Urban Splash appoints ‘director of the future’

Suzy Jones, formerly RIBA North director, has been tasked with tackling the challenges of future development.

The developer said that Jones will be responsible for using foresight and innovation to “develop the purpose led ambition of Urban Splash and the strategy required to support it”.

Jones previously worked at Urban Splash as part of its sister company House. She said: “Director of the Future is quite some job title to live up to. Much of the role’s focus is on ESG, which is well embedded at Urban Splash so not too much of an uphill struggle.

“Urban Splash is an entrepreneurial and commercially minded brand but we believe, and have demonstrated, this isn’t at odds with trying to do things better.

“Being part of a company whose purpose is to leave things better and more beautiful is refreshing. It provides room to make decisions differently and an opportunity to be directly involved in shaping a more equitable, appropriate and resilient sector.”

Jones held the RIBA North brief for four years from 2016 before originally joining Urban Splash’s modular homes arm. Prior to that, she worked as a curator and cultural project manager.

Splash, which turns 30 this year, announced a £10m funding deal with Grosvenor in April to fund acquisitions, and has a current pipeline of 4,500 new homes and 500,000 sq ft of commercial space in the next five years.

Jones continued: “The projects we are initiating now will be realised over the next decade or so, impacting people’s lives and our planet for considerably longer. The way in which people will want, and need to live is likely to change dramatically during this period and we need to be prepared for that as we imagine, design and create neighbourhoods of the future.

“The relevance and resilience of our neighbourhoods, the happiness of our customers and therefore the success of Urban Splash, hinges on understanding those changing demands. ”

Urban Splash co-founder Jonathan Falkingham added: “It’s rare for a property company to have a director tasked purely with thinking beyond immediate horizons. Climate change, ecosystem collapse, the unprecedented speed at which technological leaps are adopted, and the socio, political and economic impact of these things is going to have significant impact on the requirements of the built environment.

“Our sector needs to change and this is Urban Splash’s way helping to do that.“