Unhooked MD appointed to RIBA Awards 2026 North West jury

This year, Unhooked Communications managing director Claire Gamble is part of the RIBA Awards 2026 North West jury, helping to recognise and celebrate outstanding architecture across the region.

The RIBA Awards programme is one of the most respected in the UK, championing projects that demonstrate design excellence, innovation and real-world impact. From homes and workplaces to public spaces and regeneration schemes, the awards shine a light on the buildings and places that shape how people live, work and connect.

Supporting the built environment through PR and insight-led campaigns

Claire’s professional work has consistently intersected with the built environment, sustainability and placemaking through communications, outreach and engagement. As founder of construction PR agency Unhooked Communications, she leads award-winning PR campaigns across architecture, construction, home improvement and interiors.

The Unhooked Communications team works with housebuilders, architects, developers, manufacturers and distributors to communicate innovation and insight to both industry audiences and the wider public, often with a strong focus on sustainable building practices, retrofit and improving the quality of homes and public spaces.

Many of the PR agency’s campaigns have been shortlisted and won industry awards, including Best B2B Campaign at the Prolific North Awards and the business also being named the Best Construction PR Agency at the Construction Marketing Awards.

Leading construction PR campaign examples

Some recent property and construction PR campaigns have been shaped by original research and industry collaboration, including:

Jewson Making Better Homes Award: Created to celebrate tradespeople and small builders improving the sustainability, accessibility and futureproofing of UK homes.
Marshalls ‘Creating Safer Spaces’: A research-led campaign exploring how public realm design influences perceptions of safety, delivered with support from industry partners and supported through cross-sector media engagement.
City of London ‘Skills for a Sustainable Skyline’: Contributing to an insight-led communications strategy addressing the green skills gap in commercial construction.
Loom Wharf regeneration: Supporting PR for the transformation of a Grade II listed mill in Leigh into 98 loft-style apartments.
Ultraframe ‘The only way is hup!’: A campaign positioning hup! as a premium home extension and renovation solution, combining product storytelling with consumer-led media engagement.
YMCA Newark Activity Village: Raising awareness of a major community wellbeing development designed to bring together health, fitness and social impact in one inclusive space.
Häfele ‘Homes for Living’: Developing a thought leadership campaign focused on how people want their homes to look, feel and function, linking lifestyle trends with practical design and storage solutions. This multi-channel campaign used reports, website, media, events and influencer partnerships to promote and engage.

Bringing architecture, building and construction projects to life with PR

Commenting on being part of the RIBA Awards 2026, Claire said: “Being part of the RIBA Awards North West jury is a real honour. At Unhooked Communications, a lot of our work sits within the built environment, and one of the things I love most is helping to bring real projects to life through PR, from the brief and challenges, to the final design and the impact it has on people and places. It’s been brilliant to see the level of thought and rigour that goes into these prestigious awards behind the scenes, and I’m looking forward to visiting some incredible buildings across the North West and playing a small role in celebrating the teams behind them.”