Emily is an architect and urban designer with a desire to involve as many people as possible in the design of cities, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces. This year Emily is co-lead for the PRAXIS atelier and the MSA LIVE Lead. She is also the Foundation Year Lead. 

Leading Foundation, Emily focusses on understanding students’ previous experience of ‘space’ and architecture, as well as their own individual outlook on the world trying to embody the idea that Architecture is for Everybody. The ambition for the foundation year is to address the chronic problem of under representation in the discipline of architecture and to provide a welcoming and encouraging learning environment which actively contributes to the MSA community. 

In collaboration with The Proud Trust, Emily has been researching the Manchester LGBT+ Centre’s heritage and design for the last ten years, and regularly leads a walking tour uncovering how Manchester became the first city to entirely public fund and build an LGBT+ Centre. She contributed to The Proud Trust’s Building’s Re-Building Board as an expert advisor on design and participation and will continue to document, research and study the re-built centre. This forms part of a wider study on LGBT+ Community Space in the UK, Europe and worldwide.

Previously Emily was the project coordinator on the ‘Ambition for Ageing’ research project which aims to understand how age-friendly neighbourhoods in Manchester are now, and how to make them better in the future. The research involved using innovative engagement methods, working closely with residents and organisations. She also has experience working in a range of practices. At URBED, an urban design cooperative, she worked on small-scale community buildings as well as large residential masterplans coordinating urban design and public engagement in neighbourhoods all over the UK.

She is interested in looking at the city in unexpected and unusual ways and is always interested in the other side of the story. She curates a project known as the Library of Engagements which aims to create an individualised archive of methods of engagement concerning spaces, buildings, neighbourhoods and cities.

“Come talk to me about engagement, feminism, teaching, queerness, beautiful shadow gaps, participation, othering, really good stairs, mapping, that female architect you’ve forgotten the name of, community buildings, LGBT+ spaces and identities or whatever else you are interested in!”

Research

Exhibitions

Norman, S.A., Crompton, E., 2023. Our Proud Past: A community photography exhibition of Manchester's LGBT+ Centre, KAMPUS, 28/6/2023 - 6/9/2023.

Crompton, E., 2021. Conversations in The Library of Engagements, Engage Unconference, Online Exhibition 2021, 12/10/2021 - 12/11/2021.

Crompton, E., 2021. Conversations in the Library of Engagements, ENGAGE 20201 (un)conference, 11/10/2021 - 15/10/2021.

Steele, M., Csepely-Knorr, L., 2020. Bauhaus Models, The Modernist, 16/1/2020 - 25/1/2020.

Crompton, E., Norman, S.A., 2020. Documenting Demolition: A Community Evidencing Project at Manchester's LGBT+ Centre, 12/7/2022 - 23/9/2022.

Hillgren, P.A., Loi, D., Ochoa, P., 2020. Situated Actions at PDC 2020, Virtual Exhibition on Hubs, 15/6/2020 - 19/6/2020.

Crompton, E., Boelen, J., Zuljevic, M., 2018. The Politics of Design: Act 1, Z33, House for Contemporary Art, Hasselt, Belgium, 22/8/2018 - 2/12/2018.

Artefacts

Crompton, E., 2022. 'Mainstreaming Inclusive Spaces: The Manchester LGBT+ Centre'.

Aston, H., Renshaw, S., Crompton, E., 2018. 'A Great Knowledge Give Away: 100 feminist architectural texts for International Women's Day 2018', Manchester School of Architecture.

Performances

Crompton, E., 2020. 'Virtual LGBT+ Centre Discovery Tour', Online, 5/5/2020.

Crompton, E., Hanbury, A., 2019. 'Pre-Demolition LGBT+ Centre Discovery Walk', Manchester, 29/11/2019.

Aston, H., Crompton, E., Renshaw, S., 2018. 'A Great Knowledge Give Away: 100 feminist architectural texts', Manchester School of Architecture, 8/3/2018.

Crompton, E., 2018. 'Library of Engagements', Hasselt, Belgium, 21/8/2018.

Crompton, E., Brake, J., 2017. 'Library of Engagements', Tate Liverpool, 10/4/2017 - 24/4/2017.

Crompton, E., 2015. 'A walking tour about Manchester's LGBT Centre: we were born in the 80s', Manchester, 14/2/2015.

Book Chapters

Hammond, M., Crompton, E., White, S., 2024. 'Redesigning the age-friendly city: the role of architecture in addressing spatial ageism'. In Buffel, T., Doran, P., Yarker, S. (eds.) Reimagining age-friendly cities and communities: urban ageing and spatial justice, pp. 135-155, Policy Press, Bristol.

Crompton, E., 2024. 'Uncovering the history of Manchester's LGBT Centre'. In Queer Treasury.

Crompton, E., 2021. 'A Quietly Queer Post-Modenist Place'. In Queer Writing for a Brave New World, Out on the Page / The Modernist, UK.

Media

Nawratek, K., Crompton, E., McCabe, O., Giladi, P., 2023. 'Critical Pedagogy podcast episode'.

Crompton, E., 2023. 'Critical Pedagogy | Coming Out'.

Reports

Hammond, M., White, S., Crompton, E., Youngson,, M., Wells, J., Wong, K., 2017. 'Manchester Age-Friendly Neighbourhoods: State of the Project', Manchester Metropolitan University.

Internet Publications

Crompton, E., 2017. 'WE WERE BORN IN THE 80S: A HISTORY OF THE JOYCE LAYLAND LGBT CENTRE, MANCHESTER', http://queerbeyondlondon.com/manchester/we-were-born-in-the-80s-a-history-of-the-joyce-layland-lgbt-centre-manchester/.

Journal Articles

Crompton, E., 2024. 'Our Proud Past', Charette.

Crompton, E., 2024. 'The Coincidental Consequences of Coming Out, Every Year', Charrette, 11 (1).

Aston, H., Crompton, E., Renshaw, S., Timmins, K., 2020. 'PRAXXIS: A Feminist Design Atelier', Journal of Architectural Education, 74 (2), 7.

Aston, H., Crompton, E., Renshaw, S., Timmins, K., 2020. 'PRAXXIS: Always Personal, Always Political, Always Pedagogical', Journal of Architectural Education, 74 (2), pp. 280-287.

Non-Peer Reviewed Articles

Crompton, E., Ball, S., Heaslip, M., Spanton, S., Jurgensen, B., 2017. 'Mapping your Neighbourhood Workshop / It will be like going on a walk.', Ethos Magazine.

Conference Papers

Crompton, E., 2024. 'Identifying the Affordances of the Library of Engagements', in ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, 3, pp. 42-44.

Crompton, E., Brown, S., Daniels, S., de Graft-Johnson, A., 2024. 'Including Design: How do you get an 'A' in Live Projects?', AAE Forum, Nottingham Trent Univeristy, 4/4/2024 - 4/4/2024.

Crompton, E., Vinall, R., 2024. 'Welcome to the Family: Challenging The Indoctrination of Architecture School By Finding Community During Foundation Year.', European First Year Experience Conference 2024, Copenhagen, Denmark, 29/5/2024 - 31/5/2024.

Crompton, E., 2023. 'Playing The Long Game: Challenging Structural Inequities in Undergraduate Architecture', Architecture 101: Questioning The Fundamentals, Newcastle, 9/11/2023 - 11/11/2023.

Crompton, E., Coucill, L., 2022. 'Despite Disruptions: The Resilience of the Design Studio Model', A Focus on Pedagogy: Teaching, Learning And Research in The Modern Academy, Virtual, 20/4/2022 - 22/4/2022.

Crompton, E., Lee, A., Lee, C., 2021. 'Building and Re-Building a Proud (Queer) Space', V CIAG | V International Congress of Architecture and Gender | ACTION. Feminisms and the spatialization of resistances, Lisbon, Portugal, 21/4/2021 - 23/4/2021, in https://warch.iscsp.ulisboa.pt/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/v-ciag-2021-book-abstracts.pdf.

Crompton, E., 2021. 'Realising Feminist Architecture: Teaching to that 'Ah Ha' Moment!', V CIAG| V International Congress on Architecture and Gender | ACTION. Feminisms and the spatialization of resistances, Lisbon, Portugal, 21/4/2021 - 23/4/2021, in https://warch.iscsp.ulisboa.pt/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/v-ciag-2021-book-abstracts.pdf.

Crompton, E., 2019. 'Could Participatory Design Offer A Revolution To Architecture? Field Notes from a Situated Action in Hasselt, Belgium', International Association of Societies of Design Research (IASDR) 2019: DESIGN REVOLUTIONS, Manchester, 2/9/2019 - 5/9/2019, in https://iasdr2019.org/research-papers?keywords=Crompton&category=.

Aston, H., Crompton, E., 2019. 'PRAXXIS: A Feminist Design Atelier', Fielding Architecture: Feminist Practices for a Decolonised Pedagogy, Brighton School of Architecture, Brighton University, 24/6/2019 - 25/6/2019.

Crompton, E., 2018. 'The library of engagements', 20/8/2018 - 24/8/2018, in http://ojs.ruc.dk/index.php/pdc/issue/view/1309, 2 (PDC 20), 4.

Presentations

Crompton, E., Mardell, J., Furman, A.N., 2022. 'Queer Spaces Talk', The Proud Place LGBT+ Community Centre, 49-51 Sidney St, Manchester M1 7HB.

Crompton, E., Guy, T., McDougall, S., Farooq, H., Goldsmith, G., 2021. 'AJ100 Festival: Roca London Gallery & Architecture LGBT+ Presents: Designing 'Out'', ONLINE.

Crompton, E., Howard, J., Catterall, P., Azzouz, A., Weber, Y., 2021. 'Commonplace Webinar: How can we create, protect and enhance Queer Spaces?', Online Webinar.

Crompton, E., Aston, H., Valentine, K., Guerbet, S., 2020. 'Does Architecture Make You Anxious?', Manchester Lecture Theatre, All Saints Building.

Crompton, E., 2019. 'A Short History of How Manchester Built a Dedicated LGBT+ Centre', Manchester Metropolitan University.

Crompton, E., Taylor, G., Cornish, N., Rutt, S., Benson, S., 2019. 'What makes a house a home?', Glass House One\ Festival Square (Albert Square) Manchester M2 5DB.

Crompton, E., 2017. '4x4 Manchester : Tolerant // Manchester's LGBT History', International Anthony Burgess Centre..

Crompton, E., 2016. '4x4Manchester : LOVE', 10 Oxford Street.

Fenton, M., Parry, S., Dorney, K., Wetherell, M., Crompton, E., Hanley, A.L., 2016. 'Architecture and Performance / How can architecture embody the ethos of an organisation and/or act to include or exclude certain groups?', Contact Theatre - Space 2.

Posters

Aston, H., Crompton, E., 2019. 'PRAXXIS: Always Personal, Always Political', European Association of Architectural Educators Annual Conference 2019, Antwerp.

Research project details