The new studio provides outstanding specialist facilities for Lancaster University’s very first cohort of Architecture students, based in the Lancaster School of Architecture. There is space for up to 48 students to use bespoke individual workspaces, and the studio is equipped with the latest high-tech audio-visual technology and state-of-the-art teaching equipment.

Professor Ruth Dalton, Head of Lancaster School of Architecture, commented, “We are excited about using these fantastic new facilities! As a School, we are committed to sustainability and principles of lean construction. The new Studio is a perfect setting for our students – the next generation of Architects – to develop the skills and knowledge that will shape our profession in the future.”

Despite the challenges presented by Covid-19 during 2020, the four month project to build the studio was completed just two days behind schedule and within budget. It is joined to the Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA), close to the pond and woods that surround the LICA building. Constructed off-site before being moved to its new home, the studio was designed in-house by a member of the University’s Estates Development Team in the Facilities Division, a first for Lancaster University.

The modular extension was delivered and installed by Premier Modular Ltd who were awarded the contract as part of the University’s tender process. During the build, adjustments were made to ensure that teaching and research could take place in a Covid-safe environment, and this meant that the building’s capacity has been reduced for the time being.

The charging points that were located on the site of the new studio have been relocated to various points on campus, in line with the University’s policy and commitment to its Sustainability Travel Plan.

In addition to the new Architecture studio, alterations have also been made to the existing LICA building to create new CAD studios for Architecture and other LICA students, as well as a new workshop facility for Design and Architecture. There is a new high-tech Visualisation Lab for the Expanding Excellence in England (E3) funded project, ‘Beyond Imagination’. The University has recently recruited 30 new academic researchers for this three-year project that explores how cutting-edge design can create a more prosperous world.

For more information visit Lancaster.ac.uk/facilities/estates and https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lica/architecture/.