Design Studio (Two) Two BA Architecture
Natalie Newey & Matthew Stewart
Natalie Newey is Senior Lecturer and Year & Studio Leader in 2nd Year. She has many years’ experience in practice, working in both the US and in London. Circular building is a key interest of hers.
Matthew Stewart is an architect, and design and cultural context tutor. He is currently a doctoral researcher at Goldsmiths University where he also teaches. He is interested in the relationship between digital cultures, spatial practice and political economy.
DS(2)2: In_Common
Students: Owen Burrell, Vanessa Fiscutean, Maame Frimpong, Fatemeh Ghalichehbaf, Camilla Gonzalez, Abid Husein, Elif Kale, Samuel Kamara, Eralba Malci, Olivier Mencfeld, Ainaz Mokhtari, Keli Prenga, Mehnaz Rahman, Ezra Lorrene Salvane, Julia Silwinska, Zanda Timberlake, Jessica Wakeham, Syeda Zaman
This year we continued our collaboration with live clients and projects which we began last year.
Expanding our involvement in local issues and working on two contrasting sites, the studio engaged with a diverse set of stakeholders, potential briefs and a wide range of challenges and opportunities. Conversations around social justice, environmental sustainability, identity and equity in our cities have been an important element in framing and developing the students’ design proposals.
Semester 1 engaged the students in small-scale projects at Calthorpe Community Garden, Kings Cross, a very busy and well-established community garden with a diverse range of facilities and users. The site and brief offered the students the opportunity to redesign areas of the site and develop proposals for new greenhouses, tree houses, play areas and facilities for young people who live and study locally.
Semester 2 took us across town to Marble Arch, where we have been working with The Portman Estate, supported by architectural practice Publica and Marble Arch London BID. As part of a scheme to redesign this important landmark site and reactivate its public realm, the studio was asked to envision temporary uses for a programmable event space adjacent to Marble Arch. The site will offer an inclusive and democratic space providing opportunities for the public to engage with important issues, imagine new futures and promote innovation on a range of themes.
Through both projects, students engaged with local stakeholders, the wider community and the city through workshops, presentations and crits. Individual proposals interrogate the complex issues of urban regeneration and endeavour to influence potential futures for these contrasting sites in the centre of London. A wide range of proposals have emerged from this process, exploring themes and issues such as free speech, cultural identity, emotional well-being, biodiversity, sustainable technologies and regenerative materials.
Guest Critics: Amr Assaad, Florian Brillet, Mila Campoy, Val Galmozzi, Simon Loomes, Theresa Dauncey, Tess McCann, Will McLean, Richa Mukhia, Ollie Riviere, Annika Miller-Jones, Jana Rock, Rebecca Wise
Special thanks: Calthorpe Community Gardens, The Portman Estate
Archive of DS2.2’s work from previous years:
