Our BdB team is thrilled to have been awarded funding for a field visit to an inclusive urban design project during Enhancement Week this term.

This proposal contributes to our strategy to embed inclusive design teaching and learning within relevant programmes across the University. It involves a structured site visit to The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London hosted by David Bonnett Associates, an inclusive design consultancy which advised on the redevelopment project. The visit will include an introductory lecture on inclusive design principles and practice by David Bonnett and colleague, followed by a group exercise to explore the accessibility issues that faced the project team during the design and development of the project.

The visit will support the inter-disciplinary ethos of the BdB project by allocating spaces to students from real estate and planning, building and construction and graphic design, and prospective students in architecture. The project work at the Roundhouse will be organised in similar inter-disciplinary teams, and involve design analysis, creative problem solving and group brain-storming and discussion. The project will offer undergraduate students from SBE, SACD and REP an exciting opportunity to collaborate and broaden their understanding of how different disciplines engage and contribute to the production of inclusivity in design.

Another innovative aspect of the proposal is that offer-holders for the new BSc programme in Architecture will also be invited to attend the site visit, thereby introducing them to aspects of inclusive architectural design and inter-disciplinary working before joining the course.

Congratulations and thanks in particular to Joe Doak who put forward the proposal and is organising the visit.