Monday, 5 July 2021

University of Huddersfield spotlights ten student interior design projects

A gender-inclusive hair salon and a cafe that aims to help break down mental health barriers are included in Dezeen's latest school show from students at the University of Huddersfield.

Also included is a project that aims to revolutionise up-cycling in the retail industry and an adventure and learning centre designed for the elderly.

University of Huddersfield

School: University of Huddersfield, Arts and Humanities school
Course: Interior Design BA (Hons)
Tutors: Penny Sykes, Jen Leach, Natasha Crowe, Joanne Pigott Hakim, Claire Diggle and Anna Gurrey

School statement:

"We are proud to present a selection of ten pieces of award-winning work that aim to demonstrate the range and scope of projects students undertake in their final year of study. Throughout each project, they selected a site and developed their project brief. Through in-depth research and explorative processes, projects are designed and developed, becoming realised through technical and visual communication.

"Here at Huddersfield, we think that interior design transforms ideas into experiences. We allow students to create entirely new experiences and relationships between people and the places they spend time in. The emphasis is on creativity as we explore and extend current design thinking, pushing boundaries to innovate, providing new ways of looking at human and spatial interactions in response to our changing world.

"This group of students has had to cope with unprecedented circumstances during the Covid-19 outbreak and are a credit to themselves and the course in producing exciting projects that help us to glimpse the future. They are on the cusp of new approaches and changing parameters in design, able to adapt and offer reflexive approaches to future projects. To view the university's virtual showcase click here and to view its Instagram, visit its profile."

University of Huddersfield

22 Degrees by Paccelli Sowerby

"This project aims to democratise wine tasting for the younger consumer. It seeks to mix up the traditional wine bar, reintroducing wine to the younger consumer in a fun, informal environment that focuses on learning through experience.

"The project intends to create a reactive space with a hands-on approach to wine tasting, bringing people closer to natural wine by echoing the hand-crafted winemaking process through design elements.

"The space gives people the tools and info to embark on their own journey of wine discovery whilst learning about the making process and being inspired by the urban vineyard environment.

"22 Degrees offers more than just a huge variety of natural wines – it also hosts a selfie label-booth, interactive wine quiz, contact-free bottle shop, self serve wine bar, sensory wine experience and roof terrace with sensory grape pods. This project has a full technical pack and feasibility study, both of which are available for download on my website."

Student: Paccelli Sowerby
Award: Best Visual Communication
Tutors: Penny Sykes, Jen Leach and Natasha Crowe

University of Huddersfield

Millennium by Adam Kendall

"Today, millennials represent about 32 per cent of the luxury market but will grow to command 50 per cent of the market by 2025. It is clear that technology is advancing and is a significant part of younger generations lives. Through primary research, 48 per cent of millennials spend more than five hours a day looking at a digital screen, and 35 per cent spend between 75 -120 minutes on social media.

"Millennium is a space influenced by social media, and tech aims to create a unique but relatable experience for younger people, making them feel more involved and connected. The issue discovered through the project research is that there is a growing millennial customer base in the luxury industry.

"However, a change or development has not been seen to suit this audience in the commercial sector. In fact, luxury bars and restaurants are more suitable for the older generations. This leads to the isolation of their younger audience, who are digitally savvy and constantly connected. I propose a solution – to create a space that relates to younger generations. A space that is familiar, comfortable and digitally enhanced."

Student: Adam Kendall
Award: Best Technical Detailing
Tutors: Penny Sykes, Jen leach and Natasha Crowe

University of Huddersfield

Re-Fashioned by Heather Martin

"This is a project that aims to revolutionise up-cycling in the retail industry through the manipulation of contemporary retail and technology. Often the clothing industry does not recycle materials it cannot sell.

"This means an increasing amount of materials are being thrown away instead of being recycled and reused which, further contributes to the global environmental crisis.

"The solution seems obvious: employ artists who love up-cycling and using material which usually gets discarded to craft new items people will love to wear! Research showed that many people feel pessimistic about purchasing pre-owned items. Re-Fashioned places a luxurious twist on up-cycled clothing to encourage more people to do more to save the environment and to look good doing it!

"The concept was developed by the silhouettes and shapes inspired by the human body – seen in the lighting features. Materials within the space were also essential to consider as it needed to be luxury as well as sustainable and natural."

Student: Heather Martin
Award: Best Creative Process
Tutors: Penny Sykes, Jen Leach and Natasha Crowe

University of Huddersfield

Sip + Sculpt by Alyssia Hanson

"Sip + Sculpt is designed to allow its customers to unwind in a space where they can work through their stress and break down barriers around mental health. It aims to facilitate connection, inspire imagination and create an oasis of positivity and comfort.

"The project's concept was influenced by the 'slow living movement' alongside the keywords, balance' and 'floating'. Customers are encouraged to lock away their devices, distancing themselves from the use of social media, allowing themselves to embrace their creativity and get messy with clay."

Student: Alyssia Hanson
Award: Best Conceptual Approach
Tutors: Penny Sykes, Jen Leach and Natasha Crowe

University of Huddersfield

New Horizons Cub House by Amy Rigby

"New Horizons is an experiential adventure and event planning space including digital booking hubs and learning zones. It has been created for the retired generation to create a place to counteract any regrets they have through life.

"Through research, I found that retired people have many regrets about things they have missed out on during their working lives but don't have anywhere to explore and resolve them.

"The space has been created to encourage and support a second life with access to fun and exciting activities. Activities include participating in new experiences by trying them out in the VR zone, booking experiences, learning about the digital world and improving skills, or just socialising and meeting new people of similar ages and interests.

"The concept is based around 'a walk in the park' which makes entering the clubhouse an experience in itself, as the concept can be seen in the layout and other features."

Student: Amy Rigby
Award: Best Use of Materiality
Tutors: Penny Sykes, Jen Leach and Natasha Crowe

University of Huddersfield

Parmilla by Luke Pierce

"Parmilla is dedicated to the people of Huddersfield and is a creative community workplace and social hub, driven by the concept of perspective. The centre celebrates the creative culture the town has to offer and provide co-working spaces and meeting hubs for hire.

"With the ground floor open to the public, it offers the opportunity for exhibitions and offers space for creative events and performances, to provide new experiences and introduce people to new cultural arts.

"It also has a kitchen space located on the ground floor that features a local guest chef every Friday to offer new food experiences to its guests and give the restaurants the chefs are representing more exposure.

"Parmilia will also send out lengths of fabric to local schools, care homes and stands in the streets of Huddersfield to have people tie knots in the fabric. This fabric will then be exhibited from the ceilings throughout the space. Serving mainly as wayfinding, it also highlights essential areas in Parmilla and represents the people of Huddersfield and celebrates individuality."

Student: Luke Pierce
Award: Best Spatial Exploration
Tutors: Penny Sykes, Jen Leach and Natasha Crowe

University of Huddersfield

Derma-Tech by Rhiana-Dean Robinson-Hine

"Derma-Tech is a multi-functional, fully immersive retail experience that provides information on skincare knowledge. Consumers are given access to current dermatology technology and DNA driven retailing.

"Developing a forward-thinking 'go-to' space for all things skincare by providing numerous experiences for consumers. With technology at the forefront of the design, it harnesses artificial intelligence teledermatology and implements smart technologies throughout each step of the customer journey."

Student: Rhiana-Dean Robinson-Hine
Award: Best Future Focussed Project
Tutors: Penny Sykes, Jen Leach and Natasha Crowe

University of Huddersfield

Unite Wellness by Jordan Marzetti

"The Wellness and Respite Centre focuses on delivering a new experience to both dependants and carers. It is a new brand that combines leisure with respite, tackling the disadvantages adults with learning disabilities face and addressing the mental and physical wellbeing of both the dependant and carer.

"It is a purpose-built space located within a residential area, but placed conveniently with other complimenting businesses, providing on-site support through counselling and information. Design is purposely minimal to aid adults with learning disabilities, corridors are direct in layout, and all essential rooms can be found on main corridors.

"There are no curves, or complicated shapes, no distracting patterns, or textures and information points on each main corridor aid navigation acting as way-finding. It includes a new staircase with handrails spaced to be held on either side, including an emergency evacuation slide. Automatic doors into all changing and restroom entrances and two new extra-large lifts have been added to the site."

Student: Jordan Marzetti
Award: Best Socially Focused Project
Tutors: Penny Sykes, Jen Leach and Natasha Crowe

University of Huddersfield

Undefeated by Sarah Parkes

"Research has shown that an overwhelming number of females are faced with physical, mental and social barriers when participating in physical activities. Therefore, a key objective of the design proposal was to challenge and support the journeys women face by offering a personalised and unique fitting service within a female-only sportswear store.

"The building is split into three key areas: physical, mental and social. Physical is on the ground floor and is focused on enhancing the body through high-performance sportswear. This zone also includes RFID technology self-checkout, collection points, beacon technology touchscreens and AR smart mirrors.

"The mental section is on the basement floor and is concentrated on re-energising the customer's mind and body by creating a multi-sensory experience. This includes a relaxation massage pod that indulges all the customer senses and helps them to escape from the busy retail stores on Oxford Street.

"Social is on the first floor and is focused on maintaining customer's wellbeing by encouraging social interaction within the environment of a nutrition cafe. The material palette includes fresh and light materials that correspond with nutrition and healthy eating."

Student: Sarah Parkes
Award: Best Commercially Focussed Project
Tutors: Penny Sykes, Jen Leach and Natasha Crowe

University of Huddersfield

Dare Hair by Jasmin Hardy

"Dare is a non-binary, gender-inclusive hair salon that looks towards the new generation of gender-inclusive hairstyling salons. After researching the importance of hair in gender/self-identity it became apparent that the hair industry needed a new approach to its mainly binary format.

"Using the concept of fluidity, which was also inspired by the limitless creativity of the metaverse, Dare Hair aims to create a gender-inclusive environment for people to experiment with their appearance aided by the integration of smart technology.

"Whether it be someone wanting to experiment with a bold alternative hairstyle or someone exploring their gender expression, everyone is welcome and encouraged at Dare Hair.

"Throughout my time at university, my projects have been driven with the edges of society in mind, so being able to create Dare Hair with the concentration being on the LGBTQ+ community has pushed me to create a thorough, well researched final design. I am thankful to those who are part of the community who were willing to share their experiences with me and I dedicate this project to them."

Student: Jasmin Hardy
Award: Best Overall Project
Tutors: Penny Sykes, Jen Leach and Natasha Crowe

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and the University of Huddersfield. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Raindrop collection by Shakúff

Dezeen Showroom: lighting company Shakúff's Raindrop collection is a sculptural lighting range that references the appearance of raindrops.

The brand describes the Raindrop collection as "sculptures of lights" and each light features multiple individual pendants that create a dramatic focal point in a room.

The lights are designed to accentuate space, making rooms feel both higher and more spacious.

"Inspired by the feeling of the first few drops of rain on your skin, the Raindrop collection is fresh and rejuvenating," explained the brand.

"The Raindrop pendant's smooth teardrop shape is deceivingly simple. Oblong and organic, the Raindrop silhouette takes immense skill to execute."

The lights are made out of blown pyrex glass, brass and steel.

The base comes in a range of colours including matte silver, matte white and antique bronze, while the glass is available in clear, black or amber hues.

"Our Raindrop fixtures are especially elegant for commercial spaces, as the colour and the texture of the light they provide is subtle," said Shakúff.

Product: Raindrop collection
Brand: Shakúff
Contact: inquiries@shakuff.com

About Dezeen Showroom: Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

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Link shelving system by Jörg Höltje for Studio Hausen

Dezeen Showroom: designed by Jörg Höltje for Berlin-based interior brand Studio Hausen, the Link shelving system is a display and storage unit "stripped down to the essentials."

The spacious Studio Hausen shelving system is made from wood and steel.

The system was designed to be customisable and can be formed into different compositions, depending on what suits the user. This includes asymmetrical or high-reaching designs that allow flexibility when designing a space.

"The Link shelf is display and storage stripped down to the essentials," said Studio Hausen.

"Its steel and wood construction forms an engaging interplay with many potential compositions: asymmetrical, high-reaching, or laid out lengthwise, the Link shelf is designed to work perfectly for your individual environment."

The Link shelving system comes in black, ash, oak, and white oak colours, and all its components are sustainably made in Europe.

Product: Link shelving system
Brand: Studio Hausen
Designer: Jörg Höltje
Contact: info@studiohausen.com

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Coopworth residence is a modern take on a traditional Tasmanian farmhouse

The building is surrounded by country side

Melbourne firm FMD Architects has completed a farmhouse in rural Tasmania featuring a plywood-lined interior and corrugated metal cladding that references vernacular agricultural buildings.

The Coopworth house, which is located on Bruny Island off the southeastern coast of Tasmania, is named after the Coopworth sheep reared by the property's owners.

Coopworth house was clad in corrugated metal — Top: the house is located in a rural area of Tasmania. Above: it was wrapped in corrugated metal

The house sits atop a hill surrounded by arable farmland and was designed by FMD Architects as a contemporary take on the farmhouses and shacks found throughout the area.

"The site's resident Coopworth sheep, the wide-ranging views to the water and mountain ranges beyond, as well as the weathering red lead shacks dotted over the island provide an ever-changing landscape with which the house converses," the architects said.

Coopworth house has triangular windows — Geometrically shaped windows punctuate the roof

The building occupies a compact footprint to retain as much land as possible, and its design seeks to create spaces with generous proportions that make the most of the internal volume.

The main living areas feature sloping ceilings that follow the angled roofline. The space is lined with plywood panels, except for parts of the ceiling that show off wool insulation sourced from the farm's sheep.

"Sealed with clear, polycarbonate corrugated sheeting, the wool adds to the thermal performance, while celebrating the agricultural connections as an abstract wool fresco," FMD Architects added.

The rear of Coopworth house is fully glazed — It has a floor-to-ceiling glazed wall

Coopworth's northern elevation incorporates full-height frameless windows that create a strong connection with the outdoors.

The glazing is pushed to the edge of the building envelope, where it siths within timber-lined niches that provide places to relax while creating a feeling of being immersed in the landscape.

The plywood-clad living area contains a wood-burning stove and a low storage unit that separates the kitchen and dining space from the lounge.

Two bedrooms are positioned at the western end of the ground floor, with a laundry room and bathroom situated behind the central stair.

Coopworth house has a log burner — Wool insulation is visible in the ceiling

The main bathroom features a sunken bath incorporated into a brick-tiled volume that evokes the chimney stacks found on vernacular buildings.

A large window flanking the bath provides the bather with views of the surrounding paddock and the bay beyond.

Plywood covers the walls of the kitchen at Coopworth house — A large wooden island zones the kitchen

The staircase provides access to a mezzanine study area and attic bedroom. Both spaces are slotted in beneath the steeply pitched roof and receive daylight from angular openings.

Coopworth is designed for two occupants, but can accommodate family and friends thanks to various informal sleeping options inspired by Australian verandah sleepouts and caravan bunk beds.

A mezzanine looks over the living space at Coopworth house — A staircase has storage below

Sunken beds incorporated into the window bays can be used as sleeping mats, while a single bed is hidden within a wall of plywood joinery next to the staircase.

FMD Architects is headed by Fiona Dunin and aims to create buildings informed by their context and clients.

floor-to-ceiling windows were placed in the bedrooms — Bedrooms look out to the fields

The studio works predominantly on boutique commercial, hospitality and residential projects. Its previous work includes a house in Melbourne featuring wooden columns and beams inspired by sewing details.

Photography is by Dianna Snape.

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Planting trees "doesn't make any sense" in the fight against climate change say experts

Afforestation is an unreliable way of sequestering atmospheric carbon, according to several key figures interviewed by Dezeen as part of our carbon revolution series.

While trees capture huge amounts of carbon, they need to remain growing for a long time to be effective carbon stores, experts say.

In addition, the timber they produce needs to be put to long-term use to prevent the carbon it contains from quickly going back into the atmosphere when it rots or is burned.

"Planting trees is probably the most difficult potential method from a measurement and verification perspective," said Paul Gambrill, CEO of carbon marketplace Nori in an interview with Dezeen.

"Forests need to have a permanence of 100 years to be effective"

"You plant the forest but you don't start seeing carbon retention and sequestration happening for at least 10 years after they're planted, so there's a long lag time in doing that," explained Gambrill, whose company allows people who capture atmospheric carbon to sell it to people who want to offset their emissions.

"And then you have to maintain that forest and make sure it isn't burned or cut down."Forests need to have a permanence of 100 years to be effective carbon stores", he said.

"So you plant your saplings and then you have to maintain the forest for 100 years. That's multiple generations of people. How many companies last 100 years these days? How on earth is anyone going to afford to maintain that forest, hiring the team of people you need to do that? It doesn't make any sense."

Carbon-rich soil — Soil sequestration sees carbon removed from the atmosphere to enrich soil

Soil sequestration, whereby atmospheric carbon is drawn into the earth via regenerative agriculture techniques, is a far more effective solution, he argued, since carbon remains in the soil for hundreds of years.

It also acts as a highly effective fertiliser, reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers, the production of which generates large amounts of emissions. "Soil carbon is by far the most affordable and scalable method of carbon removal that we know today," he said.

Afforestation is "a tricky business," according to sustainable design expert William McDonough. "What happens next?" he said in an interview with Dezeen, referring to the question of what happens once the trees have been planted.

"So if you want to say I'm getting a forest here to replace this thing I did and it has all this characterization of capturing carbon over the next X number of years," he said.

"Then you have to legally put that in position, and politically put that in position, to make sure that will happen. So you're betting on a future you hope you can control. We have to make sure the intentions are aligned with various realities."

"More permanent" carbon storage options are required

Christoph Beuttler, head of climate policy at Swiss direct air capture company Climeworks, said "more permanent options" are needed for long-term carbon storage. "Trees remove CO2, but how permanent is it?" he said. "How long do the trees stand? And what happens after? Do they get burned? Are they cut down for use in bioenergy?"

Longer-term solutions, according to Beuttler, include carbon capture and storage (CCS), whereby carbon is removed from the atmosphere mechanically and pumped underground, or carbon capture and utilisation (CCU), whereby the captured carbon is turned into materials.

Other forms of biomass, including fast-growing algae, bamboo and hemp, have been touted as alternative ways of sequestering carbon naturally, with hemp "more effective than trees", according to Cambridge University researcher Darshil Shah.

In a recent article for Dezeen, architecture writer Fred Bernstein pointed out the flaws in the argument that constructing buildings from timber is an effective means of long-term carbon storage. "You can't waste any of the wood," he wrote in the article, which examined the sustainability claims of a timber home designed by Perkins&Will.

"That's a problem because converting a tree into lumber usually turns half the wood into sawdust or chips, which could end up being burnt or allowed to decompose. This problem alone suggests carbon sequestration figures should be cut in half."

In addition, he wrote: "The wood has to stay in or on the building for a very long time. If the building needs repairs, and lumber is removed, it may be recycled, but it may also be burnt or allowed to decompose. And who'll be watching in 20 or 50 years?"

Afforestation must be done "in a smart way"

Planting forests can cause ecological damage if not done carefully, according to Jon Khoo, sustainability leader at carpet brand Interface.

"You don't want it to be a monoculture where anything is going to be damaging," said Khoo, who is helping Interface in its drive to be a carbon-negative company. "If someone's going to plant trees, you want them planting in a smart way that recreates the forest that should be in that land and that creates an ecosystem that is balanced."

Khoo added that a whole range of approaches will be needed to remove carbon from the atmosphere, including other natural methods of capture including mangroves and seagrass as well as mechanical methods such as Climeworks' direct air capture machines.

"We're gonna need both," said Khoo. "We're gonna need a lot of carbon sinks to undo what we've done for the last 250 years."

Climeworks direct-air-capture machines — Swiss company Climeworks uses direct air capture machines to remove CO2 from the atmosphere

William McDonough agreed, adding that there are other reasons for creating new forests besides carbon capture. These include protecting biodiversity, conserving water and preventing erosion, as well as serving as cultural and spiritual assets for humanity.

"I think taking care of forests is something that is essential to culture," he said. "There are so many reasons to do it beyond carbon sequestration. It's still worth doing even if the carbon equations are skewed a bit because it's about a 25-year cycle. The tree grows, dies, becomes carbon, goes up, comes back."

Forests aren't the only type of ecosystem that needs to be recreated, he added. "So let's plant mangroves, let's restore ecosystems everywhere we can, all over the planet, all the time."

Offsetting carbon emissions should just be "a first step"

Designer Charlotte McCurdy argued that offsetting emissions by paying for trees to be planted amounted to "holding a forest hostage".

"Does someone holding a forest hostage actually mean that you can go emit and somehow that makes you neutral?" she asked. Offsetting, whereby greenhouse gas emissions are negated by investing in schemes that recapture those emissions, is a lazy way out, she argued.

"The reason there's an emphasis on offsets is that it's easy," said the designer, who is developing carbon-sequestering bioplastics. "Truly decarbonizing and disentangling your industry or your material selection from fossil fuels or fossil carbon that actually takes retooling. "

"And offsets can be a pathway, a first step, but by no means is it a destination in terms of designing an actual system that is decarbonized," she added.

"The majority of our scenarios [for preventing runaway climate change] rely on negative emissions. And negative emissions are not offsets. Negative emissions are pulling carbon out of the air. How do we find and scale those technologies?"

Nori's Gambrill agreed that offsetting via tree-planting looks like an easy option but in reality is fraught with uncertainty. "Have you ever bought an airfare or something like that and you see a little checkbox, and you check that box and they say we're going to take care of the carbon emissions from this and we'll plant a tree or something?" he asked.

"That's fine and good but you as a consumer have no idea how they're doing that, where it's happening or how it's being measured and verified. You have no insight into that after you check that box and you move on with your day."

"We know that a carbon dioxide molecule basically hangs out in the atmosphere for approximately 100 years," he added. "So it just kind of evolved to a point where people are saying, if I'm going to pay you to offset some emissions, then you should make sure that that carbon is going to stay out [of the atmosphere] for at least 100 years."

"It is impossible to get down to zero with offsets"

Fredrika Klarén, head of sustainability at electric car brand Polestar, agreed that there are "too many insecurities" when offsetting fossil-fuel emissions. Instead, companies have to eliminate emissions from their entire value chain.

"It is impossible to get down to zero with offsets," said Klarén, who is helping Polestar develop a car that aims to be carbon-neutral in every aspect of its production. "The trouble is that not many people are aware of this. You cannot offset emissions from the use of fossil fuels. There are too many insecurities in that."

"It is great to support forest conservation but you cannot do it as a means to try to offset emissions from something that you’ve just produced," she added, pointing out that Polestar is "not going to go down the tree planting route."

"We have to decarbonize our value chain. We have to go for that. Otherwise, we will fail at becoming net-zero."

Carbon revolution

This article is part of Dezeen's carbon revolution series, which explores how this miracle material could be removed from the atmosphere and put to use on earth. Read all the content at: www.dezeen.com/carbon.

The sky photograph used in the carbon revolution graphic is by Taylor van Riper via Unsplash.

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