The atelier is conceived as a think tank and test bed - a platform for research and experimentation in architectural design and is concerned with holistic understandings of design and sustainability in light of the significant challenges of climate emergency.

Within the evolving context of advanced architectural practice our interest lies in the interaction between technology and people, in the design and delivery of environments that support the needs and activities of contemporary and future society, in a creative, positive and equitable way.

We engage and collaborate with specialist consultants and local community groups in response to live briefs as well as international competitions. All projects explore contemporary and novel design methods and material performances in tectonic and spatial propositions. Testing occurs in application to a specific programmatic brief and this year’s projects explored dimensions of sustainability and change over time.

PS1 projects considered the future of sustainable residential typologies through the Solar Decathlon competition for the US Department of Energy with two teams selected as finalists. PS2 projects explored health and well-being, social and environmental sustainability via proposals for a health campus in North Manchester.

Studio thesis projects begin with collaboration with a live client in Mexico, exploring sustainable design principles and ecologies. Thesis projects then developed these ideas, applying techniques and understandings of material performance to a range of scales, typologies and international contexts. Projects ranged from detailed technical studies of facades and construction to masterplans and urban scale interventions. All projects adopt an integrative and holistic definitions of sustainability.

Year 6

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Professional Studies

Professional Studies 1

PS1 projects considered the future of sustainable residential typologies through the Solar Decathlon competition for the US Department of Energy, with two teams selected as finalists. The project tested the efficacy of prototype designs. Each student team identified replicable design strategies that could significantly improve UK, Malaysian & Australian housing for both existing and new builds. A trend towards post-pandemic home working raised questions about what a sustainable home can be. Lively weekly seminars and discussions alongside in-depth tutorials define our studio culture to support independent thinking and open inquiry.

Professional Studies 2

PS2 projects explored health and well-being, social and environmental sustainability through the creative exploration of the Net Zero Carbon North Manchester Health Campus; a live project focused on transforming health outcomes for residents of North Manchester. Advanced Practice had weekly studio sessions with the NHS design team, which provided unique insight into the dynamics of a live project from the architects, engineers, project manager and cost engineers involved. An outcome of the student’s engagement has been the creative inspiration into a live project. The Masterplans illustrated the programmatic and physical links that architecture can help make between acute healthcare and well-being in the city. Many of the projects explored the reuse of bricks from the demolished buildings on-site to reduce waste and explore the possibilities of this versatile construction material.

Students

Year 5

Darshan Varsani, Rayyan Amjad, Alexsandra, Iman Habib, Catherine Westhead, Noson Pearl, Afrah Bathsha, Aaron Smith, Jeffrey Lim, Nuwar Darwish, Yili Zeng, Cherilyn Chia (Cherilyn), Aaishwarya Jain (Ash), Adwoa Botchey (Adj), Tasawar Rahim (Tas), Hieu Trung Tran (Hieu), Jemma Baldwin (Jemma), Maria Gorreth Tavares Duarte (Maria), Farah Nadhiera Binti Mohammad Fuad, Syahirah Hanis Binti Abd Ghafar, Isabel McCauley, Jack Whitehouse, Yasha Javan, Mohd Azreen Bin Mohd Hambali, James Chant, Tong Gao, Dominic Street, Wenze Xie, Enis Tan Ulman, Nadya Yordanova, Ismael Zaman, Ryan Dunkley, Zhanyuan Gao (Jen), Gi Lok Ho, Lukas Gedeikis, Alina Marinescu, Neda Vaiciulyte, Adriana Tomeci, Rodica Earmacov, Iulia Nastasache, Oana Neacsu, Hsuan-Fang (Sharon) Chen

Year 6

Solomon Adebiyi, Afrah Bathsha, Iathei Chan, Emily Cheung, Liam Costain, Patrick Davies, David Faminu, Heston Harris, Zakaria Islam, Aaishwarya Jain Pramod Jain, Wojciech Jankowski, Aslan Lewis, Geoffrey Ma, Szymon Milczarek, Hannah O'Neill, Samuel Okoh, Kelvin Pang, Holly Partlett, Luke Ian Philip Richards, Yashovardhan Sharma, Alex Tam, Tsz Wong, Ovidija Zemaityte, Thandokazi Zitumane