UNIT D:
Flourishing Futures | Design for Regeneration
We believe that human beings have been separated from nature for too long and that, in order to address this, new buildings and the way they are interconnected into ecosystems need to become more in line with natural systems designs. We also believe that humans, when they act collaboratively, could have a huge impact on the critical journey towards a regenerative culture, thereby making a significant contribution towards reducing the current trajectory of climate breakdown. The project briefs for the year were aligned to address these two beliefs.
Both projects were located in Blackpool on the North-West coastline of the UK. The first project was to create a symbiogenetic habitat on/adjacent to the North Pier. The proposals had to be for a temporary building for the students acting as evolutionary activists, and a biological community that they determined through research, to work for 3 years maximum. The second project was to design a regenerative enterprise on a site along the famous Blackpool Promenade. The design proposals had to create a flourishing future for inhabitants of the building and natural systems in which it is situated.
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Melissa Kinnear, Peter Newton and Robert Goacher (technology) with additional support from Rebecca Bleeze (structures)
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Zuzanna Krzyzanowska, Jacob Skeates, Sahana Ashok, Mihaela Petkova, Alex Malden, Claudia Vesga, Freddie Broadhurst
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Year 2:
Jerin Akter, Chiara Aquilani, Humyra (Jessica) Haider , Jacob Lawes, Isabella Darcie Newey, Ikenna Oparah, Felipe Reyes, Robert Roth, Henry Wooldridge, Devon Wright
Year 3:
Hissah Almousa, Hing Tung (Bernice) Chan, Arad Haghgoo, Antonia Macavei, Francesco Petrillo, Mamuna Rashid, Yasmine Saoud, Max Silver, Lucy Stevenson, Maria-Sorina Trandafir, Lars van de Crommert
YEAR 02
Darcie Newey
Darcie Newey
Darcie Newey
Devon Wright - Rewilding Blackpool - Blackpool and its surrounding areas have lost the majority of their natural spaces, and with that many plant and animal species. I propose a space for an organisation to help to rewild Blackpool. The organisation will work with the public to reintroduce nature and habitats to the immediate area around the site to reflect how the rest of Blackpool could look, and act as a learning centre for the public on how they can help the process.
Devon Wright
Devon Wright
Devon Wright
Henry Francis Oliver Wooldridge - Urban Buddhist Temple - The primary objective of Buddhism is to liberate sentient beings from suffering. Buddhists practise discipline, mindfulness and self awareness. These all contribute to the mastering of the self and the mind, leading to enlightenment and the conquering of suffering. The proposal is to introduce a Buddhist Center to Blackpool that will support the development of healthy minds through a range of practices and techniques. Inspiring mindfulness will help to alleviate the suffering in Blackpool which will in turn lead to many subsequent, positive impacts. The centre will act as a not-for-profit social enterprise for the reason that well-being and enlightenment should be free and accessible to anyone. As a bottom-up strategy the centre must engage with the public, prioritising guidance and aid; since regeneration starts with the people. It will be a catalyst for growing mindfulness practices and communities over Blackpool.
Henry Francis Oliver Wooldridge
Henry Francis Oliver Wooldridge
Henry Francis Oliver Wooldridge
Chiara Aquilani - Project 1- North Pier The Project “Building the future from stories of Strand Findings” is located in Blackpool on the North Pier. You can find strand findings once the tide lowers and reveals what was once immersed in water. Each strand finding has its own story on how it reached the shore, just like every citizen of Blackpool has a personal story to the city. The aim of this project is for locals of Blackpool to go find and connect with a chosen strand finding and write a personal and emotional story about said object. Part of the story will be engraved on the pier itself while the finding will be displayed in “The House of strand findigs” for the 3 years that this project will last. During this time frame different stories of the shore will be collected and displayed in order for everyone to appreciate the most of the time overlooked, but very important systems of the strand findings. Project 2- Slots of Fun The beach is a place of recreation, a departure points for mythical adventures, a source of food, a cradle of arts and crafts, a welcome for foreigners and a meeting of cultures, salvation, and sadness for entire generations. Everything we find and see while walking on the beach tells us of the past, present and future of a community living by the sea. Bringing together the elderly, adults, young people, children, artists, fishermen, craftsmen, teachers, to tell the story of the beach means valuing everyone, understanding the importance of being a community that lives and is part of nature. The stories are the thread that leads people to respect and regenerate the beach, and to build a healthy society.
Chiara Aquilani
Chiara Aquilani
Chiara Aquilani
Chiara Aquilani
Chiara Aquilani
Robert Roth - Social & Environmental Regeneration - The first semester project is a temporary GMO laboratory for development and release of zooplankton able to survive in the increasingly acidic Irish Sea, attempting to regenerate receding Blackpool biodiversity. Also, it caters to the public to spread awareness. The second semester project is a psychedelics assisted psychiatric drug rehabilitation clinic, accommodating two stages of therapy set at different paces, along with an open office for institutional collaboration and a canteen. There are external balcony walkways and a central atrium with breakout areas. The building is designed around views and solar strategy.
Robert Roth
Robert Roth
Robert Roth
YEAR 03
Maria-Sorina Trandafir - Blackpool lacks community. In a town where with a great percentage of transient renders, what happens to the ones that are le� behind? Seniors are some of the ones most affected, le� in care homes, disconnected from society. I have decided to design a building for u3a, the university of the third age. Here you can go for a swim, have a cuppa, make new friends, learn new skills, and make a new furry friend. Are you a cat or a dog person? It doesn't mater, we got them all.
Maria-Sorina Trandafir
Maria-Sorina Trandafir
Maria-Sorina Trandafir
Maria-Sorina Trandafir
Maria-Sorina Trandafir
Francesco Petrillo - Regenerative Music Therapy Centre - My project is all about bringing people back together and forming new communities, in order to help the town of Blackpool flourish. This is a town with lots of controversy, amongst the people and the economy. One of the main issues that Blackpool is facing is depression and, by building a music therapy centre it would certainly help lower these inequalities. Music therapy has been found to be an advanced method in which the approaches to healing are totally different from traditional therapy, where individuals are able to see themselves in a whole new perspective. It has amazing benefits for mental health, that regular therapy doesn’t have, and is gradually growing in popularity in the UK.
Francesco Petrillo
Francesco Petrillo
Francesco Petrillo
Lucy Stevenson - “Blackpool Elders’ Centre” - Too long has been spent ignoring Blackpool! It finally receives its big break in terms of the planet's future regeneration. The brand-new Blackpool Elders' Centre is located on the bustling promenade and allows everyone to voice their opinions using the building's outdoor polling system. The discussion topic of the day is broadcast over the building's façade to engage onlookers. The Centre" is designed to bring the neighbourhood together to share skills and talk freely about important topics. Meetings for 6 to 100 persons can be held in the centre’s transparent and honest spaces. The concept was developed specifically with the unusual generational combination of young adults and retirees in mind. With a little assistance from the young adults, several members of this retired generation operate the Blackpool Elders, which oversee everyday activities.
Lucy Stevenson
Lucy Stevenson
Hissah Almousa - The Urban relief project: The project is located in Blackpool, where the tourism sector has dominated the city's growth and economy. However, this dependency allows the urban fabric and the economy to remain undiversified and has situated Blackpool as one of the most deprived towns in the UK. Unit D emphasises the role of "symbiotic collaboration" between human and natural systems in bringing about radical changes. Therefore, my final project questions how the restructuring of the way food is produced can bring about a new form of social and ecological benefit that can only occur once people and natural systems are given the agency to control public resources. It does that through disturbing the task of growing food among households and local businesses, ultimately supporting a circular production of nutritious food within the city.
Hissah Almousa
Hissah Almousa
Hissah Almousa
Bernice Chan - The Retrofit Centre Blackpool - Houses have a huge responsibilities on Blackpool’s health and environmental issues. The centre inspire & support residence to retrofit their properties for better living environments while improving sustainability levels. The centre provides architects and mortgage support as well as lectures, workshops and exhibitions throughout their retrofit journey.
Bernice Chan
Bernice Chan
Bernice Chan
Lars van de Crommert - 3-Dimension - In this new story led walkthrough experience, guests will get to experience the decline of our habitat in three dimensions. They will get the opportunity to explore important discussions that society is engaging in through immersive art pieces centred around one of three experiences: the tourist, the local and the sea creature. The building interweaves this experience with walkways outside the building to help ground the guests in the real-world surroundings and act as a moment of reflection on what they have just experienced.
Lars van de Crommert
Lars van de Crommert
Lars van de Crommert
Lars van de Crommert
Arad Haghgoo - Welcome to my architecture portfolio, featuring two groundbreaking projects centered on innovative and sustainable use of algae panels. These projects demonstrate my design skills and dedication to creating ecologically responsible structures. By harnessing the power of algae, these panels offer unique opportunities to revolutionize architecture and address environmental challenges. Join me as I explore two transformative projects: an algae cultivation center for cleaning the Irish Sea and an algae bio facade center for powering the Blackpool illuminations and producing algae panels.
Arad Haghgoo
Arad Haghgoo
Maximilian Silver - The Library For Future Flourishing - Building into and adapting an existing 20th century building I have combined the attributes of a library with a flourishing natural ecosystem consisting of local plants and rehabilitating birds in contained columns. I want to reacquaint the people of Blackpool with literature and the lost natural world as a result of urban sprawl. Thus creating an attraction for the tourist industry and local people of Blackpool along the promenade to promote and showcase the beauty of plants alongside the benefits of reading and telling stories. I showcase the use of regenerative materials such as cob.
Maximilian Silver
Maximilian Silver
Maximilian Silver
Maximilian Silver
Yasmine Saoud - The two architectural projects in Blackpool that you have designed aim to provide sustainable spaces for people to connect with nature. The first project is an exhibition space focused on birds, which not only serves as a place for visitors to learn about different species but also provides a sanctuary for local birds. The design incorporates sustainable materials, natural lighting, and green spaces to create an environment that promotes well-being and fosters a sense of community. The second project is a research space, cafe, and meditation center around plants. The design integrates plants into the building's architecture, creating a symbiotic relationship between the natural and built environments. The space offers a tranquil environment for visitors to connect with nature while enjoying a cup of coffee or engaging in mindfulness practices. Both projects promote sustainable living and encourage people to appreciate and connect with nature, contributing to the flourishing of the Blackpool community.
Yasmine Saoud
Yasmine Saoud
Yasmine Saoud