architecture at northumbria university

Tom Hewitt interviewed on BBC Radio Newcastle “Drive Time” show 

Tom now hopes to continue exploring walking as a design methodology and to work with clients to apply these methodologies to real-life projects. He said, “I’ve not seen anyone else using walking in this way as such a specific element of the architectural design process, so in that sense this is quite unique.

“During my research into the landscape, the existing developments I encountered were often placeless and homogenous – they didn’t strongly relate to the landscape they were situated in or the history of the area.

RIBA President’s Medal Commendation awarded to Tom Hewitt (MArch 2017) at award ceremony on Tuesday, 5 December 2017

We’re thrilled by Tom’s success in the RIBA President’s Medals with his project “Landhaus”. The RIBA received 146 entries in the Silver Medal category from 360 eligible Universities in 75 countries with Tom’s work recognised amongst one of the four best projects. 

Tom said, “The support and encouragement I have had during my time as a student at Northumbria has played a huge part in this award. I’ve had the freedom to explore alternative research methodologies and run with ideas that I wouldn’t have had elsewhere.” 

RIBA President Ben Derbyshire said: “Many congratulations to this year’s RIBA President’s Medals winners. The entries for this awards programme are always impressive and this year was no exception, with more entries than ever before.

“I am extremely pleased to see that the creativity and accomplished technique in the work of these budding architects is matched with a renewed ambition and focus on the important role that architecture plays in social betterment.”

The 2017 RIBA President’s Medals exhibition is on display at the RIBA in London until Saturday 10 February, and at RIBA North in Liverpool until 24 February 2018.

Tom’s thesis project can be explored further at: https://tomhewittarchitectureworkshop.wordpress.com/

The final lecture for 2017 in the nas Shaping Practice lecture series will be given tonight by Roz Barr Architects.

TONIGHT’S LECTURE POSTPONED UNTIL Thursday, 23 November 2017 

nas Shaping Practice #03: Alberto Sanchez, SMS Arquitectos

Based in Palma de Mallorca, SMS Arquitectos’ work responds to the context of the Balearic Isles, while developing international collaborations with practices such as Caruso St John (London), Coll-Leclerc (Barcelona) and Bosshard Vaquer (Zurich). In developing regional responses for civic and residential projects, the office employs imaginative approaches to siting, planning and construction, particularly re-inventing cheap technologies as elements of beauty:

http://smsarquitectos.com/ 

http://hicarquitectura.com/2013/07/sms-arquitectos-nursery-and-primary-school/ 

nas Shaping Practice lecture #02: Alfredo Brillembourg 

Northumbria Architecture Society are pleased to welcome Martin Lydon of Haworth Tompkins back to Northumbria University tonight, Thursday 26th October, to talk about their creative re-use work. This will be a must see lecture for anyone designing performance spaces.

Lecture theatre: CCE-001, 

Land of Oak and Iron Visitors’ Centre breaks ground 

NAS lecture series 2017-18 “Shaping Practice” starts tonight with 

Marius Grootveld of Veldwerk Architecten, TU Delft, RWTH Aachen and Rotterdamse Academie van Boukunst to Northumbria University.

3D Reid Student Prize 2017 

Congratulations to Oliver Hopwood (MArch 2017) whose Campus for Planet-Critical Technologies is in the final shortlist of 6 schemes, out of 25 entries this year - each representing a different UK school of architecture, which will be presented to the judges on 17 July.

About Oliver’s project: 

Repurposing Shotton Mine: an  adaptation of a post-extractive landscape

Oliver’s project addresses the sharp  edge of humanity’s impact on the environment – a vast, post-mining landscape  in the heart of the greenbelt – and works across scales to the powers of ten.  The proposition does not seek to disguise how the landscape has been used,  but to reconceptualise it as a sublime “found” condition. There are, however,  also hints of a seductive dystopia in the landscape proposals.

Flora and fauna have already  repopulated the fringes of the site, in marked contrast to the carefully  manicured, mono-cultural earthworks of “Northumberlandia” nearby. The wider  scheme re-connects the village of Shotton, two farmsteads cut off by the A1  to the west and two massive, tree-topped earth berms to the north and south,  via the site of the proposal, to a new north-south service road and a  reinstated local railway station to the north.

The brief developed for the site – a  centre for restorative technologies – seeks to find new relationships to the  environment through a research and development campus. The complex is  designed to encourage accidental encounters between the different specialisms  employed at the campus through a looped circulation, allowing continuous  walking-talking meetings. Unmediated interactions between people and the  environment occur as the complex’s employees travel vertically between the  research facilities and earth-sheltered, communal eateries and the  experimental lab and workshop zones for growing, fabrication and testing.

In such a  vast, unforgiving, manmade landscape, the complex requires an appropriate  monumentality. Elevating the loop of research accommodation creates a  borderline-bonkers megastructure that references the revolutionary  architectural language of Russian Constructivism and Archigram’s instant  cities. Yet, there is also a considered and appropriate human scale to the  proposal with calm and legible internal spaces that are natural lit and  ventilated and have reciprocal views of the dramatic landscape.

Gibside Walled Garden “Seed Pavilion” opening event 

Future Thinkers on Architecture at the Lit & Phil 

kicked off tonight with 14 short talks in quick succession on subjects ranging from domestic clutter; communal pubs and communal bathing; urban density and urban complexity; social interaction at the cinema; food; the virtues of clay to virtue in aesthetics and even Tove Jansson’s Moomins. 

Experiments in Happiness starts at 5 PM tonight 

teaser

After depositing your mobile at the 'phone creche’, head into The Happy Place bar serving a variety of cocktails in a mood-enhancing environment. To your left, as you enter is a mysterious box on legs. This is our "Silent Bar".  The "Silent Bar" evokes the everyday experience of the regular customer at ‘your local [pub]’. When you walk in, Joe the bartender has your drink already waiting for you. Put down your £1 coin and take your drink. But you've not been here before tonight, the familiar ritual is suddenly rather uncanny... Settle down with you drink in whimsical base-camp and prepare to have your sense reality skewed amidst fantastical talks and performances. An unconventional opportunity to express yourself is also presented to you here. Move through into a blank canvas where your inner child can be released. Pick up a brush and express your emotions by playing with colourful paint as you see fit! Also please explore our playful fort/tent-like structure extending from the wall, where you may reflect and respond further to our event.Exiting the feedback room, walk to the left of the column to return to The Happy Place bar or walk on the right of the column to enter the video booth to leave a message: “Say what you have always wanted to say” anonymously. No interruptions and no judgement, but what is said cannot be unsaid.

Future Thinkers on Architecture

Free events on Monday, 22 and Tuesday, 23 May 2017 from 18:00 at the Literary & Philosophical Society .

Full Programme:

Monday, 22 May 2017

A Hafsat - Compact Cities: The Impact of Urban Intensification on Quality of Life.

E Baines – The World as an Image: Occularcentrism in Mass Media & ContemporaryArchitectural Practice.

F Bill - Cross-Over Architecture: Can the tools used in Cross-Over Literature be applied to Architecture.

D Breslin – Taste, Colour, Texture: The Design Process of a Michelin Starred Chef.

E Burroughs - Domestic Clutter and the Architect: Analysing the Organisation of the Things at Home.

B Chan - Culture reflection on architectural description in different languages.

YS Chan - Spirit of Subterranean Areas: The human perception of underground space.

J Chandler - Pulled Through: The enduring authenticity of the community pub.

HK Chun - The importance of Japanese Public Bathing Culture on Urban Development.

J Cowling - A Bridge of Weak Ties: Cultural Relationships in the Small World of Architecture.

J Elleray - Plugged-in: The impacts of pervasive gaming on the built environment.

J Feeney – Shaped Shapers: How cultural practices influence the processes of the architect and architecture.

C Forshaw - The Architect and Cultural Identity: How are memorial spaces used within cities to portray cultural identity.

H Forsyth - Bank Architecture: Portraying Security in a Digital Age.

M Hagyard - Food in the Community: How does food impact on our cities.

C Herron - Technological influences on behavioural codes in society and social interaction.

SC Hung - How do colours influence human emotions?

D Ireland – Social Cohesion: Wellbeing and the Effectiveness of Cinema

Tuesday, 23 May 2017

K Jacka - The Virtue-Centric Architect: The Architectural Manifestations of Human Virtues.

J Marshall - Wabi-Sabi & Architecture.

E Morgan - Complexity and Architecture: How does complexity theory relate to the practice of Architecture.

G Narciso - Branding, Consumerism and Architecture: An analytical study of Branding and

C O’Connell - The Architect and The Consumer: “The Dupe” & “The Hero”

G Paul - The notion of a fragmented society: The development of community into a new multi-level social construct.

J Pearson - Architecture & Brand Development: The Craft Brewing Industry within Newcastle upon Tyne.

J Primmer - How can an extrospective framework assessment of a community contribute to urban and community architecture.

A Sage - How and why do architects approach the inclusion of biophilic design in their work.

F Sedgewick - The Craft of Pottery: Art, Art therapy and Architecture.

L Smith - Exploring the social implications of the rise in single person households in Britain: The Benefits of introducing co-housing communities.

P Smith - Storytelling + Architecture: A study of storytelling through studio Ghibli’s “Spirited Away”

C Snell - The Architect and The Umwelt: An exploration of architecture and the perceptual worlds of different organisms.

A Taylor – The Commercialisation of Craft: The Architects Role in in a Modern Material Environment.

QM Trinh - Cooking Architecture: A Taste in Architectural Design

P Wontner – The Uncanny and Contemporary Design

T Yeadon - Hygge & Architecture: Considering Human Emotion in Design.

K Yung - Transportation Revolution: The future airport

Experiments in Happiness 

13 Grey Street, Newcastle upon Tyne

19th May 5pm-11.30pm 20th May 2pm - 11.30pm

FREE (limited capacity):

PRESENTED AS PART OF THE LATE SHOWS 2017

Experiments in Happiness is a site-specific Live Art research project led by artist Amy Lord and produced by Mint Moon.

Joe Chandler, Katy Jacka and Liz Morgan, 1st year Master of Architecture students have designed and built the first floor pop up bar/cafe space and a feedback activities. Discover different artworks and interactive experiences over 3 floors made in collaboration with local artists including: Rosa Poselthwaite Lizzie Klotz Zoe Murtagh

The project uses science, psychology and philosophy to explore the idea of ‘happiness’ and mood.

Cocktails will be available from YOUR HAPPY PLACE bar.

nas Teaching Practice: talk #08 Steve Larkin