USW students design key area of new Calon building in cross-Faculty project

A cross-Faculty project has given students a chance to design a key area of the new Calon building on Treforest Campus.

And Interior Design students from Cardiff Campus have seen for themselves how the construction of the new Computing, Engineering and Technology development is progressing, as part of the award presentation to the winners of a competition to design an exhibition space in the building.

The competition was set-up to promote student engagement across USW in the building project, and give them some real-life experience of the activities involved in completing such a facility. A key driver for the whole project team is to ensure that any opportunities to add value to USW and to the student experience through this project are taken full advantage of.

Starting last autumn, Miranda Thomas, who is USW’s Project Manager for Calon, worked with Marié Nevin, of architects Stride Treglown, to identify a suitable space within Calon for the students to work on, and develop a brief for the project.

“We aimed to engage students in a practical and technical activity related to the building's development,” Miranda said.

“The initiative provided students with an opportunity to contribute innovative ideas that could potentially be integrated into the final building design.

“There were several key requirements in the brief - the space needed to accommodate various uses and configurations, be accessible for all users, have appropriate lighting, and take neurodiversity into consideration. The design also had to allow for easy movement and visibility within the space, avoiding clutter and maintaining a thoroughfare on the ground floor, and ensure suitability for both 2D and 3D objects.

"We thought it'd be a really good opportunity for students to hopefully think outside the box a bit and bring some innovative ideas to the table, which could eventually become an inspiration for the final designs used in Calon.”

Of the five entries, two were shortlisted after the projects were pitched to Stride Treglown – with the eventual winners being named as Group 5 which was made up of Rosie Parsons, Bruna Soares, Sara Ben Saoud, Ferdi Allard-Morgan, and Liv Trewin.

Heddus Davies, who is a Lecturer on the Interior Design degree course at USW’s Cardiff Campus, said the project gave students a great opportunity to get some valuable insights of the demands of a professional brief.     

“The second- and third-year students were involved, and they were organised into small groups of three to four students from both years and tasked with creating a concept for the Exhibition Design in the foyer area of the building.

“This was a four-week project which was an additional project to their assessment briefs. However, the engagement and experience were something that both years were required to reflect upon for their Professional Development modules.

“As we strive to engage with as many externally facing briefs as possible, this was another valuable experience working on a live project that could influence the real outcome.

“The students responded positively to the expected level of professional engagement and outcome as well as receiving valuable feedback from industry professionals, and I congratulate all those involved on the hard work they put into the brief.”  

Miranda added that the competition was a successful collaborative effort that engaged students in meaningful project work.

“The winning design not only met the brief's requirements but also demonstrated the students' ability to think creatively and practically,” she said.

“This initiative highlighted the importance of involving students in real-world projects, fostering innovation, and contributing to sustainable building practices.

“It is also a great example of USW Faculties, in this case Computing, Engineering and Science; and Business and Creative Industries, identifying opportunities for students to get involved in major projects and benefit from the support and guidance of external partners who have valuable professional insights which they are delighted to share.”

Sara Ben Saoud, who was a member of the winning team, explained what the project offered to students.

“It was a great opportunity to get involved in a real-life project and to see how we work within teams,” she said.  

“Each person was given a different role, for example design or concept sketches, It was really interesting to see how people came together and created this wonderful product.”

Rosie Parsons added: “It was amazing because it was a real-life product. That’s something that USW does really well, integrating with industry, and it does give you that motivation to create something that will have an end-use.

“It’s also been a great experience that some of our designs will be into a prototype and potentially used. It’s a really exciting prospect.”

 

 

Miranda Thomas of USW, Sophie Hawker and Kingsley Davies of BAM,  Marié Nevin, of architects Stride Treglown, Shane Galvin of USW, and lecturer Heddus Davies, with the winning team.