A Glimpse of the Future

The winners and highly commended of the Riverside Sunderland University Design Challenge (#RSUDC21) were recently announced following an incredibly competitive six-month event.

From a group of more than 300 students from 39 universities and 27 interdisciplinary teams, the winners of #RSUDC21 were selected following a live event where students presented their projects to a panel of expert judges representing the best of UK construction. #RSUDC21 encouraged students to design, engineer, plan and cost a three-bedroom family home along with an indicative masterplan for 100 homes which meet RIBA2030 Climate Challenge targets.

Riverside Sunderland is a major regeneration site in the city centre, that stands on the edge of the Wear. Transformation is being led by Sunderland City Council. Underpinned by £100 million from Legal & General, Riverside Sunderland will be a vibrant new urban quarter, with 1,000 ultra-sustainable homes, 1m sq ft of office space and exciting new places to play and enjoy.

Students from across the UK were invited in this competition to collaborate, innovate, and create future-facing designs which reimagine how residents might live, work, and play together in beautiful, lowcarbon, and multi-generational housing. Designs from the teams include landscapes and streetscapes with green and open spaces against the backdrop of Riverside Sunderland, while making use of low-carbon materials with timber and timber-hybrid systems the main material focus.

The judges felt that the standard of entries was exceptionally high and that all of the teams excelled in creating designs that connected with the history and ambition of the area and imagined how modern methods of construction and inclusive design would deliver a truly sustainable community. The winning team was Team M comprising of: Aidana Roberts (Cardiff University), Brian Cheuk Yan Ho (University of Bath), Chian Ying Xuan (University of Sheffield) Dakari Brathwaite (University of West London) Kersten Chandy Mathew (Cardiff University), Milda Klimanskyte (University of West London) and Oisin Higgins (University College Dublin).

Andy von Bradsky, Head of Architecture at MHCLG said: “We felt this scheme was a comprehensive response to all senses of the brief. We were really excited to the commitment to the sense of place and community, with an aim to create a place which would be a gem in the future of Sutherland. It really understood the context, the wider area, even looking to how it may compensate for lack of facilities elsewhere in the city to be not just satisfying for the people who live there, but a place to visit for the wider area.

“The design considers the riverside location to enhance the environmental, social and design value for their communities and comprehensively addresses the technical, landscape and carbon aspects of their house and masterplan, making this scheme almost buildable. It would give real design teams a run for their money.”

Team M said: “We’ve found this challenge hugely rewarding from technical, team collaboration and social perspectives. Industry experts from the lectures organised by Tabitha Binding TTF/TRADA/TDUK have provided incredible insight into all things sustainable construction, architecture, landscaping, urban design, project management, cost consulting as well as;

structural, civil and building services engineering. Industry experts refreshed conventional solutions and introduced novel, unconventional and exotic solutions to problems not normally explored in our academic studies.

“The collaborative, international, interdisciplinary nature of this challenge made us question the impacts of our decisions not only upon our colleagues in other disciplines but also public and private end users, clients, the environment, biodiversity, flora, fauna, as a well as logistics personnel and supply chains, building professionals, maintenance/service teams, deconstruction, recycling and demolition teams. Striving for a Cradle-toCradle reduce and reuse approach rather than business as usual downcycling.”

Patrick Melia, chief executive of Sunderland City Council said: “At the start of the programme I challenged the student community to inspire us with modern, aspirational, low carbon and integrated designs for the new homes and community on the Vaux site. You certainly didn’t let us down and we were absolutely astounded by the quality, flair, and diversity of the entries we received. Sunderland City Council really wants to provide the best homes and the best communities for its residents, and through challenges like this we hope that we can inspire young people to influence the future of our city and pursue careers and best practice in the housing and construction industry.” “The design considers the riverside location to enhance the environmental, social and design value for their communities and comprehensively addresses the technical, landscape and carbon aspects of their house and masterplan, making this scheme almost buildable.”

 The 2021 Winner – Creating Value

With a focus on generating environmental, social and design value, this team sought to create a catalyst for a zero-carbon lifestyle. The team focused their design around lowembodied carbon materials which integrated into the circular economy, designed for disassembly with a flexible structure. Concrete and cement free, the design takes into account the riverside location and urban drainage to enhance the environmental, social and design value for their communities.

The community is served access to a range of activities and to conveniently reach essential services. The gymnasium is intended to serve the business park east of the site as well as residents. The restaurant on the north-facing side allows for spectacular views of the surrounding landscape and the River Wear. The pub and library, which flank the public square, serve as both pit-stops for ramblers and, collectively, a social nexus for the community.

Located within the community is also a grocer’s with sustainability focus, which offers a variety of local and seasonal produce, and also features a zero waste section.

With the School of Medicine for the University of Sunderland within close proximity, the pharmacy is placed strategically to the west side of the site alongside the nursery, which faces the city centre to allow for ease of safeguarding. A thoroughfare framed by arches links the city centre to the public plaza.

David Hopkins, chief executive of Timber Development UK added: “These students are showcasing some of the incredible talent coming out of UK universities, as well as the possibilities of working with timber. Solving the climate challenge is going to require both. We need people equipped with the knowledge to build low-carbon, and the technology and know-how to do so.

“In this competition the students are demonstrating that both the talent and technology already exists. We can build net zero now with timber, and we can build better, as these designs have shown. A huge congratulations to all of our winners, and to all participants who will without doubt benefit from this learning experience.”

The Riverside University Design Challenge (#RSUDC21) came together through the combined efforts of Sunderland City Council, Timber Development UK (TTF and TRADA) and MOBIE.

All entries to the competition are viewable on the CTI website at  https://bit.ly/3yg89F1

 Dakari Brathwaite- Team M Project Manager

“The competition introduced participants to real-world, real time issues affecting the historic city in Riverside Sunderland. Allowing participants, the challenge (and privilege) to create practical solutions extended far beyond theoretical knowledge, brought a sense of awareness and obligation in contributing to the council’s long-term plans for the resuscitation of Riverside Sunderland. Additionally, the expertly led series of webinars spanned a plethora of architectural, landscaping, quantity surveying topics (far) outside the scope of my study.“The interdisciplinary nature allowed individuals to express their passions, ideas and subconsciously their personality. The iterative nature of everyone’s input whilst harmoniously attempting to achieve the desired output made me appreciate the value of teamwork and proactive decision-making skills.

Lastly, the interdisciplinary group dynamic highlighted how individual contributions are not isolated entities, as they are required to relate and compliment the other technical interests. I trust that through this experience, we all will form longer, meaningful, and productive partnerships as we strive to have a positive impact on the world we live through our varied lenses.”