BSc Architectural Technology Year 3 BSc Architecture
Adam Thwaites & Sam Sam Hui
Adam Thwaites is a passionate advocate of architectural technology as a distinct profession and route into a career in architectural design. Adam is Senior Lecturer and worked for a series of small architectural practices prior to moving into education. His research interests include the use of timber (CLT) in construction, regenerative design and demountable structures.
Sam Sam Hui is a lecturer and architect with 20 years’ industry experience. His research focus lies in architectural illustration, detailing and technology.
Transformation Workshop
Students: Zainab Ajaz, Hamad Al Hinti, Nida Ashraf, Jeremy Blake, Harry Cox, Jamie Davis, Basit Fajarul Rahman, Chanjeevan Gnanenthiran, Ramtin Mahmoudifar, Levi Oddoye, Sidrit Selmani, Mohammed Shorkar
This year we continue our studio focus on Sustainable and Regenerative Design. ith reference to the UN Sustainable Development Goal’s (consideration of peoples, communities and the environment at a global scale). Students were asked to design three objects in ascending scale: an item of furniture, a demountable structure, and a research, development and manufacturing facility where products which utilise recycled materials could be developed, produced and sold.
All three projects shared common themes – how to: facilitate the transformation of an economically valueless material into something of high value; mitigate damage to the environment; promote social and global justice; demonstrate a regenerative design approach; and explore regenerative materials.
Our starting point was the design of an item of furniture. We were fortunate to work with Professor Paulo
Gomes and learn about his project, the ‘Transformation Workshop’ (TW), for the recycling of Polypropylene plastic in Brazil.
Pedra Furada, in the state of Sergipe, Brazil, a village originally established among the (environmentally precious) Mangrove forests as a ‘Quilombo’ (encampment of escaped slaves), is one of the poorest villages in Brazil and the location of the TW. The TW is a pilot social enterprise, collecting polypropylene plastic waste that would otherwise not be recycled, processing this material and using it to produce items of furniture for sale. Crucially, this work is undertaken by and for the benefit of this economically disadvantaged community. The Transformation Workshop meets ten of the seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals, encompasses environmental conservation, and social and global justice and equality.
Students developed designs that could be produced at the TW, utilising their recycled plastic material and bamboo, a locally available and supremely regenerative material. Building on this research, students went on to design a demountable structure / dwelling from the two materials for deployment in a remote location. Finally, students designed a building or buildings for a site in Bermondsey, south London to house a research, development and manufacturing facility to design and produce items from recycled plastics.
Our studio was awarded a Sustainability Fund 2024 grant for the fabrication of a 1:1 Prototype Structure. This has been designed collaboratively and as a continuation of student and tutor research.
Special Thanks: Professor Paulo Gomes
Transformation Workshop: Maria Domigas da Conceicao Sousa, Ana Paula dos Santos Conceicao, Maria Jose Conceicao Santos Alex Scorer and James Bunton of Universal Joinery Ltd
Archive of Architectural Technology Year 3’s work from previous years:
BSc Architectural Technology Y3 2016-2017
BSc Architectural Technology Y3 2018-2019
BSc Architectural Technology Y3 2020-2021
BSc Architectural Technology Y3 2021-2022
BSc Architectural Technology Y3 2022-2023
