Green Gown Awards 2021- Sustainability Champion–Staff-BCU - Drs Browne,Costa,Jones,Parke - Finalist

Dr Jemma Browne, Dr Sandra Costa, Dr Matthew Jones & Dawn Parke

The Experimental Sustainability Studio (ESS) at Birmingham School of Architecture & Design brings together staff and students to explore innovative and experimental approaches to sustainability within our School, Faculty, City and Region. The ESS is both a series of interdisciplinary ‘pop up’ teaching and activism events, and a design think tank embedded in our design studio culture. Through design challenges, theoretical debate, and technological exploration, it aims to enable students to build the critical awareness and depth of knowledge necessary to challenge 'business as usual' and create radical change.

The project has involved over 450 students and staff in online cross-School and wider faculty events exploring individual and collective responses to climate action and has been instrumental in placing sustainability at the heart of the School’s ethos. In addition, using our findings from this radical pedagogy, we are developing research strands which we have presented at conferences nationally and internationally and are currently seeking to publish.

Top 3 learnings:

1. Our positive attitude and innovative platform for experimentation has planted the seed for transformational change.
2. Reinforcing the value of scaling up actions was critical in creating our community of change.
3. Virtual spaces create possibilities for unique interdisciplinary collaborations and increase equitable access to learning opportunities.

Videos

• Video #1 (click to hide)