Design Studio (Two) Five Architecture BA (Hons)

TUTORS: Jaqlin Lyon & Nasios Varnavas

Architecture: acts of empathy & care

DS[2]5 pursues an architecture rooted in place, time and communality, where creating intimate spaces is an act of care that builds into a larger, collective impact in our cities.

The centre of Brixton, a small fragment of London that is facing pressures of large-scale transformation, was the site and focus of our studio’s attention. We set out to find ways of working within these tensions to repair, stitch and propose alternatives to these developments. In so doing, we sought to sustain the multitude of people and communities fundamental to the area’s cultural significance.

Drawing from smaller architectural scales that are relational, empathetic and responsive to issues of spatial justice, identity and the climate emergency, we aimed to create intimate spaces built upon close readings and understandings of the site.

Responding to the context, people, materials and programmes, the students’ proposals developed from intuitive act of care using found materials in the area, growing to small-scale buildings. These small-ish architectures negotiated adjacencies and shared conditions, accumulating into a larger whole to strengthen and support an existing community.

Archive of DS2.5’s work from previous years: