The make Future Spaces Foundation Competition was a group Project with Jack Denton, McKenzie Cartwright, Isabelle Peck and Mihai Ene.
The Future Spaces Foundation competition was hosted by make. studios in London. We were nominated to represent the BA Architecture course at Leeds Beckett University by Craig Stott, one of our lecturers. The Competitions goal was to see which group could come up with the most creative solution under the umbrella of ‘Environment’. Each team was assigned a word, our groups word was: BREATHE. We went through many different Iterations of design, before landing on a concept Jack & I suggested of creating a network of Tubes that store algae to clean the air all running into a central pump house, spreading out from a core like tree roots slowly cleaning the air of a city. Each of the supports for the columns would create a space that the public could use for different styles of interactions such as play, seating or used as planters.
BREATHE Reimagines our city streets as living, breathing eosystems — transforming vehicle-dominated roads into vibrant, pedestrian-only corridors that clean the ari and nurture community life. The intervention centres around a sculptural algae tower, a “green lung” that anchors the new urban landscape. From this core, translucent algae-filled pipes extend along former roadways, filtering polluntants and producing oxygen as they weave through networks of green walls, shaded seating, and interactive play structures.
This approach to the Future Cities theme of “Breathe” is twofold: It Invites people to pause and rest — to literally take a breath — while also improving the air quality of the city around them. The design prioritises existing pedestrian zones, ensuring that new interventions reclaim space from cars rather than people.
At the heart of the structure, a small algae processing hub converts captured biomass into a natural fertiliser used to nourish the surrounding planting and reen infrastructure. This closed-loop system allows BREATHE to sustain and expand itself organically, feeding the landscape that, In turn, feeds the city’s air. Visitors can ascend through the tower to experience the city from within a livng organism — surrounded by the quiet rhythm of photosynthesis. BREATHE offers not only a pause from urban intensity, but a vision for how cities themselves can inhale and exhale.
It was a really great competition to get involved in and gave some great insight in how to approach future competitions I would like to get involved more in. It was a pleasure to be working in such a strong team.
