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Discovering sustainability in Architecture in my first year at Cardiff Met

Josh drawing
Josh drawing

My first year studying Architecture at Cardiff Met has been great. One of the highlights of the course so far for me was the Morphing Landscape project, the second of three projects in my first year.

The Morphing Landscape project challenged us to improve a local park in Fairwater by building an open-air theatre and a park pavilion, as well as installing statues, improving paths and more.

We were given quite a free rein with our designs as long as we met the client brief – the theatre needed to hold 500 people both standing and seated, and the buildings had to be more than 50m away from any residential or public buildings, such as schools. We were also given some guidance on the size of the theatre to help keep our designs practical and to make sure it wouldn’t be an eyesore in a natural green park setting.

In fact, we were encouraged to use as much of the park as possible to help form the design, so I used the gradient of the park to my advantage, integrating my seating into a slope.

One of the aims of this project was to try to be as sustainable as possible with our designs – sustainability is a major issue in the architectural community, and we focus on it throughout the first year. It’s not just about working with the landscape – you also have to have an idea about what happens to the building after your job as the architect is finished.

The Morphing Landscape project has changed the way I will think about future sites and jobs in the industry. It has shown me new ways to deal with landscape, and how to work with it rather than against it in my designs. This approach can help reconnect us with the planet, bringing architecture and nature together – perhaps they could even mean the same thing one day.

I feel that the course has helped me to better understand what a career in architecture will be like. Having to work to strict deadlines and make changes to my designs when clients ask for them is very realistic, and I believe the course has portrayed this well so far.

We also have to present and pitch our designs and concepts, just as we would in an architectural practice. Doing this every week helps build our confidence and our ability to speak freely about our designs, and those of other architects. This is a helpful skill in architecture, as we always look at existing designs to help inspire us.

Josh drawing
Both hand drawing and digital skills are important on the course

I can’t wait for the next few years on the course. COVID-19 has changed the way that all the courses have been taught this year and there have been a lot of challenges for everyone, but I’m looking forward to spending more time on campus and the chance to experience university fully.

I am excited for what the future holds for the course and my career path.