Dezeen School Shows: an architectural intervention designed to capture and process plastic is among the projects from Birmingham City University.

Also featured is a proposal that reimagines Nottingham's Victoria Centre as a living civic artefact and a project that investigates the relationship between architecture and the power dynamics between adults and children.

Birmingham City University

Institution: Birmingham City University
School: Birmingham School of Architecture and Design
Courses: MArch Architecture (RIBA Pt.2) and L7 Architect Apprenticeship (RIBA Pt.2 and 3)
Tutors: Alessandro Columbano, Rachel Sara, Mike Dring, Ian Shepherd, Ana Araujo, Anna Abengowe, Senem Zeybekoglu Sadri, Lucas Hughes, Andy Hilton, Marina Mitchell-Heggs, Karim Rouabah, Helen Chapman, Rob Nield, Dan Aubrey, Barbora Bott and Blanca Valdes

School statement:

"Our city of Birmingham is built on 1000 trades, supported by the craft and ingenuity of artists and engineers. Its identity thrives as the youngest city in Europe and a multicultural population that drives an entrepreneurial spirit.

"The MArch programme responds to this dynamic, exploring creative forms of future architectural practices for the civic city. We believe design has the power to create transformational change for a sustainable, inclusive future. Creativity remains at the heart of this vision.

"Founded on principles of 'designing through making' and 'active design research' we seek agency over our environment with ethical social practices that respond to hyper-local issues in a global context, helping our students understand the role of design in an increasingly complex world.

"The critical process of 'designing though making' forms another central practice, drawing on a long tradition of the applied arts in the region– a synergy between art, industry, culture and production to build the city with craft and care.

"The collaborative process of 'making' builds a diverse and interdisciplinary design community to support the students' journey – embracing their individual experiences and cultures to enrich the entrepreneurial spirit within them."

Currents of Renewal: Restoring Florida's Industrial Coast by Alece Foden

"Cyanobacteria is one of the most important life forms on the planet. They are the oldest photosynthesising organisms in phosphorous and nitrogen rich environments.

"Across the mines of south-west Florida, the aquatic ecosystems are plagued by excess phosphorous though the use of fertiliser in farming.

"This Gaia device and Cyanobacteria ecosystem is designed to better utilise clay settling areas and treat water to break down heavy metals and radioactive substances, whilst installing a new industry to increase renewable energy. It is used as a biological photovoltaic panel or in a photobioreactor to produce biofuel."

Student: Alece Foden
Course: MArch Architecture (RIBA Pt.2)
Tutors: Rachel Sara, Anna Abengowe, Blanca Valdes and Andy Hilton

Falling Blocks, Rising Worlds by Paveena Sidhu

"Falling Blocks investigates the complex relationship between architectural design and the power dynamics between adults and children.

"Traditional design strategies have often prioritised adult authority, structuring environments that reinforce adult norms.

"Imagine a future where children, once constrained by rigid adult-imposed structures, are empowered to reclaim control over their environments.

"Set within a housing estate by Tachbrook Market in London, play activities redefine the setting for living and working inspired by the 70 scenarios of Cedric Price and Joan Littlewood's Fun Palace.

"New structures weave within the estate, each promoting ideas where children's voices, creativity and imaginations lead the way."

Student: Paveena Sidhu
Course: MArch Architecture (RIBA Pt.2)
Tutors: Alessandro Columbano, Rob Nield and Hannah Rozenberg

The Spaces We Negotiate by Widuri Clare

"The Spaces We Negotiate reimagines the Victorian terrace for Birmingham's diverse, multigenerational households.

"Challenging rigid UK housing norms, it blends Birmingham's red brick identity with traditional values of the East.

"Removable party walls and moveable screens redefine the way homes and streets function, allowing spaces to grow or shrink – balancing privacy and togetherness – with thoughtfully arranged courtyards woven throughout.

"The design respects the cultural needs of a diverse population whilst staying grounded and sensitive to the environments in which they sit, creating homes shaped by – and responsive to – the people who live within them."

Student: Widuri Clare
Course: MArch Architecture (RIBA Pt.2)/L7 Architect Apprenticeship
Tutors: Michael Dring, Marina Mitchell-Heggs and Dan Aubrey

Plastisphere Plasting by Simon Wilson

"Plastic, derived from fossil fuels, is deeply ingrained in modern life but poses severe environmental threats, potentially emitting 2.8 gigatons of CO₂ annually by 2050.

"Micro and nanoplastics now pollute water, food and air, impacting ecosystems and health. An architectural intervention at Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare proposes a heterotrophic structure inspired by Suctorian ciliates to capture and process plastic.

"Using 'polystomy' devices, it collects, cleans and stores microplastics. Its basement innovation centre converts waste into edible products using fungi and enzymes.

"A restaurant above serves this food, blending environmental remediation with public engagement and sustainable dining."

Student: Simon Wilson
Course: L7 Architect Apprenticeship/MArch Architecture (RIBA Pt.2)
Tutors: Rachel Sara, Anna Abengowe, Blanca Valdes and Andy Hilton

Reviving The Glass City by Reece Minott

"Reviving the Glass City reimagines Nottingham's Victoria Centre as a living civic artefact, restoring the lost identity by drawing from its layered history.

"Built in 1972, the centre was imagined as a new urban core but the ambitious visions, set out by architect Peter Winchester, were diluted by political compromise and commercial pressure.

"This project responds to those lost ambitions, treating historical material not just as static records, but as active design tools.

"It reworks the Victoria Market as a civic anchor – using expressive tectonics to shape a more open, generous framework for this historic asset."

Student: Reece Minott
Course: MArch Architecture (RIBA Pt.2)
Tutors: Michael Dring, Marina Mitchell-Heggs and Dan Aubrey

The [Cy]Urban-Eti[h]c Production of Space by Stephen Oshagbemi

"This cautionary tale, inspired by the cybernetic ideals of the fun palace, explores the production of space within a modern framework.

"As data increasingly drives the world – through its gathering, storage and processing – the prevalence of information is already shaping the content we consume.

"Its influence is inevitable and will soon extend into the spaces we inhabit, exerting a more oppressive control over how we use them.

"Drawing on Henri Lefebvre's spatial triad, this project examines how spaces are both conceived and perceived – how they are ideologically constructed and how they are actually experienced."

Student: Stephen Oshagbemi
Course: MArch Architecture (RIBA Pt.2)
Tutors: Alessandro Columbano, Rob Nield and Hannah Rozenberg

Stage-D-isruption by Molly Dhillon

"Stage-D-isruption explores anti-urbanism and unitary urbanism, advocating for temporary, flexible and participatory uses of space that resist capitalist planning.

"Drawing on the work of the Situationist International, Joan Littlewood and Bernard Tschumi, it sees protest and performance as tools for reclaiming public life.

"The proposal for Birmingham's Smithfield site (2025 to 2035) includes temporary structures using found materials, inspired by protest design and detournement to challenge fixed meanings.

"Like Parc de la Villette, the space spreads horizontally, supporting improvisation and inclusivity. This vision reimagines architecture as open, political and shaped by its users, promoting freedom, creativity and shared ownership."

Student: Molly Dhillon
Course: MArch Architecture (RIBA Pt.2)
Tutors: Alessandro Columbano, Rob Nield and Hannah Rozenberg

Sticks and Stones by Thomas Davis

"In the face of a rural housing crisis, Sticks and Stones aims to explore an alternative form of housing. It utilises sites nestled within existing urban grain and forms a strong dialectical relationship with its historic context.

"The small harbour town of Tobermory located on the Inner Hebridean Isle of Mull sets the scene – a place rich in history afflicted with a tumultuous housing situation.

"Aiming to offer an alternative solution, a crafted approach to a series of buildings hopes to give necessary grounding for contextual creditability – wrangling with scales ranging from urban infill to column detailing."

Student: Thomas Davis
Course: MArch Architecture (RIBA Pt.2)
Tutors: Michael Dring, Marina Mitchell-Heggs and Dan Aubrey

Finding Moments by Mohib Ullah Khan

"House of Annetta is community centre found to the side of Brick Lane, East London.

"Originally built in 1705, the Georgian townhouse was home of artist/activist Annetta Pedretti and then used as centre for research, art, experimentation and political action.

"This thesis takes its cues from Richard Wentworth's 1999 exhibition 'Making do and getting by', highlighting 'moments of the incidental' that are usually walked past in everyday life.

"Five moments are illustrated in the project: 'what goes in an archive anyway?', 'printmaking is dead', 'spindle spin-doctoring', 'becoming an exhibitionist' and 'sitting on a pile of wood'.

Student: Mohib Ullah Khan
Course: MArch Architecture (RIBA Pt.2)
Tutors: Michael Dring, Marina Mitchell-Heggs and Dan Aubrey

Cut to the Chase by Joshua Veale

"By exploring how Cannock Town Centre's commercial high street has diminished in occupancy levels, this thesis investigates how dispersed communities can become reconnected through a change of use to establish a renewed identity.

"Through the exploitation of existing 'barriers' that segregate pedestrians from the town centre, the study was grounded within assemblage theory (by Jayne and Ward) when understanding the interaction between the pedestrian, the high street and the inaccessible existing urban condition.

"The proposal attempts to remove these 'barriers' and enrich the high street to broaden the appeal and interest to a wider demographic of users."

Student: Joshua Veale
Course: MArch Architecture (RIBA Pt.2)
Tutors: Lucas Hughes, Karim Rouabah and Barbora Bott

Group project: New Westal Market Stalls 

"An exhibition of Cedric Price's work toured to Schools of Architecture across the UK this year.

"Some of his most well-known drawings were shown alongside physical prototypes of the Westal Market stalls he designed for Westminster Council.

"In response to this exhibition, students in the Arena Unit responded to local redevelopment plans for the Birmingham Rag Markets, with a new display system for it, discussed with Gavin Wade to inform the role the arts play in major urban changes.

"The design is informed by themes of the everyday – reappropriating products from the market itself to create an infinite level of interchangeability."

Students: Stephen Oshagbemi, Yara Jajeh, Taibah Jabin, Molly Dhillon, Paveena Sidhu, Eleanor Owen, Eduard Popescu, Sophie Coll, Maryam Naderli, Mohammed Kazom, Morgan Henry and Lily Roberts
Course: MArch Architecture (RIBA Pt.2) with BA (Hons) Fine Art
Tutors: Alessandro Columbano and Gavin Wade (Eastside Projects)

Balsall Bazaar by Jaspal Khangura

"The Balsall Bazaar reimagines Birmingham's Balsall Heath, a community shaped by post-partition migration, as an inclusive, interactive space.

"Inspired by thinkers like Sennett and Anderson, the project transforms Stratford Road into a pedestrianised cultural hub.

"Drawing from diverse precedents like Reading Terminal and Istanbul's Grand Bazaar it blends local commerce, food, performance and digital engagement through the 'metapolis' concept.

"It seeks to dissolve social divides, foster cross-cultural interaction and support economic and environmental sustainability.

"With community input and reference to Retrofit Balsall Heath, the project champions inclusivity, memory and a vibrant shared future in both physical and digital realms."

Student: Jaspal Khangura
Course: MArch Architecture (RIBA Pt.2)
Tutors: Lucas Hughes, Karim Rouabah and Barbora Bott

Partnership content

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

The post "Microplastic aquarium" that collects and stores microplastics among proposals from Birmingham City University appeared first on Dezeen.