Dezeen School Shows: a villa for individuals transitioning out of psychiatric care is among the architecture projects from students at Cardiff University.

Also featured is an adaptively reused community theatre and a renovated hoover factory, which encourages community engagement with nature.

Cardiff University

Institution: Cardiff University
School: Welsh School of Architecture
Course: Architectural Studies (BSc)
Tutors: Tim Burton, Charles Chambers, Phillipa Smith, Hannah Summers, Benjamin Wells, Ross Hartland, Caitlin Mullard, Shibu Raman, Siobhan O'Keeffe and Josh Wyles

School statement:

"Through a combination of design project work and taught modules, you'll study the varied historical, theoretical, cultural, political and geographical dimensions of architecture.

"You will consider how architecture is made, how it performs and how technological choices can support the wellbeing of present and future generations and care for the planet.

"You’ll explore issues around professional and ethical responsibility to reflect on the role of the architect in society and in response to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Your design studies will continually involve imaginative engagement with real-world issues and global challenges such as climate change within localised contexts.

"The design studio is at the centre of our community, a place where you'll mix with students, staff and industry practitioners to address ethical, global, climatic and professional issues.

"The BSc facilitates progression onto the MArch (Part 2), as well as our suite of postgraduate programmes. Students intending to become registered architects in the United Kingdom will need to complete a Part 3 programme such as our Postgraduate Diploma in Architecture: Professional Practice."

Running Wild by Sophie Page

"In Merthyr Tydfil, the former hoover factory is reimagined as a place where nature, learning and memory meet.

"With the roof removed, light floods in and trees grow through the remaining steel frame. The site invites schools, scout groups and the wider community to take part in its transformation through play, exploration and hands-on learning.

"At its centre, a timber-framed hub offers flexible spaces for creativity. Blending preserved, adapted and new elements, the site honours its industrial past while embracing change.

"As a precedent for post-industrial renewal, it shows how community and nature can shape meaningful, regenerative places."

Student: Sophie Page
Course: Architectural Studies (BSc)
Tutors: Hannah Summers and Benjamin Wells
Email: sophiepage3[at]outlook.com

Protecting Kolpadams by Reiya Lin

"A liveable city is a flood-resilient city. The liveable urbanism unit investigates how urban form influences liveability in rapidly growing cities, focusing this year on Thrissur, South India.

"Protecting Kolpadams explores the impacts of urban sprawl and wetland loss, which have increased flood risks by removing Thrissur's vital 'safe to fail' spaces.

"With climate change escalating, resilience is essential. Optimising materials from site, the proposed urban sponge park restores natural drainage, supports agrarian communities and promotes cultural and ecological awareness.

"It connects to city-wide biodiversity corridors and fosters long-term wetland conservation through undulating landscapes and architecture that enhance Thrissur's sponge capacity."

Student: Reiya Lin
Course: Architectural Studies (BSc)
Tutor: Shibu Raman
Email: reiyalin5[at]gmail.com

From Street to Sanctuary by Elena Regel

"Responding to the Labour government's pledge to deliver 1.5 million homes in the next five years, From Street to Sanctuary investigates how low-rise, high-density housing can meet contemporary needs.

"Using Dulwich Estate as both precedent and site, the project explores how successful mid-century modern typologies can inform new housing models rooted in community and spatial richness.

"Central to the proposal is a redefinition of shared space – moving beyond generic 'semi-public' and 'semi-private' zones to craft nuanced transitions between the public and private realms.

"Through layered courtyards, passageways and thresholds, the design extends the feeling of 'home' across the estate, balancing intimacy and interaction."

Student: Elena Regel
Course: Architectural Studies (BSc)
Tutors: Siobhan O'Keeffe and Josh Wyles
Email: elenaregel[at]yahoo.com

Villa della Pace by Megan Petrie

"Villa della Pace is a mental health tribunal and community building that, in collaboration with a nearby medical centre, supports individuals reintegrating into society following psychiatric care.

"The proposal responds to an exploration of civic justice, belonging and architectural typology, within the context of tribunal design.

"Situated beyond the city walls, the project embraces the villa typology to reflect the sensitivity of proceedings and enhance community wellbeing, creating a place for peace, healing and reconnection with nature.

"Informal, user-focused tribunal spaces help reestablish Florence's justice system within the civic fabric. Rammed earth and timber construction demonstrate a commitment to environmentally conscious design."

Student: Megan Petrie
Course: Architectural Studies (BSc)
Tutors: Tim Burton, Charles Chambers and Phillipa Smith
Email: meganpetrie001[at]outlook.com

The Language of Performance by Matthew Meeson

"The Language of Performance reimagines Colston's Parade as a vibrant community theatre, transforming its damaged history into a symbol of hope.

"The adaptive reuse scheme promotes inclusion through flexible performance spaces and language teaching facilities, addressing barriers faced by BAME communities, asylum seekers and low-income groups and uniting various cultures through collective expression.

"By reinterpreting boundaries – both physical and symbolic – the design fosters connection between performers and the public, offering a cultural anchor that supports belonging, dialogue and community empowerment in Redcliffe."

Student: Matthew Meeson
Course: Architectural Studies (BSc)
Tutors: Ross Hartland and Caitlin Mullard
Email: mattwmeeson[at]gmail.com

Partnership content

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

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