AJ Student Prize 2023: University of Nottingham

About the Department of Architecture and Built Environment

Location Nottingham NG7 | Courses BArch, MEng Architecture and Environmental Design, MArch, Architect Degree Apprenticeship Level 7 (RIBA validation pending) | Head of school Lucelia Rodrigues | Full-time tutors 51 | Part-time tutors 8 | Students 925 | Staff to student ratio 1:16

Undergraduate

Myriah Curi

Course BArch
Studio/unit brief Brink Territories (Unit 3B)
Project title Leodis

Project description Leeds City Council has committed to building 66,000 homes to address its housing crisis. But there is not enough land, so the plan appealed to remove sites from the green belt. Located on one of these sites, Leodis proposes an alternative sustainable method of building. Habitats for non-humans are considered integral, weaving architecture and nature together. Materials are allowed to decay, becoming a resource for wildlife. When old cladding decomposes, new materials are made from forest debris. Housing is organised into neighbourhoods, each taking a different role in the maintenance of biodiversity. Dwellers will build their own homes, grow food and filter their own water, while materiality is drawn from the landscape with timber frames and thatched walls and roofs.

Tutor citation Building on the green belt is controversial. However, using a biodiverse design response, Myriah has proposed a ‘community’ who will be keepers of the woodland with each small group of households having different jobs to maintain the overall neighbourhood. The grouped dwellings all weave into each other and seem to be carved from one object. Farida Makki

Postgraduate

Andrew Paterson

Course MArch
Studio/unit brief Material Language (Studio 3)
Project title Evoking Place: National Waterways Centre 

Project description Located at the junction between the Exeter Ship Canal and River Exe, this proposal reintegrates Exeter’s historic maritime fabric into its urban realm through the interaction between old and new, referencing the vernacular and creating a civic journey. Combining the adaptive reuse of historic buildings with a new facility at the head of the canal, this scheme houses three interlinked typologies: maritime museum, waterways agency centre and educational research facility. A bascule bridge connects to a network of ramps and raised walkways. The museum is formed from a group of repurposed mid-Victorian warehouses characterised by bold structural interventions and materiality. Attenuated connections between old and new are distinguished by elements of CLT, glulam and rammed earth, to raise awareness of the patina of wear. 

Tutor citation This is an impressive project that demonstrates sensitivity and boldness. It is thorough, ambitious, and well-judged across all scales from urban placemaking to detail. Highly considered and intellectually challenging, the proposal is rigorously worked through with care and delight in the architectural intervention. Kate Nicklin, Graham Mateer