The University of Central Lancashire Art&Design Saturday Club took part in an architectural Masterclass with Steve Kennedy and his team from McGregor Coxall, exploring the concept of ‘Bio-Urbanism’.
The day began with Steve and his interdisciplinary team introducing themselves, sharing their diverse backgrounds and expertise in the field. They explained their qualifications, different educational backgrounds and showed visual slides of how they approach the pre-design phase of site assessments.
The purpose of the Masterclass was to immerse Club members in the process of becoming a landscape architect, from on-site analysis to assigning roles and collaborative design. The beginning of the process was an on-site visit to Preston Flag Market, where Club members were asked to sketch the space and discuss what they found inspiring about the design, what changes they would make and what challenges they might face.
Following the site visit, Club members were divided into teams and tasked with reimagining the area they had just explored. To encourage creativity, they built models using vegetables e.g. celery and carrots for buildings or broccoli for trees. This approach led to creative designs, turning ordinary vegetables into elements of an urban landscape.
The day wrapped-up with each group showcasing their work to Steve and his team. They shared the adjustments they made and provided an in-depth explanation of their designs.