Dezeen School Shows: a residential scheme that aims to redefine communal living is included in Dezeen's latest school show by students at Cardiff University.

Also included is a shelter that provides a safe environment for domestic abuse survivors and a library that aims to provide consistency to an ever-changing environment.

Cardiff University

Institution: Cardiff University
School: Welsh School of Architecture
Course: BSc Architectural Studies
Tutors: Professor Juliet Davis, Dr Steven Coombs, Joe Penn, Dr Marga Munar Bauza, Brendan Higgins, Tim Burton, Professor Aseem Inam, Felix Koch, Siobhan O'Keeffe, William Beeston, Tom Sykes, Richard Hall, Ross Hartland, Dr Shibu Raman and Michael Corr

School statement:

"The BSc in Architectural Studies is a three-year undergraduate degree course. It satisfies part one of the UK professional qualification for architects, is validated by RIBA, prescribed by ARB and accredited by LAM.

"The course includes modules covering design as well as technological, historical, theoretical, representational, and professional practice dimensions of the architectural discipline.

"We encourage the development of holistic approaches to design based on integration of understandings of how buildings are made, how they are used and their potential impact on the wider world – including cultural, social and physical contexts – into the creative and explorative environments of our studios.

"We foster an ethos of 'grounded creativity' by exposing students to real-world sites and live challenges as the basis for their studio themes and projects.

"These approaches are evident across the broad diversity of the year three design units, each of which equips and empowers students to reflect upon, question and tackle a pressing issue and real-world situation.

"This year's end-of-year exhibition is focused on adaptation. Being able to adapt is a critical part of the student experience.

"Adapting to ever-changing scenarios in design, the built environment, society and to feedback involves developing ways of knowing, acting and reflecting.

"The skills to adapt are essentially formed within studio – a place for creative exploration and experimentation, a socially vibrant and engaging environment, and a community of practice with diverse experiences and engagements with peers, tutors and consultants.

"These are particularly evident in the broad diversity of, and output from, the year three design units that have demonstrated the importance that students and tutors place on working with and adapting the existing built environment for the needs of future generations.

"Within our year three architectural design studios, there has been a strong emphasis on the repair and reuse of existing buildings, mindful of the environmental challenges the world faces.

"Projects were connected to study trips across the UK, Ireland, Italy and India within urban and rural communities."

Ionad Cartagrafaíochta Gaeilge/Irish Language Cartography Centre by Patrick Clarkson

"The Ordnance Survey provides an imperial mapping of Ireland whereby the violence of translation into English disconnected location name from place and culture from landscape.

"Belleek's former Royal Ulster Constabulary station sits on the border between the north and south of Ireland – it is a reminder of its contested nature and disruption to everyday life.

"The Irish Language Cartography Centre, situated on the station's site, reveals subjective lived histories of the landscape through map-making.

"Subverting the previous use of the site, in-situ architectural translations restore the site to its landscape through the Irish language.

"The unit Alternative Arrangements is named after the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement for an alternative to the so-called Irish backstop.

"This project reimagines Belleek from a decolonial perspective in an alternative arrangement of site and architecture."

Student: Patrick Clarkson
Unit: Unit 01 Alternative Arrangements
Tutor: Michael Corr
Email: clarksonpe[at]gmail.com

The Healing Journey by Tara Alizadeh Irani

"For the wounded, a simple walk becomes a battling journey. Offering peace and protection within the stone walls of the site, the former Town Quarry in Weston Super Mare, England, becomes a shelter for the survivors of domestic abuse.

"Gently reintroducing the wounded to the public realm, an elevated walkway reinstates control and runs through a series of familiar facilities including a workshop, consultation rooms and a yoga studio.

"In response to the landscape, the exterior facade features recycled local blue lias stone from the former building whilst an interior adobe brick wall acts as a protective threshold that allows the coexistence of private and public volumes.

"Mirroring the existing building, a public foyer welcomes the local community to explore the town's quarrying heritage."

Student: Tara Alizadeh Irani
Unit: Unit 02 Rehabilitation
Tutor: Joe Penn
Email: taraalizadeh22[at]gmail.com

All Under One Roof – Gallery and Studios by Holly Broad-Weller

"Situated within the centre of Coventry, England, the proposal is an adaptive reuse of an existing building that was constructed in the 1960's, featuring a new art gallery, workshops and studios.

"The original structure is celebrated with exposed steelwork that has been painted blue, brick columns and timber joists. Strategic openings are made in the deep floor plan, introducing natural light.

"New materials are deeply rooted in the memory of the building and surrounding city. Terrazzo made with rubble from the site and local building demolitions forms the floor and facade, creating a bold new face to the street with quiet echoes of the buildings that came before."

Student: Holly Broad-Weller
Unit: Unit 04 Repair
Tutor: Brendan Higgins
Email: h.broadweller[at]gmail.com

Walk, Stop, Talk by Kristy Hiu Ki Lam

"Walk, Stop, Talk is an urban strategy that addresses challenges caused by increasing proximity between people in the city.

"It promotes a green pedestrian ring and transforms vacant open spaces into public areas for social activities.

"Architectural interventions utilise significant roofs, oblique walls, steel structures and forms to create connections between each intervention. This shared language guides people along the ring and maintains continuity.

"The network of vibrant socialising spots encourage locals and visitors to pause and engage in social activities, providing visibility into the interior of the building using perforated aluminium panels."

Student: Kristy Hiu Ki Lam
Unit: Unit 05 Liveable Urbanism
Tutor: Shibu Raman
Email: Kristylamhiuki[at]gmail.com

Puzzle Piece House by Zaineb Al-Ani

"Puzzle Piece House critiques the perils of globalisation through the disassembly and reassembly of a post-war housing block within an acutely deprived community.

"It embraces the contemporary debate over the RetroFirst and 'never demolish' campaigns with a continuous connection to the memory and lived experience of the segregated people within its place.

"The design tests how we might reduce embodied carbon while improving the human condition through the disassembly of the building down to a concrete skeleton and reassembly with salvaged material, referencing context, environment, climate and play.

"The reassembly responds to the unit's core theme of memory by remembering the forgotten playground, which was created by the community after the Blitz during world war two."

Student: Zaineb Al-Ani
Unit: Unit 06 Memory
Tutor: Ross Hartland
Email: alani.zaineb[at]gmail.com

An Archipelago in Cardiff by Gustaf Sedihn

"Gustaf Sedihn embraced a complex part of central Cardiff, Wales. His interpretation of this area as an archipelago of objects allowed him to empathetically contribute to a situation that might otherwise be considered problematic.

"Analysis established a set of rules from what exists, informing a proposal that is specific to this context and helps to validate it as a place.

"Indeterminacy is achieved by joining two towers in a ziggurat arrangement, providing three sizes of typical floors.

"The format was iteratively tested against a range of usage scenarios, tuning the level of generality necessary to accommodate various combinations of uses over time."

Student: Gustaf Sedihn
Unit: Unit 07 Indeterminate Specificity
Tutor: Richard Hall
Email: gsedihn[at]gmail.com

Versatile Industries by Martina Marengo

"Versatile Industries tests my principles for adaptable structures through industrial and recreational use.

"The design centres around permanent columns which, alongside the existing viaduct, act as hosts for structure, circulation and services.

"Polycarbonate and plywood panels are then added to the skin of the building, their format reflecting the activity they enclose.

"The design was tested by combining a tyre factory and gym, interlocking these activities to reinforce each other.

"Whatever Stroud, England, needs, this project gives by expansion or alteration – new spaces can be added or adapted. This is a new meaning and typology for the industrial building."

Student: Martina Marengo
Unit: Unit 08 Post Industrial Revolutions
Tutor: Tom Sykes
Email: martina.marengo02[at]gmail.com

Ailddiffinio Wdig/Redefining Goodwick by Ellie Yip

"This project creates a positive public change through redefining Goodwick, Wales, and its connections to establish 'sea as a place'.

"The project considers the importance of the sea through its port heritage, the people of Goodwick and beyond.

"Here, the idea of trade is explored through identity and unique experiences. A new public space is proposed – it is surrounded by new public amenity buildings and connections to existing amenities.

"This becomes a new centre for Goodwick, connecting the local community with the transient communities of travellers, visitors, cruise passengers and ferry passengers, anchoring the town to the sea."

Student: Ellie Yip
Unit: Unit 09 Here begins the Dark Sea
Tutor: William Beeston
Email: Ellie.jy.yip02[at]gmail.com

The Subterranean Library by Oluwatobi Ladipo

"Situated within Bristol Temple Meads, one of UK's largest regeneration projects, The Subterranean Library responds to a landscape of new towers, sprawling industry and large-scale infrastructure with a moment of repose. The project seeks to establish physical and cultural roots for this quickly changing area.

"A new soft landscape on top of the library features a collection of pavilions and light wells that punctuate it, creating curated routes for people and natural light to filter down to the reading spaces below.

"The library itself is a repository for several of Bristol's historical collections that, at present, are inaccessible in archives.

"This enables these precious resources to be enjoyed by the public in a space where its environmental characteristics also allow for its preservation for future generations"

Student: Oluwatobi Ladipo
Unit: Unit 10 The Public Library
Tutor: Siobhan O'Keeffe
Email: ladipoo[at]cardiff.ac.uk

Inhabited Memories: Redefining Urban Living in Cardiff by Mai Hoang Ngoc

"Amidst a city that is rapidly succumbing to urbanisation, the need for affordable and sustainable housing is imperative with demand greatly exceeding supply.

"Nestled within Cardiff's city centre, this residential proposal emerges from an existing open-air car park.

"Extensive site exploration uncovered an abundance of these spaces, presenting an opportunity to forge housing for the city's diverse communities.

"The proposal targets the growing population of Cardiff that embrace communal living and seek solace within a close-knit community, defying the prevailing stereotypes surrounding high-density dwellings.

"Through a harmonious interplay of interconnected elements and a lush courtyard, the project aims to transform the way we share, connect and experience the spaces we have come to inhabit."

Student: Mai Hoang Ngoc
Unit: Unit 11 Archiving Home
Tutor: Felix Koch
Email: mai.hoang0703[at]gmail.com

Her Shelter: Refugee Centre for Women by Arifa Ellina Binti MD Ariffin

“Her Shelter contributes to the public-facing and community-benefiting transformation of the famed Stokes Croft area in Bristol, England, at both architecture and urban scales.

"The modestly-sized project introduces innovative land uses by creating a safe space for vulnerable and often overlooked groups such as women of colour.

"It also features shared spaces for socialising, eating and relaxing ,such as saunas, to provide a space that benefits the public.

"The carefully – and indeed beautifully – crafted project lies at the design intersection of multiple influences including ideas of 'home' and 'belonging' from Leslie Kern's book Feminist City.

"It also takes cultural inspirations, such as food, as a social bridge and ideas of layered privacies in Islamic architecture."

Student: Arifa Ellina Binti MD Ariffin
Unit: Unit 12 Architecture of Urbanism: Land as a Secret Weapon
Tutor: Aseem Inam
Email: arifaellina[at]gmail.com

Casa Emahoy – The Ethiopian Embassy in Rome by Jordan Starr

"The project establishes an Ethiopian embassy in Rome, Italy, for diplomatic relations between the two nations that share a difficult history.

"Focusing on reconciliation and preserving cultural heritage, the embassy is located outside the Porta Latina gate in the Aurelian Walls, representing a gateway to a better future.

"Urban rooms and gardens lead into the building and act as reflective spaces, encouraging dialogue and meaningful conversations between diplomats or citizens.

"The embassy also features a viewpoint tower that overlooks the wider city, establishing the building as an urban figure.

"Concerts, events and formal occasions are held in the salone, or sitting room, which utilises the ancient Roman wall along one side – the room is intended to become part of contemporary Roman public life.

"The project is named after the classically-trained late Ethio-jazz legend Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou."

Student: Jordan Starr
Unit: Unit 13 Embassy
Tutor: Tim Burton
Email: Jordstarr10[at]gmail.com

Hyb Bwyd Cwm Rhondda/Rhondda Food Hub by Natasha Sekelaga Angomwile

"The proposed Rhondda Food hub in Treherbert, Wales, aims to pioneer a new industrial identity for the town, shifting away from its coal mining history.

"Functioning as a central hub for food aggregation, redistribution and consumption in the Rhondda region, it will promote conviviality and seasonality principles to improve people's relationship with food through education, training and research.

"The hub plans to use Welsh cuisine alongside high-quality and locally-sourced ingredients to make food accessible and affordable, overcoming distance barriers.

"Overall, the food hub strives to foster a more sustainable future for the town and have broader implications for Wales."

Student: Natasha Sekelaga Angomwile
Unit: Unit 03 Treherbert – Architecture of Territories
Tutor: Marga Munar Bauza
Email: nsangomwile[at]gmail.com

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Cardiff University. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.