Our BA3 students have been working closely with the Faculty of Health and Education at MMU to propose future scenarios for University campus facilities and infrastructure, and their relationship to the wider urban eco-system.

The CPU[ai] theme this year was “Zero Carbon Futures” and “Emergent Biophilic Design”. BA3 students were asked to consider and challenge potential futures for the University campus, looking at Design/Systems/Futures Thinking, assessing and addressing possibilities for adaptability, change over time, health and wellbeing and human centred design. One of the challenges of the brief was to consider how higher education buildings and infrastructure can be designed with adaptability and reuse in mind for a changeable expectant demographic, exploring opportunities for expansion and integration within the local infrastructure.

We asked students to consider how their buildings could be designed for efficiencies of materials and assemblies. The students met with manufacturers, engineers, and service users to negotiate the complex priorities of the specialisms involved. In response to this, the third year CPU[ai] students have proposed a wide range of design proposals, which address the atelier context and the students’ own research interests. The diversity of responses and the complexity of the schemes produced, demonstrate the strength and ability of our students in inventively responding to uncertain future scenarios through their architectural interventions. It has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside the students on their projects and we wish them all the best.