MDX PAVILION: INNOVATION, LEARNING & SUSTAINABILITY

“This group of students are probably the only such class that have had the opportunity to put into practice what they were learning. As the first cohort to graduate, they have now left a legacy on the campus that will inspire the future cohorts... What the students have achieved has been amazing and they have experienced something that will stay with them for a very long time. These students were not the geineau pigs [sic] of this new course but the the [sic] cohort that led the way and left a trail for the others to follow.” - Prof Mehmet Karamanoglu, Head of Department for Design Engineering and Mathematics.

After two years of hard work, the new MDX Pavilion has finally been created. This was a major project to create a sustainably designed learning, event, community and wellbeing space on campus.

It presented a unique opportunity to take the construction theory and technical know-how that these students had learned and apply them in a real project. The project was developed for the Architectural Technology BSc students. They took the lead on designing this space on campus. In 2017, they launched this project in collaboration with industry professionals. The Pavilion now stands proudly by the main path that runs from the Burroughs to Grove Park alongside Portakabins 6 and 7.

The idea behind the Pavilion was to create a design that was intimately connected with nature, and that could be modified by future Architectural Technology students. The project’s core centered around innovation, practice-based learning, and sustainability.

The initial idea for a small construction project to be built on campus came from Tong Yang Senior, a Lecturer in Construction Architecture & BIM. Tong teamed up with Homeira Shayesteh, a fresh face to Middlesex, joining as a Senior Lecturer in the same field, to develop the plan further in spring 2017. What was originally a design for a tree house later evolved into a Pavilion as Tong and Homeira incorporated the Architectural Technology modules each of them lead. The pair managed to make the entire project fit within the University’s five year strategy, through assessments based on the project deliverables from design to planning, preparing a business case and construction detailing.

The Pavilion now acts as a flagship for collaboration between aca- demics and students. The message has already spread to different departments, such as BA Photography, where students were able to document the construction of the project, and other collaborations which involved working together to promote and develop this new space on campus.

With possible uses including as a space for welcome events, exhibitions, student societies and outdoor films, speed meets, and more, the Pavilion provides a learning space close to nature.

Keep your eyes peeled to see how it’s used during Welcome Month.