Dezeen School Shows: a running hub designed exclusively for women is among the projects from Manchester Metropolitan University.

Also featured is an intergenerational community space aiming to combat ageism, and a public wash house in response to hygiene poverty.

Manchester Metropolitan University

Institution: Manchester Metropolitan University
School: School of Art and Design
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design
Tutors: Lucy Gannon, Joe Trickett, Simone Ridyard, Helen Darnell, Lois Blackwell, Andrew Thurman, Jade Wilson, Jingshu Tang and Tara Sutton

School statement:

"These Interior projects use socially and environmentally focused approaches to design for people, place and materiality.

"Responding to a specific area within Greater Manchester, the proposals present creative and responsible design solutions. Working across varied scales, typologies and historical contexts, students develop schemes that address the needs of specific protagonists.

"Their research‑informed process balances the poetic and the pragmatic, resulting in resolved interior environments that demonstrate both conceptual depth and technical rigour.

"Students examine their responsibilities as emerging designers and global citizens, questioning how interior environments can address contemporary challenges. The projects confront real-world challenges identified through extensive investigation - themes range from hygiene poverty, loneliness, the sleep crisis, gender bias, and neurodivergent perspectives.

"They reconsider inclusive spaces for aging, multigenerational exchanges, the right for education, and safe spaces for abuse survivors and displaced individuals.

"Rooted in the heart of Stockport, the proposals highlight how interior design can respond to urgent social issues while celebrating the character and potential of place.

"Collectively, the work demonstrates a commitment to responsible, community‑focused design that seeks to create positive and lasting impact.

"Interior Design at MMU was the Winner of the 2025 Student Union Teaching Awards 'Course of the Year'.

"The Degree Show celebrates the achievements of this year's final-year students with a showcase of work from across Art, Design, Fashion, Digital Arts, Performance and Architecture. Open to the public from Saturday 6 June until Friday 19 June."

Bloom – Flowers of the Future by Sophia Arentz-Graham

"Bloom – from stress to strength. Mental health is a growing global issue, influenced by stress. Resilience is the ability to adapt to and recover from stress.

"Research shows that childhood is a critical stage for building resilience and that participation in the arts supports mental wellbeing, emotional regulation and stress reduction.

"Bloom is an inclusive creative hub, accessed by multiple schools and users, incorporating dance and art studios, wellbeing huts and performance/communal areas, surrounded by natural materials, light and nature.

"In developmental psychology, flowers symbolise levels of sensitivity in children. Exploring this concept, Bloom is a metaphorical greenhouse, helping children establish roots, grow and blossom in a supportive, creative environment."

Student: Sophia Arentz-Graham
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design
Email: sophiaroseag[at]outlook.com

Ultradian by Julianna Tecson

"Ultradian responds to the UK's growing sleep crisis by creating a space that supports both individual wellbeing and wider societal change in relation to the normalisation of poor sleep, especially in the workplace.

"200,000 working days are lost annually and 40 per cent of employees experience sleep issues. In collaboration with The Sleep Charity, this project combines retail, education and support services – offering sleep-benefiting products, workshops and resources that promote healthier sleep behaviours.

"The design concept itself translates the science of sleep into spatial language, using brainwave-inspired forms to subtly educate visitors.

"The material colour palette is aligned with each stage of sleep, with lighter tones representing 'light sleep', darker tones reflecting 'deep sleep' and more expressive colours corresponding to 'REM dreaming'."

Student: Julianna Tecson
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design
Email: tecsonjulianna[at]gmail.com

The Continuum: Reclaiming Ancient Rhythms to Shape the Future of Ageing by Emily (Pui San) Ng

"How can ancient civilisations inspire future living practice? The Continuum proposes Stockport's future civic hub for lifelong learning – a sustainable, systematic and intergenerational tool for successful ageing.

"Projected into 2075, the scheme envisages a future social climate of slowness and healing, emerging in response to the pressures of an accelerated world.

"Designed as a 'local living room', The Continuum embeds itself within Stockport's urban fabric to sustain the transmission of knowledge and preventative care across generations, enhancing quality of life in later years.

"Informed by the Roman wellness concept of 'otium', Passmore's 'three leisure typologies' and ancient bio-materiality, the scheme establishes a cyclic narrative between multiple timelines, grounded in historical precedent yet future-oriented in its spatial and material expression."

Student: Emily (Pui San) Ng
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design
Email: emilyng7024[at]gmail.com

Thread: Storytelling by Evie Burrows

"Thread is an intergenerational social space that responds to spatial ageism and the growing loneliness experienced by both the 'Third Age' and Gen Z. The project reimagines ageing as an active process shaped by interaction, participation and environment.

"Inspired by the concept of the palimpsest, Thread functions as a living archive where stories, memories and experiences are layered over time through collective participation.

"The space is centred around spoken, visual and written storytelling, using shared narratives to encourage meaningful social connection and exchange between generations."

Student: Evie Burrows
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design
Email: evie.burrows42[at]gmail.com



Seed: Haus of Migratful by Neeyan Wali

"Located in Stockport, Seed is a charity-led community hub designed to support displaced individuals facing instability and mental health challenges.

"Using food as a tool for connection, the project partners with Migrateful to deliver cooking programmes that encourage cultural exchange and social integration between asylum seekers and the local community.

"The hub includes a cooking school, cafe, grocery store, relaxation space and for access to legal advice, creating opportunities for learning, employment and support.

"Its circular, radial design symbolises unity and equality, promoting interaction, shared experience, and a strong sense of community through continuous and inclusive spaces."

Student: Neeyan Wali
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design
Email: neeyanwali[at]gmail.com

The Wash House by Lucy Paul

"In the UK, over 4.2 million adults are experiencing hygiene poverty, which is the inability to afford basic hygiene products. As a result, many people miss work, school and interviews due to the shame and social isolation it can cause.

"The Wash House reinterprets the 19th-century public wash house as a contemporary civic space addressing this issue.

"Rooted in the legacy of Kitty Wilkinson, the project explores washing as both necessity and ritual, using themes of routine and fluidity to create moments of calm, dignity and connection.

"By combining essential hygiene facilities with communal spaces, this project challenges the stigma and isolation surrounding hygiene poverty while restoring hygiene as a fundamental human right."

Student: Lucy Paul
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design
Email: lucycharlotte2003[at]outlook.com

The Underbank by Alex Bell

"Disadvantaged students in the UK are on average 18.1 months behind the rest of the class in academic achievement by the age of 16.

"The Underbank aims to improve the attainment and social outcomes of these students across Stockport.

"Acting as a 'halfway point' between the classroom and home, students engage with learning materials collaboratively, extending learning time beyond the school day.

"Drawing on theories including Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (1978) and the Flipped Classroom Model (Bergmann and Sams, 2012), The Underbank also intends to educate parents, teachers and public sector professionals about the challenges faced by disadvantaged youth."

Student: Alex Bell
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design
Email: alexanderjbell14[at]gmail.com

Wade: Women's Autonomy, Direction and Empowerment by Lara Aptowitzer

"Wade is a trauma-informed support hub for women in Greater Manchester who have experienced domestic abuse, developed in partnership with 'Stockport Without Abuse'.

"Rather than functioning as a temporary shelter, Wade supports long-term recovery through a carefully considered spatial journey inspired by the rhythm and movement of a river.

"The scheme reflects the non-linear nature of healing, guiding women from spaces of safety and retreat towards openness, confidence and public engagement.

"Through trauma-informed and sensory design principles, Wade prioritises emotional wellbeing alongside physical safety, using light, materiality and spatial hierarchy to create environments that encourage choice, empowerment and gradual reconnection."

Student: Lara Aptowitzer
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design
Email: lara.aptowitzer[at]gmail.com

U3A: The Living Market by Ellie Candlish

"The Living Market reimagines Stockport Market Hall as a University of the Third Age (U3A) learning hub that supports wellbeing in later life through community, creativity and connection.

"The spatial strategy is based on the structure of tree rings, where layered growth informs circulation and zoning, while responding to six key human needs: connection, familiarity, purpose, movement, autonomy and nature.

"Organised around a central courtyard acting as the Heartwood, the strongest and oldest part of the tree ring, the project combines learning spaces, creative studios, movement rooms and social gathering areas to create a visible and inclusive environment.

"The proposal challenges perceptions of ageing by celebrating later life as a process of continued growth, participation and shared experience.

"'We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing,' George Bernard Shaw."

Student: Ellie Candlish
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design
Email: elliecandlish[at]icloud.com

Stride: a Women's-Only Running Hub by Tiffany Baines

"Stride is not just a hub but a vision for a future where women are actively considered in the design of spaces. Grounded in the concept of a lunar run as a design tool, Stride reimagines running for women.

"The interior concept draws inspiration from the atmosphere of a nighttime run, using lighting, reflectivity and curved forms to encapsulate the rhythm and movement of running after dark. Together, these elements create an empowering metaphor for women.

"Materiality in Stride reinforces the concept with reflective surfaces and vibrant colour, working together with existing materiality of the host building.

"The retail space is in partnership with the brand Sweaty Betty, whose values align perfectly with Strides."

Student: Tiffany Baines
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design
Email: tiffanybaines[at]icloud.com

Partnership content

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

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