Four thematic research clusters form a framework in this studio, in which students are given the option to pursue a design brief of their own devising. The clusters – Decolonised Places, Architectures of Care, Housing Crises, and Circular Economies – are representative of the breadth of interests in the cohort and provide a forum for sharing research journeys. They also foster collegiality, encouraging knowledge and resource exchange.
Following on from the ‘Developing Architectural Briefs’ Winter Intensive coordinated by Ross Anderson, in which participants analyse and critique a number of real-world architectural competition briefs before applying learnings to develop their own design briefs. These briefs constitute the project’s touchstone, providing helpful scaffolding for the myriad research-based design projects pursued across the final semester. The studio is marked by an intense level of enthusiasm and engagement and provides an opportunity to critically interrogate design questions that many students have harboured since the earliest days of their architectural studies, sometimes even earlier. With guidance, diverse and often very personal projects are realised. These projects are the objects of deep passion and care – they are projects that matter.