The University is the first academic institution to partner with the Humanise movement – which calls for an end to “soulless and boring buildings” and their negative impact on public health and the planet.
The collaboration will involve developing content together for a new MA programme in Architecture & Design, launching in autumn 2025. There will also be a series of lectures and workshops exploring the idea of emotion as a function of design.
Dr Robert Schmidt III of the university’s School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, said: “We are tremendously excited by the opportunity to collaborate with Humanise. Our history as a university has long explored the fusion of design and making, rooted in the Arts & Crafts movement. Some of our earliest pedagogical philosophies were all about 'training on production' and 'learning through doing'.
“This shared belief in making, and collaborating with creatives, builds on LU-Arc’s established ethos of ‘architect-maker’. Together with our research expertise at the intersection of architecture and psychology, it perfectly complements the Humanise agenda. I think this initiative will benefit our students tremendously, opening up access to broader approaches and practical opportunities.”
Abigail Scott Paul, Global Head of the Humanise Campaign, said: “Loughborough has always been a pioneer and this new course is symbolic of a sea change in architectural education. It will challenge the rigidity and over-specialisation of so much teaching in the past and nurture a new generation of architects.”
“It has the potential to be a game-changer in our quest to create buildings that better serve people and the planet, and we’re thrilled to welcome Loughborough as a partner of the campaign.”
This announcement follows a research symposium hosted by the Humanise campaign in March 2024, involving a team from Loughborough. The event gathered 40 of the world’s leading academics working at the intersection of architecture and neuroscience with a group of industry experts to debate how the outside of buildings impacts on people’s health, emotions and behaviour.