Students create innovative housing ideas to tackle homelessness

The second-year students studying the University’s new MSci Advanced Architectural Technology have designed transitional micro homes for individuals and families in Aberdeen to prevent homelessness.

For their first semester project, students from the University met a regional community fundraiser from Shelter Scotland and RGU alumni to find out more about the housing emergency in Scotland and how it impacts people living in Aberdeen and beyond. They have gone on to design micro homes to support people without a permanent home while they find more long-term accommodation. 

The students have developed conceptual and technical designs to regenerate the site of the old Milltimber School on Monearn Gardens in Aberdeen and have created a series of ‘mini homes’ that could be used for affordable housing.

Lecturer and project co-leader, Huda Salman, said: “We are delighted to have worked with Shelter Scotland to understand the housing emergency and alumni from Scott’s to create innovative housing ideas to support young people who are homeless or displaced. This project is an opportunity for students to engage with pressing social issues while applying architectural technology in a meaningful way.  

“Whilst the homes are of a modest scale, they are durable, functional and sensitive to the environment. They offer a modern, contemporary design and are individually tailored to the site in Milltimber, whilst also creating a shared community space to foster interaction amongst residents.

“The project is particularly timely given last September’s motion by Aberdeen City Council’s housing committee to deliver an action plan to tackle homelessness and increase housing supply, and their subsequent calls to the Scottish and UK governments to request ‘immediate support’ to tackle a ‘grave situation’ in affordable housing.”

Alison Watson, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “We are delighted when anyone chooses to support the fight for home in Scotland. Right now, we are facing a housing emergency impacting many lives across the country, with thousands of people suffering without a safe, secure and affordable place to call home.

“We hope we have helped the students grasp the scale and urgency of the emergency, but also empowered them to take meaningful action that can make a real difference.”  

On a visit to Murtle Market at the Camphill School in Aberdeen, RGU alum, Tom Stewart, Director at Camphill Architecture & Development Ltd, gave an insight into the importance of designing a micro-space and the value of the Murtle Market as not only being a marketplace, but also a hub for community engagement and sustainable living.

Reflecting on the group visit, Tom said: “The students seemed to embrace the brief, and at an early stage were challenged to balance quality of spaces with a tight footprint. The successful projects used precedent and model making well to consider creative uses of space in the model of a ‘tiny house’.

“Our discussions on the Murtle Market project focused on creating flexible use spaces on a restricted site, while retrofitting an existing gate lodge. I was pleased with the level of engagement and curiosity from the students during their visit, and it was clear that the majority were passionate and striving to improve their design and technical skills.”

As part of their learning, the students had their projects reviewed by RGU alum Callum Barrack of independent design studio Polka, and also worked closely with architect Richard Slater, a past President of the Aberdeen Society of Architects, who co-led the project.

Main image shows students at Murtle Market alongside Huda Salman, far right, and Tom Stewart to her left.