The unit invites students to explore emerging forms of co-living and co-design with human, non-human, and technological agents in times of ecological instability. It examines how architecture can move beyond anthropocentric paradigms by engaging ecological systems as collaborators rather than resources, positioning design as a mediator of multispecies relationships and ecological resilience.
The teaching methodology combines storytelling with ecological, social, and cultural research, supported by computational tools and material investigations. Drawing lessons from natural intelligence and environmental interdependencies, students develop site-responsive design proposals that address local ecological and social conditions. Each student selects a site aligned with their interests and undertakes in-depth contextual research to inform their design process.
Ultimately, the unit challenges students to rethink architecture not as a discipline of extraction or control, but as a medium for symbiotic collaboration operating across interconnected ecological, social, and technological infrastructures. Through speculative futures and adaptive practices, students explore how human and non-human intelligences might collectively shape resilient and inspiring futures, and how architecture can facilitate these emerging relationships.
Katya Bryskina
The MArch Architecture is a two-year full-time or three-year part-time programme offering exemption from ARB/RIBA Part 2. It combines rigorous professional training with creative and speculative design exploration. In the first year, students join a themed design unit to undertake a creative building design project combined with a technical and professional report. In the second year, students pursue a comprehensive speculative architectural design project, and an in-depth theoretical thesis tailored to their personal interest. The programme fosters independent thinking, innovation, theoretical and technical excellence, preparing graduates for advanced architectural practice and ongoing professional development in a dynamic global context. See further details on our prospectus page.
