Completed in the summer of 2016, Burwell Architects designed the refurbishment of the Worsley Dental, Robert Stevens and Mechanical Engineering lecture theatres at the University of Leeds, as part of a wide-ranging review of existing learning & teaching spaces. The initial brief called for a collection of group working spaces that could function as a collection of didactic lecture theatres. The designs include bespoke iterations of the award-winning Connect Seating, previously used at Queens University Belfast and Loughborough Design School. This modular seating system is considering today’s changing teaching methods and facilitates both didactic and collaborative working within a single teaching session.

The modernist campus building at Leeds is known for its outstanding design and bold exterior volumes designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, the architects of the Barbican Centre in London. Our refurbishment proposals are the result of an extensive research into the requirements of the university. Creating new learning spaces for the evolving pedagogic structure requires striking a balance between effective learning and cohort management. A space capable of allowing more informal and adaptable teaching and learning patterns redefines the exchange and intake of information and pedagogic relationships.