ABSTRACT
Studios should foster inspiration, creation and exploration of ideas, debate and exhibition. A good studio culture is important to stimulate debate and critical thinking. Allowing students to express their ideas and to ‘own’ their space is important. Allowing a suitable framework or ‘scenery’ for the students and tutors to make the space their own but not so bespoke as to make it unique is the key factor. This openness and cross-fertilisation of ideas better reflects the collaborative working practices within the creative industries. Robust finishes are important, as they allow for change and minimise maintenance but also reinforce the idea that these spaces are experimental and help promote the creative and often messy work as students explore materiality and form. A centralised shared model-making suite is at the heart of the main atrium en-route to the café; highly visible to building users/visitors creating an engaging shop front to the work of the faculty.
