“I have grown up in Hackney all my life and seen all of the changes – for the first time I was able to actively take part in it”

HOW IT WORKS

Our Impact

Our approach is unique: we bring together design, construction and youth work in a way that puts power in the hands of young people who are excluded from decision-making.

Young people gain practical design and construction skills, learn to lead and drive change in their communities. Our projects support local neighborhoods for years to come, bringing together local communities in spaces designed by and for local people.

We are 53 built projects, 2,539 young change makers and 33,238 young people benefiting from our spaces.

Explore young people’s blog and our Theory of Change

Read our Impact Report

Build Up’s story

Build Up was founded in 2014 by construction company Adventure Playground Engineers (APES) and current Director Huan Rimington.

The goal was to create a training programme that pushed young people beyond their comfort zones, helping them develop fundamental life skills. Build Up was established as an independent charity to make this vision a reality.

Our beginnings were modest: a group of young people, construction tools, a pile of materials, and a stock of ideas. In five days, driven by the energy and creativity of five talented young people, we built our first project.

BUILD UP STAFF TEAM

Huan Rimington | Director

Huan is founding Director at Build Up and has led our development since 2014. Trained in architecture and spatial planning, Huan brings over 15 years of experience in leading public realm design and build schemes, community engagement, and construction. Before founding Build Up, Huan worked with Citizens UK and led participatory public realm initiatives in Romania. He was previously Project Manager at Adventure Playground Engineers, where he oversaw the construction of the award-winning Tumbling Bay Playground in the Olympic Park.

Ami Udeshi | Programme Manager

Ami has extensive experience leading placeshaping and infrastructure projects across the charity and public sectors. With a longstanding interest in how people engage with place, space, and the environment, Ami brings a strong commitment to collaborative design and community-led approaches. Prior to joining Build Up, she worked at Natural England, overseeing inclusive nature recovery programmes in London and the South East, and Sustrans, leading public realm and street design programmes.

Helen Caulfield | Construction Project Manager

Helen brings over 10 years of experience in construction and fabrication, having worked across film, TV, theatre, events, art fabrication, and a range of on-site construction projects. Over the past four years, she has built play spaces, community gardens, and parkour projects with Build Up. Before that, Helen spent five years as a playworker at adventure playgrounds in North East London, grounding her practice in child-led, creative environments.

Jack Case | Construction Project Manager

With a background in architectural practice and research, Jack brings extensive experience in constructing experimental, ecological, and socially engaged structures across London and beyond. Over the past four years at Build Up, he has designed and delivered projects in public parks, adventure playgrounds, and community spaces. Alongside his work at Build Up, Jack is also a board member of a housing cooperative, reflecting an ongoing commitment to collaborative and community-led approaches to the built environment.

Dunya Kalantery | Youth Voice Strategic Lead

Dunya is a youth worker, artist, writer, and facilitator. They bring over 10 years of experience facilitating youth-led work to Build Up, having collaborated with a wealth of community organisations and institutions across London. At Build Up, Dunya focuses on building power with young people who challenge, and are challenged by, systemic inequality in the built environment. As an artist, they collaborate with children and young people to create pieces that transform our relationship to our environment and offer imagined alternatives that we can all occupy.

Bhav Kotecha | Finance Lead

Bhav leads on Build Up’s finances, bringing a wealth of experience in charity finance, strategy, and leadership. Prior to joining Build Up, he worked as Finance Director for a range of UK charities and continues to advise organisations on their development. Alongside his work in the third sector, Bhav is also a practicing therapist, offering a unique perspective on organisational wellbeing and support.

Gurpreet Sidhu and Celia Goddard (job share) | Partnership Manager

Gurpreet and Celia support Build Up by working closely with our partners and supporters across the charity, public, and commercial sectors. Gurpreet brings 25 years of experience supporting not-for-profits and is the founder of A5cend, an ethical consultancy providing strategic and income generation advice to third sector organisations. Celia has over 20 years of experience in research, evaluation, strategic planning, and organisational development. A skilled evaluator, she specialises in both quantitative and qualitative research, data analysis, and impact measurement.

BUILD UP TRUSTEE BOARD

Neba Sere | Chair

Neba Sere is a Spatial Practitioner and Associate Professor at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, focusing on Decolonisation and Decarbonisation. She co-leads the decosm collective, and is a Co-Director of Black Females in Architecture (BFA). Neba regularly speaks on diversity and inclusion, emphasising her commitment to a more equitable architecture profession and urban environment. Before joining the board, Neba previously lead projects for Build Up, including our Aldriche Way public space.

Hannah Monteith | Trustee

Hannah is the Bank of Things Coordinator with Lewisham Local, a partnership project with the Lewisham Young Mayors Team. She brings 19 years of experience supporting small and medium-sized charities, with a focus on empowering young people to influence and inform local government decision-making structures. Previously an event producer, Hannah has extensive experience producing, coordinating, and managing events in community and cultural venues across London.

Linnie Mclarty | Trustee

Linnie is a silversmith and award-winning jewellery designer, known for her commitment to ethically responsible practices. She works exclusively with 100% recycled silver and gold, and uses responsibly sourced gemstones with a transparent, traceable supply chain. In addition to her jewellery practice, Linnie has experience in set and prop design for theatre and film, bringing a broad creative perspective to her work.

Melissa Haniff | Trustee

Melissa is Director of RESOLVE, an interdisciplinary design collective that blends architecture, engineering, technology, and art to tackle social challenges. RESOLVE has delivered a wide range of projects, workshops, publications, and talks – each focused on imagining and building more just and equitable futures in our built environment.

“I have grown up in Hackney all my life and seen all of the changes – for the first time I was able to actively take part in it”

HOW IT WORKS

Our Impact

Build Up’s story

BUILD UP STAFF TEAM

BUILD UP TRUSTEE BOARD

About us

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