Camping on campus
Architecture students took up the challenge to build a basic dwelling for under £100 – and then prove the structures withstood the elements by sleeping in them overnight!
The University of Greenwich students were told to make dwellings “achieving maximum comfort with the least resources” as one of their first assignments.
They pitched the shelters – ranging from psychedelic tents to ecological igloos – on the grass at the Avery Hill Campus, on one of the wettest, windiest days of the year.
Student Matthew Hill says: “We had the idea of making a shelter from balloons. Fortunately they turned out to be great insulation and completely waterproof! The only issue was tethering the tent down enough to stop it blowing away.”
Adriana Cobo, course coordinator, says: “This is the first year we’ve done this, and I’m delighted at how innovative and diverse the designs were. All credit to the students for putting up their shelters in such adverse conditions!”
The BA Architecture students had to show they could conceive, develop and build a temporary structure for under £100 which offered maximum comfort, protection and stability. Designs included elegant polyhedrons, a pyramid of stretched plastic filled with autumn leaves, and a grass-covered mound like a mini air hangar.
The School of Architecture & Construction has nearly 2,000 students based at Avery Hill and a further thousand on distance learning courses or based in partner colleges. Many of them go on to take up jobs in the Greater London area.
For high-res images of the students and their tents, please contact:
Hester Brown, Press Officer
University of Greenwich
Tel: 020 8331 7663
Mob: 07876 193 481