Architecture students take part in design competition to address homelessness in the city
See all news
![Plan drawing of a U-shaped housing development.](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/totally-modular-architecture-competition.jpg?la=en&h=537&w=760&mw=847&hash=BCBEF7DAEA06CD9478FC3B2FF6E1313F)
Architecture students from UWE Bristol have taken part in a week-long competition to design a prefabricated housing scheme to address particular conditions of homelessness in the city.
The competition, sponsored by housing manufacturer Totally Modular, provided students with the opportunity to work on real-life design case studies, whilst also highlighting the discussion around homelessness and its possible solutions.
The challenge attracted entries from all five of the undergraduate architectural courses - from first year to final year students. Students formed teams and submitted their proposals for housing on sites in the city that have been identified as suitable for affordable housing.
Their designs were judged on elements such as how they responded to the brief, design and innovation. First place went to Team Y; Seanne Christhian, Mahek Khushalani, Isuri Ratnayake and Zoe Restrick. The judging panel also gave two other groups a ‘highly commended’ award.
The winning team received a £500 prize, a tour of the Totally Modular manufacturing facility, and their winning designs will be considered for implementation on a Bristol site.
Student Milly Harvey, whose team was highly commended, said: “It felt great to be recognised as architects, not just students. I think we have all come away from this project feeling inspired and encouraged.”
James Burch, Associate Head of Department of Architecture and the Built Environment at UWE Bristol, said: “The students enjoyed tackling a real-life brief and acting as design teams, working under pressure to deliver their proposals.
“In less than a week the teams created a range of sensitive, well-researched and well-argued proposals that they, and we, are proud of. With this work we are pleased to be raising the level of debate of contemporary housing design in the city.”
Mark Southgate, Chief Executive of MoBIE and head judge of the competition, said: “We were genuinely wowed by the standard of work the teams produced and had to remind ourselves the teams were not yet professionals and that they only had 4.5 days to create these designs from scratch - the results were amazing!
“We were highly impressed by the way the teams addressed all parts of a challenging brief. The future of housing design is in great hands - we can't wait to see what you all do next.”
Related news
![Photo shows a lady smiling in front of a rack of clothes she's made](/-/media/uwe/images/news/podcast-ach-tetyana-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=EBE1EEF47917F1EE072973B2EAE95501)
08 July 2024
UWE Bristol students share powerful refugee and migrant stories
A new podcast ‘Wisdom from the Global Majority’ tells the stories of both migrants and refugees in Bristol through their own words.
![Someone holds the world in their hands in a pool of water](/-/media/uwe/images/news/climate-theatre-project-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=671411EFE5D11C702F789A85526F61DF)
26 June 2024
Water security and climate action to be explored through theatre with communities
UWE Bristol will support an international research project that will embed theatre practice to work with less heard communities who face water insecurity.
![Members of the Centre for Appearance Research standing for a group photo, with balloons in the background](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/car-anniversary-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=DB550ACB3604EBA25099B9C3D3944EDC)
24 May 2024
Impact of world-leading Centre for Appearance Research celebrated on 30th anniversary
It has grown from two researchers and a PhD student to become what is considered the largest research centre in the world focussed on appearance and body image. Now the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) has celebrated its 30th anniversary.
![A mother lies on a bed alongside her young baby](/-/media/uwe/images/news/motherhood-pandemic-adobestock-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=A5D13C5B88DEC68412A7FE9B32A3D1BD)
01 May 2024
The hidden work of new mothers exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic
New research has uncovered how the pandemic intensified and exposed the immense layers of unpaid work by mothers during maternity leave.
![A billboard in St Werbughs in Bristol shows children's illustrations and the words if racism vanished for day I'd wear my hair like this](/-/media/uwe/images/news/billboard-racism-vanished-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=AEF138B778B4ABA3532A6C5D2630EE94)
26 April 2024
New billboard to encourage conversations about what life might be like without racism
The billboard displays an illustration from the book ‘If Racism Vanished for a Day’, which explores the impact of racism on children's wellbeing.
![UWE Bristol rugby player Louis James stands on a rugby pitch with his arms folded](/-/media/uwe/images/news/positive-masculinity-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=F5CC6D6441145F65B38B6A556FF04C9C)
18 April 2024
New UWE Bristol film promotes positive masculinity
A new UWE Bristol film poses the question 'what does it mean to be a man in 2024?'
![Representatives of nine regional institutions sign up to the new OurCity2030 partnership to combat inequality in Bristol](/-/media/uwe/images/news/uwe-supports-ourcity2030-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=F52F742EE0F22B8CEEF84BBC3B92D8B4)
05 April 2024
University joins new partnership to combat inequality
UWE Bristol has signed up to a ground-breaking agreement to address inequality and deprivation for Bristol’s low-income communities.
![Dan Norris posing for a photo with a large group](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/deaf-aware-dan-norris410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=AA00BFC25F5F42E99660F91C7591D760)
08 March 2024
Deaf awareness course for UWE Bristol healthcare students hailed by regional mayor
UWE Bristol’s move to train up future NHS workers in deaf awareness could help save lives regionally and nationally, according to West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris.
![Collage image of four photos showing (clockwise from top left) a man with two young children stood outside a building, mould growing on a front door, a family of five smiling outside a house, and a bust road with lots of traffic](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/unhealthy-places-truud-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=3966025468B3D732865F979373D22405)
06 March 2024
New films share first-hand family experiences of living in unhealthy places
Four families explain the toll of living conditions on their physical and mental health in a series of films to help change urban planning policy and practice in the UK.
![Two women in an office discussing and looking at a laptop](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/breaking-barriers-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=8B6A3C378B2C26B9E24173784086B23B)
05 March 2024
UWE Bristol business award looks to tackle systemic challenges facing entrepreneurs
A new business programme delivered by UWE Bristol looks to address systemic challenges faced by entrepreneurs across the West of England.
![Code on a computer screen](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/data-science-scholarship-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=0DB3E198DB492C7F8872206CB0B9BCBF)
05 March 2024
UWE Bristol contributes to push for data science diversity
Further funding has been secured for a national scholarship programme that looks to increase diversity in the AI and data science sector.
![Five women smiling for a photo in front of a digital whiteboard that says 'A New Crime of Ecocide'](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/ecocide-workshop-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=BD734BE4655D598DF546F58C48733E04)
29 February 2024
Bristol hosts groundbreaking new workshop on the criminalisation of ecocide
In early February 2024, Bristol hosted a groundbreaking new workshop on the criminalisation of ecocide.