fit into the ‘embodied norm’.”