What is prefabricated construction? Modern methods of construction have been around since the Second World War, providing the industry with an efficient, reliable, affordable and sustainable building technique [1]. I explored this paradigm during the Housing Alternatives module and learnt that this construction method addresses the current housing shortage in the UK, the lack of…
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Historical Background Originally a paint and varnish factory as a part of Phoenix Wharf in 19th century, Bristol Paintworks, currently, represent the only large-scale live-work scheme in the UK (Figures 1 to 3). Established by Bristol Paintmakers Colthurst & Harding, it was recognized as the first paint production factory in the area, which subsequently became…
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Kirk (2018) writes, by 2050 around 70 percent of people will be urbanites and the majority of them under 18. Young people and urban design may not seem to have any correlation, throughout history and still to this day many practitioners and designers will also shun away the idea of participating with or designing for…
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Grey Street has always been and will be a prominent main street in Newcastle, home to the Theatre Royal, alongside a range of restaurants, bars, and cafes whilst holding different events over the year such as the car shows or the Christmas market. With the current pandemic still spreading around the world, what will be…
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While preparing my dissertation on ‘crime prevention in an urban environment’, I have encountered the case of Medellín in Colombia. Medellín’s Past Latin American cities, and Medellín in particular, represented the most violent cities in the world in the late 20th century with a great deal of homicides, drug trafficking and rackets affecting the local…
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The ‘Cities and Culture’ module provided me with a massive opportunity to visit Italy for the first time. Before the arrival, the great intention was to experience what many consider as ‘the Cradle of Italian Renaissance’, namely the city of Florence. As a great admirer of the classic architecture and urban planning of the said…
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Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the Government have issued statements telling people they can only got to work if they “cannot work from home” (GOV.UK, 2020). This has caused a drastic change, with the majority of the UK’s workforce now working remotely. Will Coronavirus change the way we work permanently?   (Sabelskaya, undated). Working from…
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Coronavirus has had a global impact, with over 2 million cases and approximately 150,000 deaths across 213 countries (WHO, 2020). Counter-measures led to travel restrictions, social-distancing rules and the demise of the World’s economy, which stopped “24 million people from escaping poverty” (Gopinath, 2020) (Vaswani, 2020). Amidst one of the world’s greatest crises, are there…
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During the 18th century, Liverpool emerged as a global trading point for salt, raw material and manufactures, particularly benefiting on its connectivity [1]. Trade flourished in Liverpool through to the late 20th century [2] but the decline of the raw material industry led to the steep decline of the port of Liverpool, and subsequently resulted…
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It’s not a coincidence that we fill our homes with potted plants, blush every time we receive flowers or enjoy strolling through botanical gardens. Edward O Wilson argued that humans evolved alongside the natural world and therefore have an innate affiliation with it [1], this core principle will form the basis for my design thesis….
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