Place-Hacking the Design Studio: Contextualising Workplace Principles in Design Education

“Place-hacking’ according to Michael J. Rosen refers to the pastime of urban exploring, checking out dilapidated buildings with three types of exploring: urbex (clandestine investigation of off-limit spaces); urban adventure (such as parkour); and infiltration (sneaking into sites).

Imagine using these methods to explore and interrogate the learning spaces we operate within? Taking a different view? Investigating whether they are appropriate? Sneaking behind the accepted and questioning everything we accept as ‘fine’. A place-hacking journey of the ‘off-limit’ principles of design studio spaces, asking the question…….. Are they fit for purpose?

The design of learning environments in higher education should reflect research-driven advancements in practice, both spatially and technologically, instead they often respond to what exists rather than what is required to enable contemporary pedagogical approaches, academics constrained by limitations in their physical environment to teach at a future-proof level. In contrast, evidence-based workplace design has been clearly proven to improve productivity, staff and stakeholder wellbeing.

Working with local and national workplace consultants, tutors at Northumbria University, Newcastle established an active education research lab (ResiDE) where BA(Hons) Interior Design staff and students have trialled workplace environments within their own studios, testing these principles.

Spatial planning models tell the story of the research project and propose a set of evidence-based prototypes for implementation. The ultimate speculative architect Peter Cook (Archigram) stated “the most memorable or most definitive architecture comes forth at a moment when a set of ideas exists as a form of attack; a retort to another set of ideas………”