Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
40 years of landscapes brought to life at Leeds Met
The public exhibition, which marks the 40th year of the 'Design and Community' programme at Leeds Met, will run from Thursday 23 January until Friday 14 February 2014 in the foyer of the University's Broadcasting Place.
The 'Design and Community' programme has provided more than 150 diverse design challenges for students to date, whilst making a real difference for real clients in local communities. The programme was awarded the 'Best Community Involvement Scheme in the past 75 years' by the Landscape Institute in 2004.
This year, students have worked on five innovative projects including; a new public garden on the banks of the River Aire to reflect the story of David Oluwale, a Nigerian immigrant who came to Leeds in 1949, within the context of Leeds today; a project for Housing Leeds which will act as a catalyst for environmental change and improvement on the Woodbridge Estate in Kirkstall; a gateway garden for Bradford Royal Infirmary; a campsite and masterplan for Herd Farm Activity Centre; and a masterplan and school entrance space for Fountain Primary School in Morley.
Emma Oldroyd, who is a chartered Landscape Architect and leads the University projects, said: "This programme provides a way for organisations and community groups to receive a creative and high quality landscape design service at almost no financial cost. It is an exceptional example of partnership working and adds huge value to local projects. Working with real communities and clients on projects that influence genuine change is an invaluable education for students and helps them stand out from the crowd when looking for work in design practices.
"The course at Leeds Met provides an experience that is about as close to professional practice as you can get whilst still being a student. Throughout the programme, the students manage the client relationship, plan and deliver a community consultation programme and finally present a design package that meets their client's needs. I'm proud to say that our students put their heart and soul into the projects and many of the results are comparable to and at times exceed the quality that we would expect from professional design practices."
Marie-Pierre Dupont, Tenancy and Estate Management Coordinator at Housing Leeds, added: "I was very impressed how quickly the students grasped the issues and saw the potential of the Woodbridge neighbourhood through working with local residents. We can now explore how we might move forward with the design proposals."