Studio 3: WORKSPACE

Studio brief

Studio 3 will be working in Hayes, West London, a culturally, ethnically and economically diverse area, which is undergoing a period of intense urban change.

Studio 3 is the Live Projects Studio, and builds upon the work and expertise that the studio has built up on in the last three years in Hayes. We will continue to work with real clients and will be facilitated by the local council, a network of partnerships and local residents, as well as support from Cass Projects. This year we will also be part of the Doughnut programme of the Architecture Foundation, which investigates the fringes of London and their particular potential.

We are particularly interested in patterns of work and workspaces in Hayes. Our students will take on the relevant topic to seek and understand the nature of the ever-expanding creative industries into London’s ‘fringe’ territory. We will speculate on what workspaces in the area could and should entail and what workspaces for Hayes’ existing populace could become.

The year will start with a short and action-based design project adjacent to the Grand Union Canal that runs through Hayes town centre. Proposals will be developed together with the Sharks, a local canoe club, and - through the support of local organisations - has the potential to be realised. Alongside this work, Students in Studio 3 will undertake a series of immersive mappings, studying Hayes’ topography, history, urban form, and particular character. The major project will be a new building for Working and Making set between light industrial estates, housing and Hayes High Street. We will initially work in groups on a large-scale site model – testing proposed interventions through photography, animation and filmmaking. Students will be encouraged to develop their proposals through direct involvement onsite, ranging from engagement with the locals to 1:1 prototype fragments.

In November, the studio will travel to Milan where we will study a series of historic and contemporary urban workspaces.

*Studio 3 has a new teaching partner, Tom Routh. Tom is a partner at Gatti Routh Rhodes Architects.

Proposal with Parkour Events for Hayes Station Square, 2015, Ekramul Robbani

Details

Course Architecture BA (Hons)
Tutor Sandra Denicke-Polcher
Stefanie Rhodes
Tom Routh
Where Central House, 3rd Floor Studios
When Tuesday and Friday