Calling all thousand year thinkers!
We have accumulated a world of 'boring' architecture that we consistently demolish well short of its service life. In the UK, 50,000 buildings are demolished annually, generating 126 million tonnes of waste. Remarkably, almost two-thirds of the nation's waste originates from the construction industry with the average commercial building in the UK having a lifespan of approximately 40 years.
The summer school aims to explore aesthetic sustainability through the affective quality building facades have on shaping our emotional connections and the extent to which this plays a crucial role in defining our sense of place and the longevity of our buildings. It proposes that our minds seek a level of visual complexity like that found in nature. We will examine the relationship between the built environment and our emotional state using critical design methodologies to unpack how architectural elements influence user experience, psychological well-being and our sense of place.
The summer school is a collaboration with LU-Arc (Loughborough Architecture) and Heatherwick Studio (Humanise campaign) and is open to undergraduate and post-graduate students. The town of Loughborough will serve as the first testbed for the Humanise movement examining the relationship between the built environment and our emotional states. We welcome applications from students of diverse educational backgrounds. If you are interested in participating, please feel free to reach out.
