RMJM creates a collaborative database for the architecture industry amidst COVID-19

March 24, 2020

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By 

Gabrielle De La Cruz

Many companies, both local and international, have adapted the work-from-home setting when COVID-19 was announced as a global outbreak. Architectural and engineering firms continue to operate through conference calls, email exchanges, and other digital ways of securing the safety and stability of their businesses.  

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In February, a set of videos of residents in Wuhan chanting the phrase “ jiā yóu!” circulated in social media. Translated, it is a Chinese expression that means ‘to add oil,’ often used to express encouragement or as a rallying cheer. Inspired by the persistence of the residents and in solidarity with all those affected by the pandemic, RMJM crafted a database that architects, designers, engineers, and planners can use to remain internationally connected and updated during this outbreak. 

RMJM-a database-Zhuhai_Shizimen
Zhuhai_Shizimen project of RMJM

RMJM Jiayou will offer those within the architecture industry the opportunity to be involved in live projects. “We want to create a collaborative platform to keep our peers working and motivated over the coming months,” RMJM shares. “We feel that it is our responsibility as global citizens to support our peers around the world.” The company’s endeavor is all about ensuring that architects, designers, engineers, and planners affected by the health crisis around the world can keep working and earning, especially those who are distanced from their workplaces and teams. 

Duke University-RMJM
Duke/National University of Singapore Graduate School project by RMJM

The website created by RMJM will act as the central database of the project. Interested architects, designers, engineers, and planners will have to fill up a form to formally receive an invitation to the platform. Once logged in, users will have access to a database containing international projects. Members are encouraged to upload their curriculum vitae and will be granted direct assistance from RMJM’s marketing team to compile the documents they will need to present a bid. 

Zhenjiang Suning Plaza project by RMJM

The company encourages other businesses to engage in similar initiatives. RMJM family shares that “we are more interconnected now than ever, and in this moment of need, we must reach out to our neighbors and offer our support.”

RMJM was established by Sir Robert Matthew and Stirrat Johnson-Marshall in 1956. It is one of the largest architecture firms in the world with 30 studios across five continents: Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. They specialize in a multitude of sectors, from educational to healthcare, to mixed-use and urban planning. Visit their website for more information. 

READ MORE: LOOK: DIY COVID-19 home isolation room explained by a healthcare architect

Images courtesy of RMJM

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