Education

Subterms

    Latest story

    163 Shares169 Views

    JEB acoustic partitions and furniture create modern campus for UOW College Hong Kong

    by

    Promotion: acoustic partitions and furniture brand JEB have provided interior solutions for the University of Wollongong’s new Tai Wai campus in Hong Kong, which aims to create an adaptable learning environment.

    The University of Wollongong (UOW) College Hong Kong campus in Tai Wai covers 15,000 square metres and supports 3,300 students with modern facilities including an auditorium, library and maritime laboratory.
    Hong Kong-based brand JEB was engaged to provide acoustic partitions and furniture solutions that could be adapted to support different styles of learning and encourage student interaction.
    The UOW College Hong Kong campus in Tai Wai is designed to be flexible and adaptableAt the same time, the team had to meet a design brief that sought to bring a taste of Australia to Hong Kong, with each floor of the building bringing to life a different element of the Wollongong landscape: the Pacific Ocean on the first floor, the urban environment on the second, and the mountains on the third.
    JEB’s Integra Operable Wall system is critical to the functional aspect of the design says the company, as it empowers educators to swiftly alter room sizes and layouts by unlocking the wall panels and moving them.

    The system operates on a door track and roller that allow panels to be turned around corners and stored out of sight, keeping the environment clutter-free and maximising available space.
    The space supports different styles of teaching and learningThe product “is a testament to JEB’s commitment to revolutionising the educational landscape and providing cutting-edge solutions that meet the evolving needs of modern learning environments,” said the brand.
    JEB made ample use of glass in its choice of partitions, to avoid closing off areas when there is limited natural light and to create an open-feeling atmosphere.
    For furnishings, JEB mixed custom solutions with a range of office products from leading local and international brands such as Vitra, Humanscale and Andreu World.
    JEB provided acoustic and furniture solutions for the University of Wollongong’s new Tai Wai campus in Hong KongWorkstations, cabinets and lecture tables were custom-made for the UOW College Hong Kong campus in Tai Wai. Movable desks were placed in tutorial rooms so that they could be easily reconfigured for group or individual work.
    In lounge areas, JEB sourced chairs suited to relaxation, while areas of open staircase seating were created to encourage casual interaction between students.
    “The deliberate use of partitions and furniture in the UOW College campus project in Tai Wai not only addressed the practical aspects of spatial flexibility and lighting challenges but also contributed to the creation of a modern, adaptable and student-centred learning environment,” said JEB.
    “The thoughtful integration of these elements has positively impacted the educational experience and reflects the commitment to innovative pedagogical approaches in higher education.”
    Partitions and furniture are key to the interior designJEB aims to deliver one-stop solutions to interior design, offering acoustic partitions, office furniture, bespoke facades and circular hygiene products.
    It also endeavours to act sustainably, operating a takeback programme that finds new homes for unwanted furniture.
    To find out more about JEB, visit the company’s website.
    Photography courtesy of JEB Group.
    Partnership content
    This article was written by Dezeen for JEB as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

    Read more: More

    More stories

    • 138 Shares159 Views

      in Rooms

      PLY+ and MPR Arquitectos convert historic Detroit building into colourful school

      by

      PLY+ and MPR Arquitectos have transformed a building at a former Catholic college into the School at Marygrove Elementary, filling it with colours and shapes that help spark “experimentation and exploration” among children.

      Located in northwest Detroit, the building is part of the School at Marygrove, a new educational institution that will eventually serve students in kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12). The curriculum has a special focus on engineering and social justice.
      PLY+ and MPR Arquitectos converted a Catholic college in Detroit into an elementary schoolThe school occupies the site of a former religious college, Marygrove College, that closed in 2019. The campus – which is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places – is now owned and managed by a nonprofit organization, the Marygrove Conservancy.
      Several buildings on the 53-acre (21-hectare) campus are being converted into facilities for the School at Marygrove.
      The school is on a historic campusThis project involved transforming a brick-faced, concrete building that first opened in 1941 into a public elementary school for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

      The design was led by PLY+, a studio based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and MPR Arquitectos, which is based in Ann Arbor and Murcia, Spain.
      It was led by firms run by Michigan architecture professorsBoth firms are led by professors at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan.
      The architects aimed to preserve original features in the 65,000-square-foot (6,039-square-metre) building while integrating a host of new elements.
      Features of the original architecture were maintainedThe goal was to “establish a foundational, collaborative educational environment” while preserving the historic components.
      The building’s exterior was kept intact, the only change being the addition of an accessible entrance.
      Plywood millwork was addedWithin the building, the team modified rooms and added new finishes and plywood millwork. The decor was carefully selected, and special details – such as visually dynamic ceiling baffles – were incorporated.
      The building’s original layout was mostly retained, as the double-loaded corridor layout was deemed historically significant and kept in place.
      The brick of the original building was kept exposed for some of the interiorsThe corridor received new storage nooks with spots for bags, coats and shoes. In the classrooms, the team inserted counters, sinks, benches, chalkboards and storage space.
      “Custom millwork elements provide design flexibility without impinging on historic elements,” the team said.
      Colourful patterns adorn the walls and floorsThe project also called for the creation of maker spaces, reading rooms, a media centre and a restorative justice centre. An existing gymnasium was renovated.
      Throughout the facility, the team used a mix of soft and bold colours, ranging from bright peach to pale yellow-green.

      KOKO Architecture + Design creates interactive children’s space for the Met

      The palette was informed by historic hues and the desire to introduce colours that signal “the new use of the building and the new model of pedagogy being fostered”, the team said.
      “Colour and form play an important role in establishing unique identities for individual classrooms and signal the vibrancy and joy of collaborative learning,” the team added.
      The design is meant to encourage exploration for the childrenOverall, the design is meant to speak to its young users.
      “The design engages children’s sense of curiosity and encourages experimentation and exploration,” the team said.
      The project was a collaboration between Detroit Public Schools Community District, which operates the school, and the University of Michigan’s School of Education.
      Other school projects include an athletic centre at an Oregon school that features trellises laced with climbing vines and a boarding school in southern California that has buildings with jagged rooflines.
      The photography is by Jason Keen.
      Project credits:
      Architect: PLY+ and MPR ArquitectosPly+ team: Craig Borum, Jen Maigret, Andrew Wolking, Yusi Zha, Olaia Chivite Amigo, Yibo Jiao, Masataka YoshikawaMPR Arquitectos team: Ana Morcillo-Pallares, Jon RuleArchitect of record: Integrated Design SolutionsClient: Marygrove ConservancyCollaborators: Detroit Public Schools, University of Michigan School of Education

      Read more: More

    • 150 Shares159 Views

      in Rooms

      Ennead Architects and Rockwell Group create “floating” classrooms for Johns Hopkins University

      by

      New York-based studios Ennead Architects and Rockwell Group have completed the renovation of an academic building for Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC with “floating” classrooms at its core.

      Called the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, the 435,000-square-foot (40,400 square metre) building will serve as an interdisciplinary educational and event centre for the university and the public.
      Ennead Architects and Rockwell Group have renovated an academic building for Johns Hopkins University. The photo is by Jennifer Hughes.Located at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, the 10-story building was designed to evoke a “democratic society”, with a large central atrium that contains conference and classrooms seemingly suspended in its core.
      A central staircase doubles as seating and sits at the base, while multiple floors span upwards and contain a number of classrooms and event spaces.
      It will serve as both an education and event centre for the university and the public. The photo is by Jennifer Hughes.”The design is focused on multiple gathering spaces that can shrink and grow to accommodate every type of convening, from an intimate policymaker breakfast to a teeming global conference,” said interior architect Rockwell Group.

      “A large floating transparent classroom and treehouse-like, stacked assemblage of glass classrooms and open lounges hang, suspended on either side of the atrium, providing vistas of the Hopkins community at work and evoking the openness of academic inquiry in a democratic society.”
      The team updated both the interior and exterior of the building. The photo is by Jennifer Hughes.Rockwell Group worked with exterior architect Ennead Architects and architect of record SmithGroup to renovate the interior into a “vertical quad”, distributing 38 classrooms, a library, a multimedia studio, 26 study rooms, three floors of conference centre space, workspaces, a banquet hall, a fitness centre and a 375-seat theatre around the building’s central atrium.
      Ennead Architects, then Polshek Partnership, previously built the building in 2008 for the Newseum before undertaking its current transformation for Johns Hopkins University.
      The team opened up the interior to create a “vertical quad”. The photo is by Alan Karchmer.16,888 square feet (1,586 square metres) of outdoor terraces were also added to the exterior.
      “As architects, it is a rare opportunity to revisit an earlier design and reimagine it for an entirely new purpose,” said Ennead Architects design partner Richard Olcott.
      Suspended classrooms hang in the interior of a central atrium. The photo is by Alan Karchmer.”Major interventions include the complete reworking of the vertical circulation to suit the needs of the complex academic program, numerous realigned floors, and structural transfers to accommodate classrooms and a completely reconfigured auditorium.”
      “The new central spaces will create a nexus of activity throughout the day and evening, offering meeting, classroom, lounge and gathering spaces of varying types and scales, and blurring the traditional boundaries between them.”
      A floating unit at the centre of the atrium contains classrooms and workspaces. The photo is by Jennifer Hughes.The exterior was also refinished to reflect the architectural language of the surrounding buildings such as John Russell Pope’s National Gallery of Art and IM Pei’s National Gallery East Building.
      Pink Tennesse marble wraps around a newly installed, central glass curtain wall with horizontal sunscreens trimmed in bronze and copper.

      Triangular glass panels wrap Knight Center at the University of Oregon

      The sunscreens provide protection from heat gain, while Ennead Architects shifted facade elements to bring more daylight to the space.
      Rockwell Group outfitted the interior palette to include a warm mixture of wood walls and panels, terrazzo tile floors, brick and wood floor tiles and accents of an earthy red, blue and grey.
      Warm wood panelling, terrazzo floors, and accents of an earthy red complete the interior. The photo is by Alan Karchmer.”The Hopkins Bloomberg Center is a holistic example of everything our studio is interested in – creating an urban environment within the larger structure, gathering spaces within larger spaces, and a sense of place that is defined in part, by adaptability and use,” said Rockwell Group founder David Rockwell.
      “How people move, interact, and meet is at the core of every inch of the building.”
      Elsewhere, Ennead Architects recently completed a research facility at the University of Oregon, while together, Ennead Architects and Rockwell Group recently created a food distribution centre in Brooklyn.
      The photography is by Jennifer Hughes and Alan Karchmer. 
      Architect: Ennead ArchitectsInterior architect: Rockwell GroupArchitect of record: SmithGroup

      Read more: More

    • 125 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Branch Studio Architects designs student welfare space for Melbourne college

      by

      Branch Studio Architects has created a dusty-pink student welfare centre at an all-boys school in Melbourne to provide a space for discussing mental health.

      Marcellin College principal Marco Di Cesare saw a need to offer a space where students could come together and seek help for mental health issues, particularly after Australia’s state of Victoria experienced some of the strictest lockdowns during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
      The creation of the student welfare centre involved renovating an “undercroft” spaceThe faculty therefore decided to renovate a 387-square-metre space for this purpose inside the existing Placidus Building on campus, instead of knocking it down.
      “Marco came to us with a brief for a refurbishment to a lower-ground space within an existing building, which – under previous management – was flagged for demolition,” said Brad Wray, co-founder of Branch Studio Architects and the project’s design architect.
      The majority of the centre is occupied by a common space for studentsThe space had previously been used as a series of nondescript classrooms and staff offices, with a lack of natural light.

      “Given the poor amenity and general dark ‘undercroft’ feeling of the existing space, it was a space that not many staff or students particularly liked to use and saw any real value in,” said Wray. “Let alone, the potential of the space becoming a place for student welfare.”
      Multiple spaces for studying and relaxing are incorporated throughout the common areaThe brief called for a lighter, brighter area in which students could relax, study, contemplate and converse with one another, as well as provide offices for faculty members who specialise in student welfare and private rooms for one-on-one discussions.
      The smaller rooms were pushed to the edge of the floor plan, leaving a spacious common area to occupy the bulk of the centre’s footprint.
      Lightly textured, dusty-pink plaster was chosen as a unifying materialThis open space is partially divided by sculptural geometric partitions and fixed furniture elements into a series of seating areas, workspaces and hang-out niches.
      “We wanted to create an environment which embodied a sense of a ‘home away from home’, where students could feel more comfortable through direct visual associations with their own homes,” Wray said.
      A space for reflection is modelled on a chapelFor instance, a kitchen island – where many students might speak casually with family and friends – was integrated to encourage similar instances.
      Lightly textured, dusty-pink plaster was chosen to highlight the architectural interventions, while a burgundy hue was selected for seat-cushion upholstery and cabinetry in the kitchen area.
      Branch Studio Architects chose to translate elements from The Hermitage”Given Marcellin College is an all-boys school, there was a keen interest from early on in pushing the boundaries of gender-based colour stereotypes,” said Wray.
      The team also used the college’s associations with Marist Catholic history to inform the design.
      Sculptural furniture pieces are based on features found at the Marist pilgrimage siteEstablished in the 1950s, Marcellin College is named after Saint Marcellin Champagnat, who built The Hermitage community on a property near Lyons, France, in 1824.
      Wray and his team translated multiple references from this pilgrimage site into architectural elements through the welfare centre.

      Branch Studio uses plywood and perforated metal for Arts Epicentre

      Most prominent is the enclosed reflection space in the middle of the common room, which is modelled on the original chapel that sat on The Hermitage site.
      Landscape features, archways, a cabinet, a fireplace and a relic found at the site in France were reinterpreted as minimalist curved walls and sculptural furniture pieces that appear to be carved from the welfare centre’s interior.
      Tiered seating is based on the amphitheatre built into the landscape at The Hermitage”We are under no illusions architecture will solve student mental health, but we hope it facilitates a positive experience – a calm and relaxing place to open up a dialogue between students and staff,” said Wray.
      The Placidus Student Welfare Space is shortlisted in the health and wellbeing interior category for this year’s Dezeen Awards, along with a children’s clinic in Seattle, a high-end dental practice in Toronto and two more projects. See the full interiors shortlist here.
      The minimalist interior is intended to help the students focus and contemplateFounded in 2012 by Wray and Nicholas Russo, Branch Studio Architects has seen previous Dezeen Awards success – having won interior project of the year in 2019 for a school administration office in Melbourne.
      The firm’s portfolio of completed education projects in Australia also includes an arts centre at another college in Victoria, a weathering steel bridge for a secondary school and a wooden extension to a school library.
      The photography is by Peter Clarke.
      Project credits:
      Branch Studio Architects team: Brad Wray, design architect; Nicholas Russo, project realisation; Jax Lam, project architect; Arun Lakshmanan, graduate architectBuilder: MDC Building GroupBuilding surveyor: Michel Group Building SurveyorsStructural engineer: OPS EngineersServices engineer: BRT Consulting

      Read more: More

    • 113 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Superkül renovates reading room at Toronto's brutalist Robarts Library

      by

      Canadian studio Superkül has updated the reading room at the University of Toronto’s Robarts Library, a notable example of brutalist architecture.

      The project involved renovating the cavernous concrete space on the building’s fourth floor, as part of the university’s larger initiative to revitalise the Robarts Library, which Superkül described as “one of North America’s most significant examples of brutalist architecture”.
      The Brutalist concrete Robarts Library was built in 1973Completed in 1973, the John P Robarts Research Library was designed by local architecture studio Mathers & Haldenby.
      It is both the largest individual library at the University of Toronto and the largest academic library building in Canada.
      Superkül updated the spaces to better serve contemporary learning needsAs an important facility for students and faculty, the reading and study spaces required upgrades to meet contemporary learning styles and equipment, while remaining respectful to the heritage-listed architecture.

      The project also needed to connect the original brutalist structure with the adjacent Robarts Common extension, completed by Diamond Schmitt Architects in September 2022.
      A variety of individual study stations were added to the double-height space”We were tasked with an ambitious goal: to convert the space into a superior contemporary environment for quiet study, collaboration, and digital scholarship in a manner that complements the building’s exalted architectural language and supports accessibility, diversity, and wellness,” said Superkül.
      Spread throughout the 20,300-square-foot (1,886-square-metre), double-height space are individual study areas, new digital stations, consultation rooms and two light therapy zones.
      Natural materials were chosen to bring warmth to the concrete buildingParticular attention was paid to accessibility, through the addition of inclusive study spots that allow users to adjust desk heights, seating configurations and lighting for their needs.
      “We also emphasised clear sightlines and intuitive wayfinding in a symmetrical layout to promote easy navigation,” said Superkül.

      Upgrades to historic Toronto university building include an elevator clad in copper scales

      The studio worked with a team of acoustic specialists to create a sound-dampening system using perforated wood and metal panelling, designed to blend in with the interior architecture.
      This scheme allows communal study groups to converse without disturbing other students.
      Particular attention was paid to accessibility, through the addition of inclusive study spotsFor the new elements, a variety of natural materials were chosen to add warmth to the concrete building, including custom-designed bronze screens and details that play on existing motifs.
      “To honour the distinctive geometry and materiality that make Robarts Library such a prodigious icon, we hewed closely to an overarching objective: create a robust and respectful design that honours the existing architecture and complements the library’s other spaces,” the studio said.
      An acoustic-dampening system was created to prevent communal study sessions distracting from quiet workAlso at the University of Toronto, studios Kohn Shnier and ERA Architects recently renovated the historic University College building to make it more accessible.
      Superkül’s previous projects have included an all-white vacation home in the Ontario countryside.
      The photography is by Doublespace.
      Project credits:
      Architect: SuperkülStructural engineer: EntuitiveMechanical and electrical engineer: HH AngusAcoustics: AercousticsCost: Marshall & MurrayCode and safety: LRI

      Read more: More

    • 163 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Emilieu Studio uses local materials to form mobile furniture in Toulon design school

      by

      Moveable furnishings crafted from old ship sails and plywood offcuts appear throughout the École Camondo Méditerranée design school in Toulon with interiors by French practice Emilieu Studio.

      The southerly outpost of Paris’s École Camondo is set on the coast of the French Riviera and features a pared-back open-plan interior meant to reflect “how design and sustainability intersect”.
      Design school École Camondo Méditerranée has a pared-back interiorIts sparse 2,000-square-metre floor plan is interrupted by a series of boxy storage units where students keep all their equipment.
      Each one is made of marine plywood offcuts that Emilieu Studio found in a nearby factory, selecting the material for its lightweight, hardwearing and water-resistant qualities.
      Storage units were painted to look like local rock and marbleDecorative artist Pierre-Yves Morel was enlisted to paint the surfaces of the units to resemble different types of marble and rock that are local to Toulon.

      “We had two difficulties with adornment: aesthetics could not come across functionality and we had to showcase the wonderful raw materials of Provence without extraction,” explained the studio. “Our only room for manoeuvre was surface, so we dared to rehabilitate faux.”
      Wheeled plinths can be turned into mobile whiteboards and trolleysOtherwise, the decor was kept to a minimum save for a few blown-up maps of Toulon that the studio mounted on walls and moveable partitions.
      “They allow a better understanding of the territory and encourage collaborative projects by being fully annotatable and magnetic,” Emilieu Studio explained.

      GOAA turns São Paulo car dealership into light-filled Camino School

      Marine plywood was also used to create several wheeled plinths that, with some extensions, can be transformed into mobile trolleys, whiteboards or work tables.
      The plinths also form the basis of the school’s modular sofas, which are finished with chunky cushions upholstered in old boat sails from the harbour in nearby Marseille. These can be removed and stacked to create seating in other pockets of the room.
      The plinths also form the base of the school’s modular sofa systemThe only fixed elements of the school’s interior are the stainless steel units that make up the kitchen area, as these had to be linked to the building’s plumbing system.
      There’s also a colour-coded bin station with built-in weighing scales so that students can manage their waste output and organise it for use in future projects.
      More traditional desks with glossy white countertops were also dotted around the space.
      Blown-up maps of Toulon act as decorationEcole Camondo Méditerranée is one of five projects shortlisted in the civic and cultural interior category of the 2022 Dezeen Awards.
      Other projects in the running include the world’s first multi-storey skatepark in Folkestone and Stanbridge Mill Library by Crawshaw Architects, which occupies a former cow shed.
      The photography is by Antoine Huot. 

      Read more: More

    • 113 Shares119 Views

      in Rooms

      Sulkin Askenazi arranges yellow school interiors around wooden tree

      by

      Splashes of bright yellow, round openings and a giant timber tree are among the playful touches Mexican design studio Sulkin Askenazi has included in Ikigai Sisu, a school in the Dominican Republic.

      Sulkin Askenazi arranged the elementary school around a central wooden tree in the lobby, which provides a playful feature for the children to sit on when learning indoors.
      Sulkin Askenazi has added yellow hues inside Ikigai SisuCalled Ikigai Sisu, the 500-square-metre school opened in September 2021 and is located in the town of Punta Cana on the eastern coast of Dominican Republic.
      Sulkin Askenazi was informed by Finnish schools, where shared recreational areas are given par with traditional learning spaces such as classrooms. The school is designed to encourage learning through play and exploration.
      Rooms are arranged around an artificial tree in the lobby”The origin of the project is aligned with the Finnish educational model, where recreational spaces play an important role in the development of children by providing a stimulating and inclusive place that fosters ties, curiosity and interaction,” said Jack Sulkin, co-founder of Sulkin Askenazi.

      “We wanted to design a school where the entire space felt connected and flexible and not too divided or fractioned into isolated spaces,” he told Dezeen.
      An area for physical education is at the back of the buildingAt the heart of Ikigai Sisu is a trunk made from locally sourced white oak slats that children can sit on. Also in the lobby is a reception desk, a climbing wall and soft stools clad in yellow and grey fabric.
      Classrooms with wooden tables and chairs line the front of the building while at the back there is a soft play area for physical exercise lessons. A kitchen can also be found in one of the main classrooms.
      Classrooms are coloured in the same yellow schemeSulkin wanted the colour yellow, which is the school’s colour, to act as a sensory stimulus. Yellow tiles are found in the bathrooms while sunny hued paint continues the colour theme in the classrooms.
      The yellow is countered with grey accents which appear on soft furnishings such as rugs, pouffes and activity mats.

      Walls with integrated furniture and yellow nooks encourage play in Madrid school

      “We wanted the project to have a more vibrant monochrome look and feel; an aesthetic that alludes to the school’s philosophy,” Sulkin explained.
      “The vibrancy of yellow, applied to our ever-flowing spaces through the school design, unquestionably triggers imagination and the ever changing minds of young children who roam the space.”
      Cubby holes and rounded openings are dotted throughoutAccording to Sulkin, the other “main character” in the school is the use of wood.
      “The project has two main characters, the first one is the colour yellow, and the second is the low thick wooden ribbon that organically flows throughout the project,” Sulkin explained.
      “We tried to instil a free-flowing, interactive, energy invigorating space with Ikigai,” he added.
      The bathroom is clad in bright yellow tilesDotted throughout the low slung school are little wooden cubby holes set at different heights and cushioned nooks that allow children to hide and peek through.
      This same wood forms an array of shelving units to display learning material and cabinets for storage.
      Bright colours are a popular feature in contemporary educational architecture around the world.
      Dezeen rounded up 10 colourful kindergartens that encourage kids to crawl, jump and learn including a pastel coloured learning centre in Melbourne by Danielle Brustaman and a hot pink kindergarten in China by Crossboundaries
      Photography is by Thiago da Cunha.

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares119 Views

      in Rooms

      Ten architecture projects from students at the Academy of Art University

      by

      An aquarium designed to protect marine biodiversity and a healing centre using horticultural techniques to help treat mental illness are included in our latest school show by architecture students at the Academy of Art University.

      Other projects include a “public living room” that blends neighbourhood life with areas for privacy and a residential hub designed to enable economic self-sufficiency for residents.

      School: Academy of Art University, School of ArchitectureCourses: M.Arch M.Arch2 B.Arch MA and BATutor: Mark Mueckenheim, David Gill, Nicole Lambrou, Sameena Sitabkhan, Eoanna Harrison, Philip Ra and Mini Chu
      School statement:
      “We are a progressive design laboratory of highly passionate students and a distinguished faculty of practising architects who work together to explore the boundaries of architecture. Our interactive onsite and online studio experience harnesses digital tools to mentor students throughout our rigorous curriculum.
      “We offer an excellent design education by developing each student’s capacity to synthesise critical thought, architectural vision, and technical comprehension. Our programmes engage with current global issues, empowering students to be change-makers and leaders advocating for social equity. Our diverse international community enables us to propagate a unique cultural response to build a better world.”

      Outer Mission Ramp Library – a knowledge connector for rapidly changing communities by Yi Hsien Rachel Wang
      “The typology of library buildings has evolved throughout history, reflecting the changes in information systems and learning activities. By combining social, functional and environmental benefits, the thesis is projecting a new sustainable library typology as a prototype for a public learning infrastructure.
      “The main conceptual idea is to design the library as a continuous ramp, connecting previously separated areas in the diverse local city fabric. The architectural intervention shortens the neighbourhood’s physical and social distances by combining pedestrian bridges, casual and formal learning infrastructure as a public living room for residents to gather, work, exercise and entertain.”
      Student: Yi Hsien Rachel WangCourse: Master of Architecture ThesisTutor: Mark Mueckenheim

      Self-generating Architecture: Pier 28 by Valeryia Haletskaya
      “The design for a hybrid aquarium and research-development centre at Pier 28 on the San Francisco waterfront employs organic, metabolic and self-generating materials. Artificial organisms – protocells that in time grow into artificial limestone – help to decrease levels of carbon dioxide while reinforcing the existing structure and building its sea-wall reef, skeleton, and envelope.
      “Researchers, students and visitors share spaces for learning, interaction, and collaboration. The scheme offers protection for marine species and enhances biodiversity. The living architectural intervention is aimed as a long-term solution for coastal cities and other areas at risk from storms surges due to climate change.”
      Student: Valeryia HaletskayaCourse: Master of Architecture Thesis M.ArchTutor: Mark Mueckenheim

      Outer Mix Investigating mixed-use development as a means to fostering a healthy year-round community on the Outer Cape by Christian Fish
      “A lack of affordable, year-round housing has become an urgent crisis on Cape Cod, afflicting low and middle-income families depending on a largely seasonal economy. Outer Mix imagines a new residential, social and economic hub on a 10-acre area in the Eastham Corridor Special District.
      “Organised into four blocks repeated throughout the site, 95 residential units are combined with nearly 30,000 square feet of economic and social programming. This includes artist studios, co-working spaces, cafes, a library, daycare and community greenhouse. This programme mix enables economic and sustainable self-sufficiency and a community for residents.”
      Student: Christian FishCourse: Master of Architecture ThesisTutor: Nicole Lambrou

      Eco-Tecture – Unifying Ecology with Architecture by Kevin Brady
      “How can architecture enhance, improve and support educational and public awareness of the conservation and preservation of our local natural resources? Exposure and access to the elements of nature enliven the spirit, inspire curiosity, and encourages a ‘critical thinking’ response while promoting a healthy interactive lifestyle.
      “This thesis seeks to determine how architecture could positively impact an ecological setting that strengthens community health, productivity, conservation and ecological awareness. This design approach engages user groups with the natural environment while preserving the ecological habitat.”
      Student: Kevin BradyCourse: Master of Architecture ThesisTutor: David Gill

      A Living Architecture by Aishwarya Naidu Bobbili
      “This project is a healing centre incorporating earth and plants into its form and structure to create a holistic, sustainable space for wellness and rehabilitation. Farming, nature and architecture form a dialectic relationship. Horticultural techniques such as pleaching aid in the treatment of mental illness and serve as a therapeutic strategy.
      “Located in Bakersfield, near Oil City in Kern County, California, the site is near the highest polluted city in the United States. The project aims to aid in healing people with a tranquil environment that incorporates sustainable and biophilic design.”
      Student: Aishwarya Naidu BobbiliCourse: Master of Architecture ThesisTutor: Mark Mueckenheim

      Unity Pavilion for Northridge Cooperative Housing by Naomi Rojas, Shunyi Yang, Dylan Ingle, Rhonuel Domingcil, Fabio Lemos, Corona Xiaohuan Gao, Malak Bellajdel, Kenta Oye, Jacob Delaney, Harikrishna Patel and Daniel Cervantes
      “A design-build project by the B.Lab group, the pavilion fosters cooking, eating and storytelling within a community garden in the Hunters Point neighbourhood of San Francisco.
      “Due to a lack of access to healthy, affordable food in the area, the pavilion integrates counters, benches, and a movable kitchen table for cooking demonstrations using produce directly from the garden, while a series of frames offer shade and a vista of the bay.
      “The design was derived from several communities and youth workshops together with feedback from garden volunteers, and the pavilion was measured and tested on full-scale prototypes before construction.”
      Student: Naomi Rojas, Shunyi Yang, Dylan Ingle, Rhonuel Domingcil, Fabio Lemos, Corona Xiaohuan Gao, Malak Bellajdel, Kenta Oye, Jacob Delaney, Harikrishna Patel and Daniel CervantesCourse: B Arch Collaborative Project / Building Lab – b.Lab / ARH 498Tutor: Sameena Sitabkhan, NOMA and Eoanna Harrison, AIA

      Sign-Up Sheet by Daniel Joonhee Lee
      “The project investigates the relationship between the sacred and the political, and the role of the autonomous citizen therein. Sign-up sheets are simple yet contractual.
      “Where public services are exchanged, they are activating devices bringing citizens together to achieve common goals. Sacred architecture has been a beacon of alternative governance by becoming places of refuge and political action.
      “This thesis frames those events as distinct from the economic agenda of neoliberalism. Sign-Up Sheet reimagines the site with an urban sanctuary in San Francisco’s Tenderloin where non-profit staffs and community members live and work in a hub of collective activity.”
      Student: Daniel Joonhee LeeCourse: Bachelor of Architecture ThesisTutor: Philip Ra and Mini Chu

      Kid of Parts for the Bayview Commons Apartments by Adam Nuru, Markish Siojo, Dylan Ingle, Fabio Lemos, Xiaohuan Corona Gao
      “Through a series of community events at the Bayview Commons Apartments, an affordable housing community in San Francisco, we learned that residents wanted an active, intergenerational, and flexible space that allowed for relaxation, interactive play and community events.
      “Our final design incorporates a set of flexible, movable furniture that can be set up in different configurations. Intergenerational play, imagination, and socializing are emphasized through the design of different panels on the modular pieces. The colourful groundscape is coded to give clues for spatial use and provide a vibrant surface that complements the colours of the wall mural.”
      Student: Adam Nuru, Markish Siojo, Dylan Ingle, Fabio Lemos, Xiaohuan Corona GaoCourse: B Arch Collaborative Project / Building Lab b.Lab / ARH 498Tutor: Sameena Sitabkhan, NOMA

      Infilling the Void by Kenta Oye
      “Urban planning in San Francisco has confined ethnic neighbourhoods to inhuman spaces. My ancestral heritage includes the repeated displacement of the Japanese community to unwanted or forgotten territories.
      “The design reveals the lost layers of the site – where the first Japan town took root in 1900 – by activating the alleys, offering a cultural centre that borrows from museum and immigration centre programmes.
      “The act of making was the catharsis that enabled this community to cope creatively. Ceramic, wood, and sewing galleries are paired with adjacent workshops, providing spaces to congregate, exchange ideas and share experiences through craft.”
      Student: Kenta OyeCourse: Bachelor of Architecture ThesisTutor: Philip Ra and Mini Chu

      Urban Living Room by Zoe Qiaoyu Zheng
      “The project brings neighbourhood life into public space while blurring boundaries and creating conditions of privacy. Public programmes and varied open spaces blend traditional library and private spaces with adjacent buildings.
      “The design responds to natural light, wind, and views but also create opportunities to block visual contact with adjacent residences. People are welcome to celebrate their time here, and the architecture makes invisible boundaries to protect their personal space as needed.
      “This is not just a library or another place to hang out; the proposal also provides opportunities for people to safely interact in acceptable proximities.”
      Student: Zoe Qiaoyu ZhengCourse: Bachelor of Architecture ThesisTutor: Philip Ra and Mini Chu
      Partnership content
      This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and the Academy of Art University. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

      Read more: More