Architecture students take part in design competition to address homelessness in the city
Architecture students from UWE Bristol have taken part in a week-long competition to design a prefabricated housing scheme to address particular conditions of homelessness in the city.
The competition, sponsored by housing manufacturer Totally Modular, provided students with the opportunity to work on real-life design case studies, whilst also highlighting the discussion around homelessness and its possible solutions.
The challenge attracted entries from all five of the undergraduate architectural courses - from first year to final year students. Students formed teams and submitted their proposals for housing on sites in the city that have been identified as suitable for affordable housing.
Their designs were judged on elements such as how they responded to the brief, design and innovation. First place went to Team Y; Seanne Christhian, Mahek Khushalani, Isuri Ratnayake and Zoe Restrick. The judging panel also gave two other groups a ‘highly commended’ award.
The winning team received a £500 prize, a tour of the Totally Modular manufacturing facility, and their winning designs will be considered for implementation on a Bristol site.
Student Milly Harvey, whose team was highly commended, said: “It felt great to be recognised as architects, not just students. I think we have all come away from this project feeling inspired and encouraged.”
James Burch, Associate Head of Department of Architecture and the Built Environment at UWE Bristol, said: “The students enjoyed tackling a real-life brief and acting as design teams, working under pressure to deliver their proposals.
“In less than a week the teams created a range of sensitive, well-researched and well-argued proposals that they, and we, are proud of. With this work we are pleased to be raising the level of debate of contemporary housing design in the city.”
Mark Southgate, Chief Executive of MoBIE and head judge of the competition, said: “We were genuinely wowed by the standard of work the teams produced and had to remind ourselves the teams were not yet professionals and that they only had 4.5 days to create these designs from scratch - the results were amazing!
“We were highly impressed by the way the teams addressed all parts of a challenging brief. The future of housing design is in great hands - we can't wait to see what you all do next.”
Related news
06 February 2025
Opinion: ‘We’re ensuring people have access to diverse images for healthcare’
Flicking through the pages of academic medical textbooks back in 2022, our team spotted a surprising omission: a stark absence of images of health conditions on darker skin tones.
03 February 2025
Groundbreaking UWE Bristol project based on children’s lived experiences of racism in the UK set to transform police training
UWE Bristol researchers have worked with over 1,000 primary-aged children to explore everyday experiences of racism to inform future police training.
30 January 2025
Women exercising in gyms face barriers including body image and harassment, study finds
Women exercising in gyms often feel judged for their appearance and performance, leading to a persistent sense of inadequacy, according to a new study.
22 January 2025
Talent collaboration programme UWE Futures expands to support diversity in Bristol's legal and creative sectors
UWE Bristol's talent programme, UWE Futures, which offers paid work experience to global majority students, has expanded in its second year to include more legal firms and a leading organisation in Bristol’s creative sector.
15 January 2025
Pupils’ work produced in anti-racism lessons to be displayed at Bristol Cathedral
Work produced by school children in response to specially designed lessons on anti-racism will go on show at an exhibition at Bristol Cathedral.
17 December 2024
‘One of a kind’ course accredited by UWE Bristol recognised with Princess Royal Training Award
A foundation degree accredited by UWE Bristol has been awarded a prestigious City & Guilds Princess Royal Training Award.
02 December 2024
Project led by UWE Bristol launches new resources to tackle racism and discrimination in healthcare education
A range of inclusive training and learning resources to tackle racism and discriminatory behaviour in healthcare have been launched by UWE Bristol.
28 November 2024
Entrepreneur and advocate for workplace equality awarded honorary degree by UWE Bristol
Dr Zara Nanu MBE, an innovator in addressing workplace inequalities and tackling the gender pay gap, has been awarded an honorary degree by UWE Bristol.
22 October 2024
‘Life changing’ prosthetic leg developed at UWE Bristol to be trialled at global competition
Researchers from UWE Bristol are preparing to showcase an advanced bio-inspired prosthetic leg they have developed to improve the quality of life for people with above-knee amputations.
01 October 2024
Research study aims to improve dementia assessments for diverse communities in Bristol
UWE Bristol is launching a research project aimed at transforming the assessment and diagnosis of dementia for people from three minority ethnic communities in Bristol.
26 September 2024
Project Zulu choir tour funds new classrooms in South Africa
Classroom overcrowding has been eased at a township school in South Africa, thanks to money raised during the Project Zulu choir tour last year.
18 September 2024
Activist Dr Guy Bailey OBE celebrated at UWE Bristol event
Civil rights activist Dr Guy Bailey OBE, who was instrumental in the Bristol Bus Boycott in the 1960s, is the first guest speaker at the latest series of free events hosted by UWE Bristol.