Dezeen School Shows: a proposal for a museum in a beer factory in Bristol, UK, is among the student projects from the University of Bath.

Also featured is a housing proposal in Bhopal, India, and a creative community centre for print arts.

University of Bath

Institution: University of Bath
School: Dept of Architecture and Civil Engineering
Course: BSc Architecture (RIBA Part 1)/Master of Architecture (RIBA Part 2)
Tutors: Alex Wright, Matthew Wickens, Jayne Barlow, Nigel Bedford, Graham Bizley, Anne Claxton, Alastair Crockett, Rob Gregory, Rupert Grierson, Andy Jarvis, Julia Kashdan-Brown and Rob Mitchell

School statement:

"The University of Bath provides a unique offer within UK architectural education characterised by three distinctive components – Practice Informed Education, Collaborative Design Projects and A Clear and Distinctive Signature Pedagogy.

"Practice Informed Education: a unique structure of academic and placement learning. This provides students with the opportunity to apply and develop their skills within professional practice as part of their academic courses.

"This exposes students to a wide variety of skilled practitioners, often working at the cutting edge of their discipline.

"Collaborative Design Projects: we place considerable emphasis on collaborative working on design projects with each year containing an element of collaborative design activity.

"Signature Pedagogy: rooted in philosophical tradition of critical rationalism. The pedagogy employed in Architecture at the University of Bath is continually reviewed and developed but its principles have endured over many years of critically reflective educational practice.

"All accredited programmes are designed to teach architecture as a learned, responsible and technically proficient discipline that requires its students to be culturally aware and focused in their use of creative imagination.

"This year the University of Bath received its highest number of awards from the RIBA President's medals, including the Part 1 RIBA Award for Sustainable Design."

Group project: Mohalla Van – a post-masterplan urban vision for Bhopal

"This project received the RIBA Serjeant Award for Excellence in Drawing at Part 2.

"By weaving together Bhopal's rich social, ecological and economic fabric, Mohalla Van aspires for a resilient, regenerative and inclusive future for its communities and rapidly growing population.

"It proposes new homes for 40,000 people, 130,000 metres-squared of new public green spaces, river and tributary revitalisation, and new essential amenities for 84,000 people.

"It also aims to prioritise the wellbeing of both existing and future residents, whilst focusing on upskilling and informal economic activity, which strengthens local livelihoods.

"This proposal not only looks to redefine urban planning through developing a new design mode of domino urbanism, but also looks to set a benchmark for regenerative living in Northern India.

"Mohalla Van presents an urban change methodology that reflects both Indian aspirations and the need to repair our climate, whilst also ensuring a harmonious coexistence of both humans and more-than-humans alike."

Students: Joel Boyd, Siena Cornish, Jamie Ferguson, Benjamin Hanger, Beth Kippin and Marco Lin
Course: MArch (RIBA Part 2)
Tutors: Alex Wright, Jayne Barlow, Anne Claxton, Rupert Grierson and Andy Jarvi

Kathalaya: A house of [counter]stories by Beth Kippin

"As Singh et al. (2019) observed in a study on Bhopal's contemporary urban growth, 'a new sense of publicness is needed.'

"Responding to this call, the proposal envisions a network of public spaces across Bhopal, with the Kathalaya – a space for sharing stories, knowledge and communal experiences – mediating between city and community scales.

"The project draws on the notion of counter-stories to challenge dominant narratives, foregrounding the perspectives of those typically marginalised, including women, children, the physically impaired and survivors of abuse.

"Traditional narrative mapping informed the design methodology, reframing the scheme as a collage of experiences, guided by four Bhopali enabling typologies: the tree, patiya, wall and shamiana.

"It prioritises the use of bioregional, restorative, regenerative materials that provide comfort and joy for humans and the more-than-human.

"Ultimately, the project envisions a future where Bhopal's urban fabric can evolve into a more inclusive, resilient ecosystem, entangling spatial justice and ecological regeneration."

Student: Beth Kippin
Course: MArch (RIBA Part 2)
Tutors: Alex Wright and Rob Mitchell

Kahani: A Demonstrative Development by Jamie Ferguson

"Kahani is a pattern book for a regenerative tool-house: bamboo and stone design for mixed-use development in Bhopal.

"Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh, India) is predicted to double in population by 2060, adding over three million residents. The current default construction uses concrete and brick; unless something changes, the carbon cost of this growth will be immense.

"This project has two parts: a construction pattern book proposing a regenerative pathway for Northern India, and a demonstrative project, Kahani (meaning 'dialogue'), which reimagines the resident-designer relationship and champions the notion of 'home-grown' architecture.

"The pattern book, designed for agile development, subverts Bhopal's prevailing housing typology. Whilst contextually grounded, the proposed model presents a challenge to the construction status quo.

"Low-cost, circular and fire-rated pre-fabricated bamboo frames are slotted between socio-ecological crafted stone cores. This strategy reduces structural embodied carbon by 71 per cent and lifecycle carbon by 51 per cent compared to a standard home.

"Meanwhile, Kahani addresses Bhopal's resistance to imposed solutions through an incrementally evolving design, echoing Doshi's Aranya housing and the traditional tool-house.

"Kahani provides spaces for a network of designers to grow and develop within and alongside the local community, whilst showcasing the new construction system."

Student: Jamie Ferguson
Course: MArch (RIBA Part 2)
Tutors: Alex Wright and Anne Claxton

Puno ng Buhay – 'Tree of Life': Reforestation Centre for Mariveles by Faith Muir

"The Reforestation Centre of Mariveles, Philippines, would be the cornerstone of Bataan's broader provincial regeneration strategy, serving as a national precedent for ecological restoration and community-driven knowledge exchange.

"Marked by three phases – recovery, connection and balance – the scheme evolves in its landscape and building interventions through space and time.

"Beginning with recovery in 2025, the analysis of topography and watershed networks creates an intuitive framework for land regeneration strategies.

"By 2050, the connection phase uses temporal stilt buildings to support the cyclical nature of harvest seasons through a seed bank, water tower and celebratory harvest ritual hall.

"All structures are formed by materials grown on site, and modular elements are constructed by the community under the sheltered microclimate of the stilts or in the conditioned workshops above.

"Accepting the degradation of natural structural materials reflects a deeper philosophy: that the transfer of building knowledge across generations holds greater value than the permanence of any single structure.

"Finally, balance is reached by 2150 onwards, as established environmental resilience allows both the forest and the community to adapt through the unpredictable contexts of climate change."

Student: Faith Muir
Course: MArch (RIBA Part 2)
Tutors: Alex Wright and Jayne Barlow

Group project: [Re]Assembly: A Permanent Seat and a Travelling Voice 

"The Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Bath is based on the premise that good building design is the result of the effective collaboration between disciplines.

"This year's brief was for a temporary House of Commons in Bristol, while the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster, in London, occurs. It would function until 2050.

"Beyond the functional necessities of becoming a temporary home for the House of Commons, [Re]Assembly envisions two buildings that not only serve the needs of our democracy but respect the sanctity of its most important space and attempt to leave a legacy on it.

"The first, an orthogonal outer structure crafted from concrete and stone symbolising permanence and resilience.

"Within this, a circular chamber – the symbolic heart of debate and decision-making – is designed to be impermanent. After hosting Parliament for a quarter-century, this chamber will be disassembled and given back to the public, embarking on a journey across the UK as a community debating space.

"By doing so, it embodies the principle that democracy should not be static or confined to a single locale, but dynamic, evolving and accessible to all.

"The mobile chamber will provide a platform for communities, particularly those who feel disenchanted or misrepresented by Westminster, to engage in meaningful discussions about the nation's future.

"This pair of buildings will honour the immediate needs of Parliament, the future needs of the University that will occupy the building left behind and the broader democratic ideals that should guide our nation’s governance."

Students: Haydon Carr, Georgia Coombes, Rory Nash, Jessica Ridley, Cameron Steele, Augustin Quarez and Jade Zimmerli
Course: BSc (Hons) Architecture (RIBA Part 1)
Tutors: Matthew Wickens, Jayne Barlow, Nigel Bedford, Alastair Crockett and Julia Kashdan-Brown

The Hotwells Dock Project by Antar Ghazoul

"This project was awarded a commendation for the RIBA Bronze Medal.

"The project is a constructed confluence of architecture, research, education and ecological repair in Hotwells, Bristol.

"The UK's rivers are in crisis – catastrophic quantities of pollution contaminate our waterways with toxic agricultural runoff, industrial waste and frequent sewage spills.

"Exacerbated by urban expansion and as wetlands are cleared for development, the landscape's ability to retain and filter water diminishes. This results in increased surface runoff and overwhelms ageing combined sewer infrastructure, resulting in more overflow events, which then increasingly degrade wetland habitats.

"Perched delicately on steel remnants within the intertidal zone, the Hotwells Dock building responds to this crisis whilst embodying a striking contrast between vulnerability and resilience.

"Below, its submerged levels engage directly with tidal flows, pollution and ecological decay – rejuvenating a decaying dock into a living filtration system of molluscs, seaweed and engineered wetlands.

"Above, the structure rises into the supralittoral zone, a controlled and conditioned realm for human activity: a place of research, restoration and public engagement.

"Outpost buildings upstream and downstream offer satellite research stations, providing key riparian areas with projects that focus on rewilding, water table management and biodiversity recovery.

Student: Antar Ghazoul
Course: BSc (Hons) Architecture (RIBA Part 1)
Tutors: Matthew Wickens and Jayne Barlow

Renovation Wharf by Toby Ritson

"This project received the Part 1 RIBA Award for Sustainable Design.

"The project is a retrofit hub for community education, innovation and trade skills on Redcliffe Wharf in Bristol.

"Bringing industry to Bristol's Floating Harbour through a Retrofit Hub, which breaks the existing negative cycle which retrofit finds itself in.

"The centre connects local builders, industry leaders and homeowners through a series of education, exhibition and breakout spaces. This interwoven space encourages formal and informal communication, connecting all stakeholders.

"The building looks to increase environmental awareness and the importance of retrofit; educate local builders by providing a retrofit skills centre, practical workshops and study spaces; empower local homeowners to retrofit and understand what their homes need and innovate and develop sustainable, natural retrofit materials.

"A Bristol retrofit programme will increase the health and wellbeing of all, reducing the strain on the NHS, all while helping Bristol achieve net zero carbon. A nationwide retrofit scheme can increase the UK economy by £309 billion."

Student: Toby Ritson
Course: BSc (Hons) Architecture (RIBA Part 1)
Tutors: Matthew Wickens and Graham Bizley

The Printhouse by Emma Saavedra

"The Printhouse is a new home for the Letterpress Collective, a Bristol-based studio devoted to preserving and teaching the art of printing.

"Combining the client's two passions – printing and cycling – this new hub brings together tradition, movement, and community under one roof.

"It seeks to honour and elevate traditional processes, allowing print to exist not only as heritage but as a living, evolving craft.

"The Printhouse offers more than a workshop. It invites a wide range of users to engage with the space – whether through the resident studios, a quiet moment in the library, a bike repair stop, or a conversation over coffee in the cafe.

"Located on the historic site of Shed O and M along Welsh Back – Bristol's last remaining undeveloped Harbourside sheds – the project transforms a mid-20th-century maritime warehouse into a vibrant, community-focused centre for making, learning and connection."

Student: Emma Saavedra
Course: BSc (Hons) Architecture (RIBA Part 1)
Tutors: Matthew Wickens and Rob Gregory

re[work]: from Freight to Fashion by Haydon Carr

"Re[work] addresses the environmental impact of transportation waste and linear textile production models, by proposing a sustainable upcycling factory in Bristol – recognised as the UK's leading recycling city.

"In collaboration with Freitag, the proposal aims to tackle the approximately 50-million metres-squared of annually landfilled PVC lorry tarpaulins across Europe – equivalent to 7,000 football fields and taking in excess of 1,000 years to biodegrade – into durable products through a comprehensive nine step process.

"Situated within the historic Canons Marsh Gasworks, the design thoughtfully integrates within the existing Gasometer and Engine House foundations, creating two distinct architectural forms that respect the site's constraints and minimise disruption to the surrounding polluted landscape.

"The material palette reflects the site's layered history, incorporating reclaimed waste materials to demonstrate durability and engaging with Bristol's progressive cultural identity through adaptive reuse, such as external blinds crafted from lorry tarps.

"Through innovative sustainable practices and material upcycling, Re[work] exemplifies a forward-thinking architectural approach aligned with circular economy principles and community engagement."

Student: Haydon Carr
Course: BSc (Hons) Architecture (RIBA Part 1)
Tutors: Matthew Wickens and Anne Claxton

The Bread and Barrel by Nicole Lowson

"The project is a gravity driven brew tower. At its core, this proposal is about industry and craft, drawing from the past to create a renewed appreciation for making, and reinstating the brewery as a civic landmark within the townscape.

"It envisions a new working museum for Bristol Beer Factory at Redcliffe Wharf, transforming the neglected waterfront into a vibrant community hub.

"Drawing inspiration from Bristol's industrial heritage, the design introduces a vertical gravity tower brewery, a bold architectural statement that reshapes the skylines while reconnecting the city to its making traditions.

"The brewery becomes a platform for innovation, embracing sustainability, circular practices to tackle food waste and insecurity. With nearly 400,00 tonnes of bread wasted annually in the UK and local artisan bakeries around every corner in Bristol, the proposal introduces a bread to beer to bread cycle.

"Surplus bread is collected and re-purposed to replace 20 per cent of the brewing malt. While brewers' spent grain is dried, milled and packaged back into bread flour, ready to be distributed to local food charities."

Student: Nicole Lowson
Course: BSc (Hons) Architecture (RIBA Part 1)
Tutors: Matthew Wickens and Rob Gregory

Partnership content

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

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