Introduction

Over the past 18 months, architecture students around the world have been challenged like no other generation before, constrained by limited resources and restricted social contact. Many have had to adapt to new modes of study and engagement with their schools and peers. Many have had to pilot new platforms for the production and representation of their work and have had to perform on screen to communicate and engage with others. To all first-year students, some abroad from home for the first time, and those in later academic stages who have had to recalibrate their rhythm and momentum, we wish to express our deepest admiration and respect for you.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a profoundly difficult experience, yet the knowledge gained during this period marks a vital opportunity for a turning point in our discipline and the part we play in shaping it. As one of many schools of architecture in the world, and regarded as one of the best, we must perpetually reflect upon and develop our progression, seeking out every dimension where we can improve, do better, listen and learn. We are always on this journey, and there are times like now when its direction takes on a heightened significance. In this regard, The Bartlett Faculty’s recent Athena Swan Silver Award is an encouraging sign that we are on the right track.

This year’s Summer Show book offers a glimpse into the work of students on five of our taught programmes: Architecture BSc, Architectural & Interdisciplinary Studies BSc, Engineering & Architectural Design MEng, Architecture MSci and Architecture MArch. It celebrates the students’ creativity, activism, inspiration and ingenuity, and reflects the evolution of individual pursuits increasingly motivated by sharing and collaborating on collective goals. The book also conveys an overwhelming motivation to contribute to the evolution of our discipline in ways that are critical, ethical, opposed, constructive, visionary, insightful, innovative and open. It is upon these trajectories that we build our reputation for radical thinking, utilising the collective intelligence and creative and critical abilities of the diverse and talented individuals that make up our school.

The book accompanies our virtual Summer Show, which provides more information, context, analysis and representation for each project. For the second year running, we are missing the presence of a physical show and the buzz of curious and excited crowds. These memorable experiences will soon return, yet we must not diminish the achievement and value of the digital exhibition environment that shares our students’ work with more visitors than ever before. Over the past year, more than 90,000 users have visited our virtual exhibitions; more than twice as many as our physical shows would typically attract in a year. This speaks to us in many ways, not least to the accessibility that this resource

offers to those who could not visit before. Many people deserve thanks for this achievement and special praise indeed to our Bartlett Show website team, comprised of staff from our B-made, Education and Communications departments.

Amongst the vanguard of initiatives recently launched at The Bartlett School of Architecture, 2020/21 marks the first graduating year for Engineering & Architectural Design MEng: our four-year programme developed and delivered in collaboration with the UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering and UCL Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering. Congratulations to the graduating students, of whom 50% gained first-class degrees. We also welcome another pioneering cohort onto our Architecture MSci programme, the school’s new and innovative alternative route to RIBA/ARB Parts 1 and 2, with a novel fifth year based in practice.

Before you advance to the book’s core content, we wish to express our sincere thanks to the full community of academic and professional services staff within The Bartlett School of Architecture, The Bartlett Faculty and across the UCL campus, including tutors, administrators, technicians, librarians, professors and security staff, amongst others. Your response to the pandemic, including your volunteering efforts, has been immense and has propelled us towards greater inclusivity, exchange and collaboration. Thank you also to our many guests and supporters, including alumni, invited practitioners, researchers and critics. Your invaluable contributions have guided and informed us and have vividly illustrated how dependent we are on these generous relationships, which care for and invest in our students’ futures.

Finally, an open call. The 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) will be held in Glasgow in October 2021. Researchers from across UCL and The Bartlett will be taking part and helping to shape the urgent need for a coherent and focussed outcome. Building upon The Bartlett’s legacy of critical and visionary work, and looking forward to the academic year ahead, we encourage our entire school community and graduates to channel their many collective talents and abilities towards the ongoing climate emergency and all associated forms of social injustice. It is our collaborative strength that will resolve the greatest environmental challenge of our time.

Professor Bob Sheil Director of The Bartlett School of Architecture Barbara-Ann Campbell-Lange Deputy Director of The Bartlett School of Architecture Professor Frédéric Migayrou Chair, Bartlett Professor of Architecture, The Bartlett School of Architecture

Architecture BSc (ARB/RIBA Part 1)