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I’m currently finishing my doctoral thesis entitled ‘Co-Lateral Learning Platform; a Roadmap for External-Collaborator Engagement in Architecture Live Projects’, in which I highlight the positive value of co-design within architecture and its education. Through ideas of agency, engagement and collaborative architecture, the research demonstrates the potential empowerment of communities in challenging societal inequalities, and third sector organisation’s ability to deliver positive social change. 

As co-director of Project Office, Leeds School of Architecture’s in-house RIBA Chartered Architecture practice, we have delivered a number of built projects, including the New Wortley Community Centre in Leeds’ most deprived postcode. The impact of that project on local residents, and the community organisation, is substantial; creating new jobs, volunteering opportunities and access to a wide-range of life-enhancing services through education, counselling, food-banks, health&wellbeing, dependency rehabilitation, social-prescribing, etc…The project won a number of awards including the Live Projects Network Category, Social Economic Environmental Design (SEED) Award, RIBA Journal MacEwen Award for Social Architecture, and Universities UK MadeAtUni Campaign Winner.  

Once my thesis is complete, I’d like to disseminate the findings through journal articles and an edited book. More interestingly, I intend to create a couple of networks helping other educators embed ideas of third-sector collaboration/participation/co-design within their teaching. Higher education has the profound ability to improve the lives of everyone within our local communities through our students’ academic endeavour – but we don’t do it. My thesis has uncovered what substantially positive impact this approach can have, and I hope to encourage others to do the same.

 
Project Office collaborate with many (39 to date) third-sector organisations in desperate need of architectural services but with no means of paying consultant fees. Our model advocates the productive endeavour of a student body being used to generate the feasibility studies required for an external-collaborator to obtain funding. The approach is not pro-bono, with student participants ‘paid’ for their endeavour either through credits toward their degree, or financially if extra-curricular. We are therefore always looking for new and exciting projects and collaborators to work with.  

As the first event of one new network I’m establishing, I’ve organised a one-day Forum at the Farrell Centre, Newcastle for all architecture live project educators – and perhaps more importantly, those who may wish to start delivering live projects and create their own Project Office. The day encompasses the joint learning of educators from across the UK, with presentations and collaborative knowledge sharing workshops. The intention is to produce an edited book from the event participants, before opening up to also include non-UK-based institutions at future events.