Dr Vera Hale

I joined the Open University in 2015 as a researcher, contributing to several AHRC-funded projects. In 2021, I became a Lecturer in Design within the Design Group, part of the School of School of Engineering & Innovation in the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. I hold a PhD in Architecture from the University of Sheffield, an MA in Architecture and Interior Design from London Metropolitan University, and an MSc in Architecture from the University of Delft. Additionally, I am a co-founder of the architectural practice, The Cave Co-operative, and I am registered with the Dutch Board of Architects SBA.

Research Interests
My research focuses on the social aspects of sustainability and regenerative civic practices in the built environment. My recent work focuses on co-design and co-production with civil society organisations and communities engaged in place-making and creative civic action. Key areas of my research include:

• Enabling design participation
• Co-design and co-production for civic leadership in the built environment
• Transformative participation
• Pedagogy of informal community design workshops
• Low-carbon, low-tech built environment solutions

Over the past decade, I have been involved in multiple Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) projects, collaborating with The Glass-House Community Led Design and colleagues from the Open University Design School. Together with Dr. Zamenopoulos, Dr. Alexiou, and Sophia de Sousa, we have explored different capability approaches to foster sustainable, resilient co-design practices. For more details on these projects, visit the links below:

• Empowering Design Practices
• Incubating Civic Leadership
• Cross-pollination

My PhD research, Enabling: A Critical Approach to Transformative Community-Led Design, from the Sheffield School of Architecture, analysed the discourses surrounding community-led design, transformative pedagogies and enabling civic-leadership in design, with a focus on the national charity The Glass-House Community Led Design. My findings highlight the conditions, actions, and consequences of ‘design-enabling’ and emphasise the importance of design enablers adopting varied supporting roles to empower diverse communities.

Teaching Interests
In 2025, I was awarded a Fellowship (FHEA) by Advance Higher Education. I actively contribute to the OU Design Group qualification offers for Q61 Design and Innovation and R63 BDes Bachelor in Design. My teaching roles include:

• Module T176 - Engineering: Origins, Methods, Context (summer school design tutor)
• Module T190 - Design Practices (production and presentation)
• Module T217 – Design Essentials (presentation)
• Module T218 – Design for Engineers (presentation and chair)
• Module T240 – Design for Impact (production)
• Module T290 – Design Project (production)
• Module T390 – Design Project (production)

I have also co-designed training resources for community groups and design professionals, empowering them to collaborate in place-making projects. Additionally, I co-authored a FutureLearn course on Enabling Community-Based Leadership in Design: Sustainable development of historic faith buildings.

Previously, at the University of Sheffield, I taught on the Sustainable Design MSc program and have been a visiting critic and external examiner at several architecture schools.

Impact and Engagement
I have been part of a successful strategic research partnership between the OU Design Group and The Glass-House Community Led Design. This partnership has secured funding for over 13 collaborative research projects and produced resources for professional designers, architects, planners, and community-based organisations. Some key collaborators include the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England, the Blackwood Foundation, and Poplar Harca, among many others.

I led the Places of Connection workshop at Tate Exchange (2018), exploring how community spaces foster connection and belonging. Additionally, I supported the Prototyping Utopias public engagement project (2016), funded by AHRC, which featured open day events in Bow and was part of the AHRC's Utopia Fair exhibition at Somerset House.