Placemaking
Departments and services are working collaboratively on projects related to the infrastructure and environment of our campus. We want to inspire wellbeing, pride and a sense of belonging for the benefit of all our communities. Bringing colour, life and playfulness to the campus encourages connections, footfall and an inclusive welcoming experience for all.
The examples focus on the transformational landscape effects of the recently completed Forum, the bright and contemporary refresh to the Students Union and new additions to our impressive public art collection.
The Forum
Over the past year, we’ve sought to increase the cultural investment in the public realm on campus. We commissioned Creative Giants, a creative consultancy, to partner with us on the redesign of the outdoor cafe space by the library, and Raskl Art Architecture to successfully realise the vision.
The Forum is open to everyone and includes a free to use stage area for student events, impromptu talks, performances and day-to-day use. The space provides opportunities for building social connections through an inspiring design-led approach. We welcome all to meet, study, debate, share learnings and perform.
The Forum has created a playful and creative space where ideas can flourish, and self-expression can thrive. Pink was chosen as it holds a playful visual allure, evoking sentiments of warmth, nurture, and tranquility, helping to craft an environment that feels welcoming and inclusive and links back to the colourways used in the Students Union refurbishment.
The Students Union
A significant and impactful investment has taken place in both shared areas and outlets within the Students Union including The Atrium, Curiositea, Food Station and Terrace Bar.
The SU Atrium had become an uninviting space with mismatched furniture through which our students passed rather than wanting to spend time in. We worked with local interior design agency, Retail Experience DesignLink opens in a new window, to create a concept that reinvigorated and warmed the space with an injection of colour, made it comfortable and modern with contemporary furniture, and brought it up-to-date with new lighting and greenery. The vibrant colours on the floors and walls have given the Atrium a tangible lift and make the space feel warm and welcoming. Vinyl graphics, a large light-up installation, and a centrally placed tree add further life to the area.
The Atrium has become a focal destination on the campus with a marked increase in footfall. Students are now using the space as somewhere to socialise with friends, catch up on work between lectures or take time out to sit, eat or drink.
BreadfruitLink opens in a new window
Veronica Ryan’s sculpture Breadfruit was purchased with support from the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund (presented by the Contemporary Art Society) and installed outside the Arts Centre. The artwork forms part of the University art collection and sculpture park.
Veronica Ryan was originally commissioned by Hackney Council to produce London’s first public sculpture to honour the Windrush generation. The full commission consists of three Caribbean fruits, the Breadfruit, the Soursop and the Custard Apple. Each sculpture was produced in an edition of three. The breadfruit was introduced into the Caribbean from Oceania to feed slaves working on British and French plantations. Imported into the UK in the 1960s, breadfruit became a point of cultural connection for Caribbean communities in the UK.
Ryan has exhibited widely, nationally and internationally and her work is held by many public and private collections. In 2021, Ryan was awarded an OBE for services to art and a year later won the Turner Prize, in part for the sculpture we now have in the collection.