News Archive

School of Architecture celebrates a successful first year with public exhibition

The School of Architecture at the University of Reading is celebrating a successful first year with an end of year public exhibition.

The School of Architecture, which opened in September 2016 with 43 students, has a strong emphasis on working with industry to give students real world experience of ‘live' projects on site . Coupled with the strength of expertise at the University of Reading in areas such as environmental engineering, urban design and sustainable cities, graduates of the BSc Architecture degree will develop the crucial skills required to work in the modern building design industry.

During this first year of the School of Architecture, an industry and practice working group has been established to inform and comment on the curriculum and also develop new collaborations between the School and industry. Many of these companies, including leading industry names such as Hawkins/Brown, Broadway Malyan and Barton Wilmore, are offering students work experience as part of a structured programme for the second year of the degree.

“We wanted to introduce our first year students to the idea of ‘designing through making’ and this will be a great opportunity for them to do that" - Professor Lorraine Farrelly, Head of School and Foundation Professor of Architecture at the University of Reading

Further highlights of the first year include:

• October 2016: The School’s first public lecture was given by well-known architect, John Worthington MBE, celebrating the DEGW archive – which is part of a research initiative across the School of the Built Environment at the University of Reading.
• November 2016: The appointment of the School’s first Visiting Professors – Bob Allies from Allies and Morrison and Stephen Greenberg from Metaphor.
• January 2017: The start of the public lecture series Innovative Practice in Architecture, which students helped to organise.
• April 2017: The School held a conference, Professional Practices, which has encouraged new perspectives on architecture and practice research.
• May 2017: The School received a gift of a model of Reading town centre from Broadway Malyan – this model will be an invaluable teaching tool for architecture students, as well as for town planners. The School of Architecture is part of a project to create an ‘Urban Room' location for discussions on the future development of Reading.
• June 2017: Working with award-winning architect and broadcaster, Piers Taylor, to produce our first collaboratively built structure for our end of year show.

Professor Lorraine Farrelly, Head of School and Foundation Professor of Architecture, said: “With the University of Reading’s world-renowned reputation for research and teaching related to the built environment, setting up a School of Architecture was a natural progression. Architecture is a popular subject and, as a brand new School, we needed to identify ourselves alongside already well-established institutions. This has been a challenge but I think we have created a distinctive positive choice for students looking to enter this field of study.

“Our close links with industry, our strong academic foundations and our practice-led curriculum saw us oversubscribed with applications for places in our first year. We’ve had an extremely positive year, with the appointment of two visiting professors - both eminent architects in practice, the establishing of a public lecture series and the gift of a model of Reading town centre.

“Working with new colleagues and industry partners has brought a range of perspectives to the discipline of architecture, which has been an important starting point for our students. As we move into our second year, with an expected intake of around 55 new students, I am excited to be part of the future development of the School of Architecture. We are currently developing the Masters in Architecture course to build on the practice and research based approach we have in the BSc Architecture.”

Public exhibition

Entitled IN[forming] PROCESS, the exhibition is a collection of works that include students’ digital and analogue drawings and models, as well the works of teaching staff and industry partners associated with the School of Architecture.

Additionally, a temporary wooden structure designed and built by students in collaboration with award-winning architect and broadcaster, Piers Taylor, will form an entrance to the exhibition.

“Building this structure allows the students another perspective on architecture - but also allows them to escape their drawing boards and computer screens and build something significant and beautiful for real.” - Piers Taylor, architect and broadcaster

Taylor co-presented 'The World's Most Extraordinary Homes' earlier this year and has also co-presented three series of ‘The House that £100k Built’. He has designed a number of seminal buildings, including the RIBA Award Winning ‘Room 13’ and the house ‘Moonshine’ which won the AJ Small Project Award. Taylor has founded two architectural practices - Mitchell Taylor Workshop and Invisible Studio.

Professor Farrelly said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Piers Taylor for the build of our first end of year exhibition structure.

“We wanted to introduce our first year students to the idea of ‘designing through making’ and this will be a great opportunity for them to do that, as well as working with a well-known industry figure.”

Piers Taylor, of Invisible Studio, said: “I am very supportive of what the University of Reading is trying to achieve for its architecture students, with its strong emphasis on links to industry. I am happy to be involved in this collaborative project.

“Building this structure allows the students another perspective on architecture - but also allows them to escape their drawing boards and computer screens and build something significant and beautiful for real.”

The model of Reading town centre, donated to the University by Broadway Malyan, will be on display at the exhibition.

Dates: 20^th-25^th June
Times: 10am-4pm daily
Location: School of Architecture, LO46, London Road Campus

Admission is free. No need to book.

For more information, visit www.reading.ac.uk/architecture