Sustainable design meets student wellbeing: A conversation with tp bennett and COBE

In this conversation we discuss what it means as architects and designers to prioritise holistic sustainability, considering the impact of our proposals both for the people using the spaces we design, alongside the impact on the planet.

To reimagine the typology of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), with architectural and philosophical ideas, we’re joined by Thomas Krarup (Cobe), Chiara Cozzolino and Vicki Odili (tp bennett).

The trio share their thoughts on how to get the best out of opportunities for collaboration – especially in our historic, eclectic and nonhomogenous capital city of London- their interest in the intangible elements facilitated by good design such as community, wellbeing, comfort and happiness and how their robust approach to the future of student accommodation utilises lessons learnt from past projects and students lived experience, alongside building physics, scientific research and the latest in computational design.

Key term breakdown: Passivhaus. The Passivhaus standard primarily considers key building physics concepts to reduce in-use operational energy. This must be considered in the whole life cycle with embodied carbon to mitigate climate change and deliver meaningful benefits to students and the wider communities. This sustainability accreditation closely aligns with the people and planet-centric approach of the project(s) spoke about, delivering optimum thermal comfort and air quality through a fabric-first approach.

Download the transcript for the conversation here


To learn more about the speakers and their work:

Head to the tp bennett website here, or by give tp bennet a follow on Linkedin here.

Heading to the COBE website here, or by give COBE a follow on Linkedin here and Instagram here.

And find out more about speakers Chiara Cozzolino here and Vicki Odili here