Laura Sanderson is a senior lecturer at Manchester School of Architecture and a qualified architect. She is the Co Programme Leader of the MArch and the Atelier Leader of Continuity in Architecture. 

Laura’s work focuses upon the process of analysing and understanding the nature and qualities of place, in order to develop new buildings and other elements within the environment of the already built. She has led funded projects with the Continuity in Architecture Atelier in settlements around Manchester; producing research outputs from projects in Bollington (2016), Bakewell (2017), Rochdale (2019), Shrewsbury (2020), and this year in Bradford. These outputs include exhibitions, articles, book chapters, built interventions and the Heritage Schools project.

Laura co-curated UnDoing (2019), an exhibition at the Castlefield Gallery (with Sally Stone), which explored how buildings, places and artefacts are re-used, reinterpreted and remembered. Key questions defining the exhibition themes were; How do architects manage the conflict between the needs of the present with the value of the past? What is lost once a building is gone for good? What is our relationship to our history, and how do we inhabit and respond to our present environment? The final list of interdisciplinary exhibitors were from backgrounds of architecture, art, interactive art, photography, visual arts and academia, bringing together sculpture, collage, orthographics, models, installation and films covering international territories of Manchester, Tehran, Leominster, Poland, Edinburgh, Venice, Palestine, Belgium and Ghent as well as imagined futures and spaces now lost. These themes will be further explored in the forthcoming book ‘Remember, Reveal, Construct: Reflections upon the Contingency, Usefulness and Emotional Resonance of Architecture, Buildings and Context’ (with Sally Stone 2022) and through an ongoing research project titled ‘Sinister Dialogues’ (with Bie Plevoets, 2023).

Another imminent project is a collaboration with Luca Csepely-Knorr and the Institute of Place Management examining the High Streets of the District Centres of Manchester. Using a Serial Vision (Cullen, 1971) approach and working with Urban Sketcher Simone Ridyard, Chorlton District Centre, Levenshulme District Centre and Withington District Centre, the project will examine drawing as a consultation methodology for developing High Streets.

Laura has published a number of reflections on her pedagogic approach including the work in Continuity in Architecture, the Atelier Zero (with Helen Aston) installation and the MSA Events Programme (with Victoria Jolley), a cross year programme which produced over 300 live projects over the past decade.

Instagram | Twitter @continuityinarc

Research

Exhibitions

Stone, S., Lee, S., Sanderson, L., 2021. Bradford Reimagined, City Park, Bradford, 9/7/2021 - 31/8/2021.

Sanderson, L., Stone, S., Lee, SJ., 2019. Rochdale Reimagined, Rochdale Central Library, 25/6/2019 - 16/8/2019.

Sanderson, L., Stone, S., 2019. UnDoing Exhibition, Castlefield Gallery, 21/3/2019 - 26/5/2019.

Sanderson, L., Stone, SH., Lee, SJ., 2017. Bakewell : Some Ideas, Bakewell Town Hall, 16/6/2017.

Sanderson, L., Lee, SJ., Stone, SH., 2017. The Way We Live Now, Bakewell Town Hall, 24/2/2017.

Sanderson, L., Stone, SH., Lee, SJ., 2016. Bollington. Real : Imagined, Bollington Arts Centre, 22/5/2016.

Sanderson, L., Stone, SH., Lee, SJ., 2016. Oddments and Epigrams : Interventions in Bollington, Bollington Arts Centre, 18/1/2016 - 20/1/2016.

Sanderson, L., Stone, SH., Lee, SJ., 2013. If on a Winter's Night a Traveller : The Drawings, Cartmel Priory, 17/6/2013.

Sanderson, L., Stone, SH., Lee, SJ., 2013. If on a Winter's Night a Traveller : The Models, RIBA HUB : Manchester, 19/6/2013.

Artefacts

Sanderson, L., 2014. 'Analogies', Manchester.

Sanderson, L., 2013. 'Crossings', Manchester.

Sanderson, L., Jefferies, T., Aston, H., 2012. 'Atelier[zero]', Manchester.

Books

Sanderson, L., Stone, S., 2021. 'Emerging Practices in Architectural Pedagogy Accommodating an Uncertain Future', Routledge Focus on Design Pedagogy.

Sanderson, L., Stone, SH., 2021. 'Remember, Reveal, Construct : Reflections upon the Contingency, Usefulness and Emotional Resonance of Architecture, Buildings and Context.', Routledge.

Stone, S., Sanderson, L., 2021. 'Teaching-Learning-Research: Design and Environments', AMPS.

Stone, S., Pendergast, M., Emery, T., Sanderson, L., 2019. 'UnDoing Exhibition Catalogue + Essays', MSA Press.

Book Chapters

Sanderson, L., Stone, S., 2022. 'Emerging Practices in Architectural Pedagogy'. In Sanderson, L., Stone, S. (eds.) Emerging Practices in Architectural Pedagogy: Accommodating an Uncertain Future, pp. 94-115, Routledge.

Stone, S., Sanderson, L., 2021. 'Introduction'. In Emerging Practices in Architectural Pedagogy, pp. 1-15, Routledge.

Sanderson, L., Stone, S., 2018. 'The Way We Live Now : How Architectural Education can support the Urban Development of Small Settlements'. In Day, K. (eds.) Global Dimensions in Housing, Green Frigate Books.

Sanderson, L., Stone, SH., 2017. 'Oddments and Epigrams'. In Day, K., Chatzichristou, C. (eds.) Housing Solutions Through Design.

Reports

Sanderson, L., Stone, S., Lee, SJ., 2019. 'Rochdale Reimagined', MSA Press.

Sanderson, L., Stone, S., Lee, SJ., 2017. 'Bakewell : Some Ideas'.

Stone, SH., Sanderson, L., Lee, SJ., 2017. 'Reclaiming the Road: Public Realm Improvement Proposals for Bollington in Cheshire'.

Conference Papers

Jolley, V., Sanderson, L., 2020. 'MSA CATALYSTS: advanced peer learning through vertical group projects', AMPS Conference: Teaching-Learning-Research: Design and Environments, Manchester School of Architecture, UK, 2/12/2020 - 4/12/2020, in AMPS Proceedings Series 22.1. Teaching - Learning - Research, 22.1, pp. 129-140.

Lee, SJ., Stone, SH., Sanderson, L., 2019. 'Reclaiming the Road: People and Vehicles in Small Settlements', REHAB 2019: 4th International Conference on Preservation, Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Historical Buildings and Structures, Guimaraes, Portugal, 17/7/2019 - 19/7/2019, in REHAB 2019 Proceedings.

Sanderson, L., Lee, SJ., Stone, S., 2019. 'Small Settlements Research Projects', Education, Design and Practice - Understanding Skills in a Complex World, Stevens Institute, New York / New Jersey, 17/6/2019 - 19/6/2019.

Jolley, VS., Sanderson, L., 2017. 'Events // A Decade of Student Led Collaborative Projects', AAE Conference 2017: Architecture Connects, Oxford Brookes University, 6/9/2017 - 9/9/2017, in https://aaeconference2017.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/aae-2017-architecture-connects-proceedings_180706_high-res-print.pdf, pp. 117-125.

Sanderson, L., Stone, SH., 2017. 'The Way We Live Now : How Architectural Education can support the Urban Development of Small Settlements', AMPS, Derby, 22/6/2017 - 23/6/2017.

Sanderson, L., 2016. 'Delicate Interpretations', Cite Margins City Memories, Bangor.

Stone, SH., Sanderson, L., 2016. 'Trouble in Happy Valley: The Documentation of a Research Through Design Collaborative Project between a Postgraduate Atelier at the Manchester School of Architecture and the Local Community of a Small Town.', Proceedings: Architectural Research Addressing Societal Challenges, EAAE ARCC 10th International Conference (EAAE ARCC 2016), Lisbon, Portugal, 15/6/2016 - 18/6/2016.

Sanderson, L., Stone, SH., 2016. 'Trouble in Happy Valley: The Documentation of a Research Through Design Collaborative Project between a Postgraduate Atelier at the Manchester School of Architecture and the Local Community of a Small Town.', EAAE ARCC, Lisbon, 14/6/2016 - 18/6/2016.

Sanderson, L., Aston, H., 2012. 'Atelier[zero] Negotiated Dialogues', The Production of Place, University of East London.

Presentations

Hanley, AL., Jolley, V., Sanderson, L., Coucill, L., Robertson, J., Sobell, HB., 2021. 'MAP Manchester Architecture Papers'.

Sanderson, L., Lee, SJ., Stone, S., 2019. 'Rochdale by Way of Venice', Manchester Business School.

Other Outputs

Sanderson, L., Stone, S., Lee, SJ., 2020. 'A Future for the Already Built, Portfolio'.

Lee, S., Sanderson, L., Stone, S., 2020. 'Reclaiming the Road: A Research-by-Design Approach to the Problems of Small Settlements'.

Sanderson, L., Stone, S., 2019. 'UnDoing Buildings Tour'.

Sanderson, L., Stone, S., 2019. 'UnDoing, Portfolio'.

Stone, SH., Sanderson, LM., Lee, SJ., 2017. 'The Way We Live Now : Symposium'.

Sanderson, L., Stone, SH., Lee, SJ., 2016. 'Time and Context'.

Sanderson, L., 2014. 'Sinister Dialogues'.

Stone, SH., Lee, SJ., Sanderson, L., 2014. 'Symposium : Contextualism Dead or Alive'.

Research project details