Dezeen School Shows: a project designed to empower Muslim women to participate more freely in civic life is among the architecture and landscape projects by students at the University of Sheffield.

Also featured is a bathhouse in Norway that promotes a way of life guided by nature, and a town hall reimagined into a vibrant community centre.

University of Sheffield

Institution: University of Sheffield
School: School of Architecture and Landscape
Courses: BA Architecture, MA Architectural Design, MArch Architecture, MSc Sustainable Architecture Studies and BA Architecture and Landscape
Tutors: Wei Shan Chia, Michael Jenkins, Yun Wu, Adriana Massidda, Iulia Statica, Satwinder Samra, Rosie Dodgson, Gareth Puttock, Faith Ng'Eno and Howard Evans

School statement:

"We are one of the leading schools of architecture and landscape architecture in the UK.

"Our world-renowned researchers and practitioners are committed to developing the next generation and having a positive and lasting impact on the places we live, work and relax."

HomeWorks by Megan Dring

"This project's brief entailed working with a theoretical client to design their house in Sheffield.

"Megan Dring's client's family stood out in the fact that each of them had a unique relationship with music or sound in some way or another. This was something she tried to incorporate throughout the design.

"The concept behind her proposal was inspired by the Japanese architectural philosophy of Machiya, with increasing levels of privacy moving through the space.

"Dring carried the idea of differing levels of intimacy into many aspects of the design, including the lighting and flooring levels.

"The tutors provided Dring with support during the design process, helping Dring to critically review their proposal throughout its development.

"This project led Dring through the process of working with a client, learning to incorporate their values and lifestyle into a proposal and helped them refine their design process."

Student: Megan Dring
Course: BA Architecture (year 1)
Tutors: Wei Shan Chia and Michael Jenkins

Bridging Communities by Gaziza Beibutova

"This is a proposal for student housing on a brownfield site adjacent to the River Don, in Neepsend, Sheffield.

"The scheme seeks to foster connection between student populations and local communities, through the provision of studio space, cafes and new public spaces.

"The architecture explores themes of community and self, solidity and permeability, and light and dark."

Student: Gaziza Beibutova
Course: BA Architecture (year 2)
Tutor: Yun Wu

Space of Belonging: weaving identity, gender and community by Bhowmi Kiranbhai Patel and Radita Pramesti Utami

"Space of Belonging transforms the area of Burngreave, Sheffield, into a gender-inclusive urban commons by reclaiming overlooked public spaces through care-led design.

"Rooted in everyday practices and cultural memory, the project introduces women-led markets and deployable structures across three key sites: Ellesmere Green, Somerset Park and The Furnival – a long-standing community hub trusted by local women.

"Blending domestic aesthetics with public function, the design empowers Muslim women to participate more freely in civic life.

"Through familiar routines, shared spaces and visible community presence, the intervention challenges gendered boundaries, fosters belonging and reimagines the public realm as a space of safety, identity and belonging."

Students: Bhowmi Kiranbhai Patel and Radita Pramesti Utami
Course: MA Architectural Design
Tutors: Adriana Massidda and Iulia Statica

Group project: From Desert Dust to Living Canopy 

"This studio explored regenerative housing design across four distinct global climate zones – all spanning different scales from the urban context to detailed building elements. It challenged the students to respond to both environmental and cultural conditions.

"There was emphasis on how design decisions must adapt to varying climatic and cultural contexts as well as local statutory guidelines, encouraging context-sensitive, climate-responsive solutions that support long-term sustainability and regeneration.

"This project is set in Doha and looks at designing in a hot desert context. Drawing on the full range of skills and theoretical knowledge developed throughout the year, the project tests and refines design strategies through an iterative design process, from site planning to construction details.

"Looking at regenerative design techniques, the project looks at transforming Doha's arid landscape into a layered green urban habitat from homes to shared courtyards and neighbourhood oasis."

Students: Karid Chalermapanpipat, Thakdanai Oumkong, Natthinee Pipatchollatee and Kristi Watanayothin
Course: MSc Sustainable Architecture Studies
Tutors: Gareth Puttock and Faith Ng'Eno

Bathhouse in Bergen by Isobel Taylor-Jones

"The project explores the challenges of designing projects for remote sites, embracing other cultures and the challenges of local climates. This project is situated on the edge of Bergen's UNESCO world heritage site.

"Inspired by the Norwegian concept of 'friluftsliv' – a way of life rooted in simplicity, connection to nature and respectful coexistence with the environment, this project embraces the idea of living outdoors as part of a cultural 'we.'

"It is about belonging within the natural world and finding common ground between people and place.

"In a city shaped by its surrounding landscape, the bathhouse becomes a quiet haven – a space to reconnect with the elements, the land and oneself."

Student: Isobel Taylor-Jones
Course: BA Architecture and Landscape (year 3)
Tutor: Howard Evans

The Market Depot by Dora Pursey

"The Market Depot reimagines and revitalises a 1930s canal-side industrial building in Doncaster. The Depot serves as a dynamic space for cultivating food, hosting a vibrant market and offering a communal dining experience, all centred around the exchange of cultures.

"Growing spaces such as orchards and greenhouses strategically utilise the wider site.

"The design defines an architectural language that humanises the existing building by cleverly integrating a series of scaled timber frames, to organise space for community activities and create a new relationship with the canal."

Student: Dora Pursey
Course: BA Architecture (year 3)
Tutor: Rosie Dodgson

New Community Facilities for Middlehaven by Milena Chyla

"Located in the heart of Middlesbrough's historic town centre, the project seeks to revitalise a long-neglected area through a new masterplan proposal.

"The scheme introduces a diverse range of public amenities, including an art gallery with integrated artist studios and residences, educational spaces for local youth and significant improvements to the public realm centred around a newly revitalised square.

"At the core of the new neighbourhood, the Old Town Hall is transformed from a derelict space to a place of historic and cultural significance.

"While the contemporary extension houses a new market hall, the historic part of the building maintains its traditional role as a multi-functional community hall.

"The clock tower remains a central feature of the building, repurposed as an observation deck overlooking the new development."

Student: Milena Chyla
Course: MArch Architecture (Collaborative Practice)
Tutor: Satwinder Samra

Partnership content

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

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