Live Design Practice Beyond Studio

how to build better in the future

“A live project comprises the negotiation of a brief, timescale, budget and product between a client and an educational institution.” liveprojectsnetwork

a platform for staff and students to generate and work on a wide range of Live Projects, with the aim of developing the school’s capacity as a centre of excellence
to act as an innovation accelerator within the notoriously slow building industry
to access funding for Live Projects and Live Research
to build up new collaborations, e.g. with external partners, local government&industry

Live projects provide a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between spatial, political, financial and social factors in connection with our lived urban experience. There is the possibility for practical and tangible outcomes, which can be communicated to a wide range of audiences in an engaging way. Live Projects promote an understanding of complex relationships of stakeholders and introducing novel ways of practice whilst being useful, applied and with specific project outcomes as well as action research.

Live projects involve participatory activities that can bring together diverse stakeholders. Significantly, the projects have a tangible physical aspect which makes participation exciting, engaging and empowering. Our approach is to use Live Projects as a way to understand issues, ask questions and we see this as an itinerary process for applied research. We introduce new ways of working collaboratively across sectors and take our multidisciplinary skills within academia and use these in live projects to serve communities and have a positive impact on society whilst introducing students and staff to alternative practice.

For any enquiries, please contact m.kramer@westminster.ac.uk