UH Architecture

✨ Degree Show 2025 – What a Success! ✨

The School of Creative Arts was absolutely buzzing as students, staff, families, friends, and external guests came together to celebrate the incredible work of our talented graduates.

In our brand-new Mercer Studio, all four Architecture programmes united for the first time in a stunning shared exhibition—packed with creativity, energy, awards, and proud moments. 🏛️

We also took time to honour our dear colleague and friend, Silvio Carta, who was central to the development of Architecture at UH. In his memory, we proudly named the Best Dissertation Prizes after him—an emotional and joyful tribute. We know Silvio would have been proud of this show. 💛

A huge thank you to our generous supporters — RIBA East, HAA, Saunders , Denton Architects, and Vandersanden — for walking this journey with us and awarding prizes to our students. Your belief in our work continues to shape our future.

Across the school, the energy was electric. The Fashion Show dazzled with a futuristic digital runway, celebrating 20 years of innovation in the programme.

Graphic Design, Illustration, and Art Therapy all contributed to a vibrant, multidisciplinary environment that reflected the ambition, creativity, and impact our graduates will carry into the world.

Thank you to every single member of our community who helped make this year’s show such a success—and to everyone who came to support us!

Scenes from last nights End of Year Show 2025! We’re proud of our students and their hard work across this year and wish them all the very best on their professional journey ahead.

🏛️✨ UH Architecture at the Degree Show 2025! ✨🏛️

We're excited to showcase the incredible work of our final-year Architecture students at this year’s School of Creative Arts Degree Show at the University of Hertfordshire!

From innovative housing proposals to visionary urban strategies, our students tackle some of the most pressing challenges in the built environment—with creativity, precision, and purpose. Don’t miss the chance to explore their thought-provoking projects and engage with the future of architecture.

📍 Mercer Building Studio, College Lane Campus, Hatfield
📅
🔹 Private View: Fri 16 May, 6–9pm (open from 10am)
🔹 Sat 17 May: 10am–4pm
🔹 Sun 18 May: Closed
🔹 Mon 19 – Fri 23 May: 10am–4pm (Schools & Colleges only)

The show also features talent from across the School of Creative Arts—from Animation to Fashion, Product Design to Illustration, and more. A celebration of ideas, experimentation, and creativity across disciplines.

Come support our students and see how the next generation of architects and designers are shaping the future.

🌱 What if buildings could give back to the planet instead of taking from it?

Join us for the next session of the Greener Together Retrofit Course!

📅 Wed 24th April
🕖 7–9 pm (Online via Zoom)
🎤 With David Cheshire, Director at AECOM and author of Regenerative by Design

In this inspiring session, David will explore Regenerative Design Mindsets — a powerful approach that moves beyond sustainability to create buildings that restore ecosystems, support biodiversity, and have a positive impact on the planet 🌍

Expect:
🔁 Principles of regenerative design
🌏 Global case studies
📖 Highlights from David’s new book

📢 In partnership with
🎓 Coordinated by Dr Luigi Pintacuda (UH) & Deepthi Ravi (PLP Architecture)

Let’s reimagine the role of design in the climate era ✨

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Last week, our students had an incredible opportunity to connect directly with professionals from across the architecture industry!

The Professional Mixer panel shared valuable insights on the needs of the sector, what to expect during the application and interview process, and offered advice on how to build a successful career in architecture. 🏛️✨

With a diverse range of backgrounds, practice sizes, and areas of expertise, the panel provided a well-rounded and realistic view of the profession—an invaluable experience for the entire UH Architecture community.

A huge thank you to all the professionals who took the time to support and inspire the next generation of architects! 🙌

Aart Koning -
Annabel Lait -
Ben Vickery - Vickery Hayatt
Yasmin Sheriff -
Mark Lucas -

School of Creative Arts, University of Hertfordshire

🔁 Can the Circular Economy help us build better and waste less?

Join us for the next session of the Greener Together Retrofit Course!

📅 Wed 3rd April
🕖 7–9 pm (Online via Zoom)
🎤 With Duncan Baker-Brown – Architect, educator, activist, and founder of BakerBrown Architects

Duncan has spent over 25 years designing, researching, and advocating for circular design and closed-loop systems in architecture. He’ll be discussing innovation in construction, re-use of materials, and how circularity can tackle both climate and economic emergencies.

Based on his book The Re-Use Atlas, expect:
♻️ Real-life case studies
📦 Critical insights into waste, policy, and design
🛠️ Practical strategies to design with what already exists

📢 In partnership with St Albans City Council
🎓 Coordinated by Dr Luigi Pintacuda (UH) & Deepthi Ravi (PLP Architecture)

Let’s make circular thinking the new standard. 🌍

🏗️ What does it really take to deliver Net Zero in new buildings?

Join us for the next event in the St Albans Greener Together Retrofit Course series!

📅 Thu 27th March
🕖 7–9 pm (Online via Zoom)
🎤 With Thomas Lefevre – Sustainability Engineer & Director at Etude

Thomas brings 20+ years of experience in low-carbon building design and will explore how new construction can meet operational net zero standards – from design strategies to real case studies.

You’ll learn:
✅ What “Operational Net Zero” really means
✅ Key principles like fossil-fuel-free design, low space heating demand, and smart energy use
✅ How to apply these principles in practice

📢 In partnership with St Albans City Council
🎓 Coordinated by Dr Luigi Pintacuda (UH) & Deepthi Ravi (PLP Architecture)

Let’s keep building a greener future—together 🌱

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🌿 What are the real impacts of natural materials on a building’s performance? 🏡✨

Our St Albans Greener Together Retrofit Course continues!

📅 Thu 20th March
🕖 7–9 pm (Online via Zoom)
🎤 With Christian Dimbleby (Architect & Chartered Engineer, Architype)

Christian will explore the Impacts of Natural Materials on a Building, sharing valuable insights from some of the UK’s most ambitious sustainable projects, including COP26-featured case studies and the UK’s first net-zero school!

Expect a deep dive into:
✅ The benefits & limitations of natural materials
✅ Case studies of cutting-edge low-carbon buildings
✅ Whole life cycle considerations for material selection

📢 In partnership with St Albans City Council, coordinated by Dr Luigi Pintacuda (UH) & Deepthi Ravi (PLP Architecture).

🌱 Be part of a growing community shaping greener, healthier buildings! Sign up today 🌱

✨ A huge thank you to Roger Hawkins ✨

It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Roger Hawkins, Founder and Director of , to our newly retrofitted Mercer Studio! 🏛️🎨

Roger took us on a journey through Hawkins\Brown’s work, using their B to H dictionary—an inspirational story woven with buildings, cities, art, colours, and, most importantly, people. As Roger beautifully put it:

🔹 “HB designs buildings that tell stories about people.”

After this invaluable contribution, we are sure that our students and future architects will be even more inspired to do the same! 🌟

Thank you again, Roger, for coming and inspiring us! 👏

Thanks to our sponsor Vandersanden.

🌱 How can we reduce the carbon impact of buildings across their entire life cycle? 🏗️♻️

Join us for the next session of the St Albans Greener Together Retrofit Course!

📅 Wed 6th March
🕖 7–9 pm (Online via Zoom)
🎤 With Mirko Farnetani (Embodied Carbon Leader, SOM)

Mirko will dive into Embodied Carbon and the Building Whole Life Cycle, sharing insights on:
✅ Carbon assessment & material impact
✅ Whole Life Carbon Accounting
✅ Strategies to reduce both operational & embodied carbon

💡 Our first session with Laura Baron sparked fantastic discussions on retrofitting for net zero—now, we shift focus to materials and sustainability across a building’s entire lifespan.

📢 In partnership with St Albans City Council, coordinated by Dr Luigi Pintacuda (UH) & Deepthi Ravi (PLP Architecture).

✨ Let’s build a greener future, together! Sign up now! ✨

https://herts-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/93786066244?pwd=7eh0ft4X3fkorUOcEey3Dxr9WlJo5i.1

Art & Architecture Annual Lecture 2025

We are honoured to welcome Roger Hawkins, Founder of , for this year’s Art and Architecture Annual Lecture! Hawkins\Brown is one of the UK’s leading award winning architectural practices. Their innovative approach has also earned them recognition worldwide.

This lecture, part of our ongoing series with HAA , is made possible in partnership with , a company that goes beyond bricks—championing architectural innovation and community development.

📅 Schedule:
📍 Location: , Mercer Building, College Lane Campus, Hatfield AL10 9AB

🥂 5:00 - 5:30 Reception
🏛️ 5:30 - 7:00 Lecture by Roger Hawkins
❓ 7:00 - 8:00 Q&A & Thanks

We can’t wait to hear insights from Roger Hawkins and celebrate another fantastic edition of this annual lecture! Join us for an inspiring evening. 🌟