Middlesex University project involves reimaging church space to house local museum
Interior Architecture students at Middlesex University have been working on a project to reimagine a space at a North London church to house a new community museum.
Third-year students have been coming up with ideas to widen the civic and community role of St Mary’s Church in Eversholt Street, Somers Town, which recently acquired funding for its preservation. This builds on work by last year’s cohort, which won the prestigious ‘Collaborative Practice’ category at the Interior Educators National Awards.
The students worked to a brief from the People’s Museum/ A Place for Us in Somers Town to transform the museum into A [New] Space for Us housed in an area of the church. The brief was to design a civic, cultural and community space that preserves and respects the building’s religious function while expanding its social purpose.
Students reported that working on a live brief to produce designs for the community was especially beneficial to developing their professional skills. Rachel Koh said: “I became more aware of how people use space in their daily routines, and how small spatial changes can support rest, care, and connection. It made my design decisions more closely tied to real social needs.”
Over six weeks, the 37 students designed a hybrid environment that serves different purposes: a social space for meeting and conversation, a learning/debating area, and an area for The People’s Museum’s collection of audio artefacts. Their designs, including technical drawings and models, were displayed at the museum earlier this year.
Interior Architecture student Yeemon Aung said: “Working with a live client, the People’s Museum, allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of site, community, and context, and how these inform design decisions. I particularly valued exploring the relationship between the client and the local area.”
Fellow student Alex Smith added: “I learned how architecture fosters connections between people and communities, and how these relationships shape the built environment. This has deepened my interest in designing for social causes.”
The project sits within the University’s Rough City Thinking Lab initiative, which encourages students to challenge the trend towards urban development that all looks the same, and instead design spaces that support community wellbeing, preserve cultural memory and balance heritage with new uses.
Jason Scoot, Programme Leader for Interior Architecture, said that, building on this momentum, further community projects involving students are already planned.
Jason Scoot, Middlesex University Programme Leader for Interior Architecture, said: “We’re incredibly proud that, since working with The People’s Museum, our Interior Architecture students have produced a range of national award-winning projects. This success, combined with positive feedback, shows the work at Middlesex to develop the next generation of Interior Architecture specialists is being recognised.”
Diana Foster, Director of the People’s Museum, said: “We’re delighted to work with Middlesex University’s Rough City Thinking Lab and see the innovative work of students unfold in our space.”
Deepika Kanthavara Madhava, Project Lead for the St Pancras and Somers Town Living Centre, said: “It was wonderful to see such good work around real-time community projects set within a grassroots organisation that works for its local voices.”
