(Ra)dical  (Re)alims
Design Research Lab

Home
Manifesto
Approach
Actors
 Projects
Teaching
Writing






























M2 Design Studio 



This is the pinnacle design studio module for final year MArch students. The studio is composed of a tri-part project that embraces the interconnectedness of the human, urban and architectural realm. The internationally-based project is contextualised through a critical narrative on contemporary practice (who we are) and practise (what we do). This is set out through the lens of the architect-entrepreneur who operates as a systems actor rather than a service provider, to actively reconfigure how value and agency are produced, distributed and sustained over time.

Students are challenged to address the often invisible 'dark matter' of practice (e.g. regulation, finance, governance) as integral to their spatial design ambitions developing proposals that disrupt conventional modes of value and repositions architecture as an agent of transformation. The emphasis is not only on what is designed, but why it is necessary and how it can be realised; linking spatial proposals to broader systems of value creation, social impact and environmentel responsibility.

 The three part structure starts with the Urban Phase which challenges the students to propose a strategic and holistic vision for the urban regeneration of an outlined urban area. This phase operates at the scale of systems, requiring students to articulate a spatial, social and economic vision that responds to local conditions while engaging broader planetary challenges.

The second phase, 'Schematic Design' develops a programmatically complex and innovative building of approximately 3000-4000sqm on a chosen site within their proposed masterplan. The selected plot should act as a vital urban catalyst tied to a key piece of urban realm, reinforcing and advancing the ambitions of the wider proposal.

The final phase, 'Construction Design' builds on the previous phases and develops the project to a high level of technical resolution. Students refine their architectural designs to demonstrate code compliance, while developing and testing a coherent building fabric, structural system and environmental strategy. Year: 2022
Location: Loughborough and Laxton, UK  
Mission: Circular Economy; Sustainabilty / Ecolog
RaRe Actors: Robert Schmidt III, Cagri Sanliturk , Cansu Curgen-Gurpinar,  FRAUD.... Theme: Regenerative Design;  Ecological reciprocity; Degrowth
Output: Essay; Film; Mapping; Physical Model
Methods: Deep mapping; Speculative Deisgn; Storytelling; Model making
















Prev    Next