THANKS!

Humanities Building Entrance

Thanks to everyone who took part in interviews.  Unbelievably we managed to get 87 of you to participate and we have to say that the quality of feedback has been great.  Over the next few weeks we will continue to load up stories and there will also be some polls for you to take part in so please keep coming back.  We would love to hear what you think – this is a fantastic opportunity to generate the type of space you want for the Humanities Building.

Milburn House Entrance

Researchers Diary

Hello – I am currently a fourth year student in Scotland but have also been working as a designer/researcher with Nomad for just over a year now. I first met Nomad when I interviewed for an internship as part of my third Year University work and since then have been involved in a number of field projects for the team although this is the furthest I have travelled south. I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived on Sunday night, it was dark but I could still see that the campus is very beautiful and well kept.

Yesterday was our first day and we felt very welcomed by the fantastic response from students and staff. We managed to interview a total of 48 people yesterday and the information we were gathering was really interesting and detailed.  So far there has been unanimous support for the idea of a new Humanities building and many people we talked to were eager to know just how quickly it could happen!

We head back up to Scotland at the end of today so if you have not had a chance to come and have chat with Scott or I please do.  This afternoon Scott will be in Milburn House and I will be Humanities Building Entrance.  There might even be some chocolates left but at this rate we cant promise anything!

Sara

TECHNOLOGY

Over the last few years we have been streaming lots of conferences into the studio. It’s a really handy way of staying up to date without having the time sink and expense of travelling. A few years ago we heard Emily-Ann Nash former Vice President of The University of Brighton’s Student Union presented at the FOTE conference that was held at Senate House in London. Nash is now an elected member of the NUS National Higher Education Zone Committee and her work there has focused on leading the NUS digital agenda and producing a Technology Charter to support and encourage student unions throughout the UK to lobby their universities for a 21st century student experience. Amid a number of interesting issues she raised the importance of talking to students about your expectations and requirements. We know that you will want some form of technological support your new learning spaces but what kind? Will it simply be more power outlets, charging points and greater data/ wifi connection for your own devices or do you need more? The charter presented by Nash above is probably a little out of date now so it would be great to hear your thoughts an opinions about the technology you might need in a new Humanities Building.

LEARNING SPACES

We want your new spaces to be both truly innovative and truly unique. For us this means that we must work with staff and students to design spaces that are exciting, functional, comfortable and look good. We must also be aware of the project in its context and examine the latest thinking and design practice in Universities, Schools and Colleges so that we can learn from others and pass this on.

A couple of months ago we were invited to join a tour of Dutch learning spaces called ‘Crazy spaces make great places’. It was an intriguing title for a tour so we signed up and found ourselves in Rotterdam earlier this year.

We visited a number of places we had only ever seen on the net or read about before including BK City in Delft University of Technology. BK City is the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environ­ment at TU Delft . The design team was led by the dean of the Faculty of Architecture and included a number of teams from various well-known Dutch architects.

The main features of this space are the enormous orange stepped structure, which actually leads nowhere. Students use the steps as a place to meet , to quietly have a coffee and read, to take time out and contemplate, and when invited speakers and artists visit, it is used as a grand­stand. Interestingly it is the structure under the stairs that is most popular as it contains several large collaborative workrooms. Although this is the most often featured space in design journals there are a number of supporting learning spaces including an open plan factory like workshop and a library. There is even a corner of the building where there is a lovely patch of sunlight and a picnic bench is set up on a square of daisy strewn Astroturf.

This space is a little crazy and creative and inspiring. Now we would like to know what kind of space you would like to see. We would love to see your thoughts and ideas in the comments section but if you would prefer you can contribute in the upcoming polls.

RESEARCHERS ON SITE

Scott and Sara from our team will be on site between the 26 October and 27 October. They will be asking you about your thoughts and ideas for a new Humanities building. If you have the time please stop by and have a chat with them, they are very friendly and you won’t be able to miss them as they will be located in our fabulous inflatable igloo at the following locations

Monday 26/10 (All day)
– Humanities Building, Library Road entrance by the porters lodge.

Tuesday 27/10 (Morning)
– Humanities Building, Library Road entrance by the porters lodge.

Tuesday 27/10 (Afternoon)
– Milburn House, Main Entrance.

If you simply can’t spare the time then don’t worry we will be uploading a number of stories and polls over the coming weeks and you can take part there. We are keen to get as many of your views as possible so keep visiting the blog for opportunities and other news.

Looking forward to hearing your views,

N.

A SENSE OF ARRIVAL

At Nomad our team are frequently commissioned to create new entrances space for our clients and they are more difficult than you might think. These spaces are incredibly sensitive as they are a major threshold and they will either act to attract people or to repel them and the difference between this can often be very subtle indeed. A typical entrance space contains some key components. These are,

The reception desk

Information screens

Large-scale sign or 3D brand

Exhibits showcasing the talents or those who inhabit the place.

Recently some of our clients have been experimenting with these spaces and a couple of our larger clients have rebelled against the stereotypical set up. They wanted solutions that were more suited to a 21st century society and although they could not quite define what that means they have thrown the gauntlet down and challenged us.

If a new Humanities Building is constructed we want to know the type of entrance that you would be impressed by. Our designers will be on site on the 26th & 27th Oct, so if you have some time and some ideas you can go and stop and have a chat with them. Alternatively we would love to hear your ideas here in the comments section below.

Hello

What if there was a new Humanities building on campus?

‘IF’ is a project which aims to uncover the ideas, opinions, hopes and dreams that students and staff at Warwick might have for teaching, research and learning spaces. We are particularly interested in exploring potential spaces for a new building to house the Faculty of Arts

This blog has been set up to provide a gateway to the project for everyone. This part of the project is being run by us, Nomad RDC LTD. We are a design team who specialise in making people-centered places and the University has asked us to work with you to generate ideas for this exciting new project.

Over the next few weeks, between October and November we plan to reach as many of you as possible. To do this we will be making site visits, running a pop up stall and conducting field events so keep an eye on this blog or follow us on Twitter at (twitter address) for regular updates. We will also be uploading polls, discussions, images and drawings here for your comments. The project has a tight time frame so we would urge you to become involved right away if you want your voice heard.

Thanks for helping out.

Nomad Team