AJ Student Prize 2024: University of Manchester/Manchester Metropolitan University

About

Undergraduate

Tianyi Gao

Course BA (Hons) Architecture
Studio/unit brief &rchitecture Atelier (Studio 3.2)
Project title On Growth and Food

Project description The issue of surplus distribution under our capitalist economy casts a shadow on every aspect of society, including what we eat every day. This thesis asks how we can make fresh produce accessible to all groups of society. Located in Spartan Works, Sheffield, this is a farmhouse project, inspired by sustainable food supplier Foodworks, which grows 30 varieties of vegetables throughout the year. Its structure aims to self-sustain eight occupants within NHS-approved levels of nutrition, welcoming users from all backgrounds. The scheme’s programme draws upon an alternative economic theory of time banking, allowing its occupants to acquire fresh produce and necessities without monetary transactions – instead taking on maintenance roles in exchange for food, knowledge and a place to live. All growing units are assembled on site, using waste materials, with rainwater harvesting and bio-waste management.

Tutor citation Tianyi has wholeheartedly engaged with the brief. To bring this work together, Tianyi challenged herself to engage with novel and unfamiliar methods of architectural production. Sam Holden, Stefan White, Mark Hammond

Postgraduate

Karolina Olszewska, Francis Harry Richardson

Course MArch Architecture
Studio/unit brief Atelier Some Kind of Nature (Studio 3)
Project title Sculpting Serenity

Project description This project is a pre- and post-natal maternity care facility that responds to a lack of adequate care for women, including those experiencing birth trauma. Inspired by domestic Freestanding Midwifery Units and through consultations with real-life users, the facility provides a supporting environment for women by immersing its users in nature. Through the fabric of the building, as well as by considering its ongoing evolution and decay, a textural journey for its visitors has been designed. Light, materials and texture, plus the natural landscape, are used strategically to design a sequence of spaces that is able to influence emotionally.

Tutor citation Karolina and Harry have deeply reflected on the atelier’s agenda to develop their own project brief that engages with an underrepresented issue in society: traumatic birth experiences. Their work is unpretentious, carefully thought-out and pragmatic. Angela Connelly, Dan Renoso-Urmston, Joaquin Espasandin