With an interest in Urban Design and Planning, the final year of my studies has focused on sustainable design; both environmental and social. Architecture goes beyond the aesthetics of the physical when realising its potential for ‘placemaking’. I believe that architecture and the built environment have a key role to play in appeasing the environmental crisis.
Studying Architecture and Politics has introduced me to the possibilities facilitated through retrofitting and reuse, igniting my interests in heritage and retrofitting work. My final research essay explored the environmental and social benefits of retrofitting housing to create more energy efficient homes.
My final year studio project is a social housing scheme that explores the concept of skill exchange and provision to enable individual and communal self-sufficiency. Following the &rchitecture atelier narrative of Identity, Ability and Advantage, the project explores the advantage theme and looks into circular economy principles to drive the residents’ skill exchange through three major themes: food, construction and textiles. This social housing estate, located in Withington, Manchester, is built around a central hub where such communal activities take place and is physically connected to the surrounding homes to emphasise community engagement. The project looks into environmental, social and economic sustainability through providing the residents with both life and construction skills to expand their homes and the neighbourhood itself, presenting links with the construction industry and opportunities for employment. The scheme is designed to evolve and extend over time providing the residents with autonomy over the built environment. Such a drive for flexible architecture places the residents in control, providing a home for life that adapts to their needs over time.
Having enjoyed the humanitarian areas of the course, I hope to bring both my passion for research and my fascination with the social implications of design into my future practice.
