Architectural Technology BSc Honours students from the School of Architecture + Cities at the University of Westminster are collaborating with Southwark Council’s Regeneration team to empower communities and address social and environmental issues in Peckham.
Tumpa Fellows, Senior Lecturer of Architecture at the University of Westminster and a Southwark Council Design Review panel member, organised a collaboration between Southwark Council’s Regeneration team and students on the Architectural Technology BSc Honours course, where they are exploring the area of Peckham through various methods of community engagement, a process which ensures that communities in Peckham that will be affected by any developments have a voice in the process and can input their opinions and ideas.
Peckham is known for being a very multicultural area, with over 70% of the population being Black or Asian, leading the students’ research to focus on underrepresented demographics in the area. In the context of racial and social inequality and climate injustice, they have been exploring research questions such as: what are the effects of gentrification in the area? In the context of health inequality, how are the communities suffering disproportionately from the coronavirus pandemic? And, how is the burden of environmental crisis disproportionately affecting the low-income communities living in high risk areas?
The students’ projects propose design interventions that respond to the communities’ needs at key civic spaces in Peckham town centre, such as Peckham Rye Station and Peckham Square, with initial research and design briefs also focusing on investigating urban infrastructures that aim to coexist with the natural and built environment.
The students’ findings from their community engagement work in Peckham has been translated to visually represent the research with architectural mapping drawings. They have also produced short films about Peckham and the current issues that communities in the area are facing during the pandemic.
At the end of December, students presented their work to the Regeneration team, generating interesting discussions about community engagement and the role of the council, members of the community and others in this process.
Talking about the collaboration, Tumpa Fellows said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the way we teach and students’ learning experience, and has highlighted that when teaching the next generation, the importance of collaborative design process and meaningful community engagement is urgently needed.
“This experience has been valuable for the students’ development in acquiring important skills and implementing resourceful ways to tackle social inequalities and climate crisis. Receiving feedback from a local authority and the local community has also been very beneficial, offering new opportunities for the students to showcase their work and to engage with stakeholders in unique ways, expanding the limits of the discipline. We will continue to collaborate with Southwark Council and have plans for presentations and an exhibition of the students’ work at the end of the academic year to the communities in Peckham.”
Learn more about Architecture and Interiors courses offered at the University of Westminster.
