msa Manchester School of Architecture

Staff / Dr Nick Dunn

Principal Lecturer

0161 247 6967

n.dunn@mmu.ac.uk

Homepage : http://www.team-bau.com

Nick is Director of Studies for the BArch Bachelor of Architecture degree and Studio Unit Leader of [Re_Map], whose research is concerned with the mapping and representation of urban networks, data and conditions. He also lectures and teaches on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across the School as well as supervising postgraduate research at MA by Research and PhD level.

Nick is a member of 'team-bau', an architectural think-tank and research unit: www.team-bau.com Since 2007 he has also been a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Nick's doctorate thesis, 'The Ecology of the Architectural Model' is concerned with developing a new methodology and system of diagrams with which to study and map the design behaviour of architecture students and therefore contributes to the understanding of the complex process of design. Awarded his PhD in 2005, which was funded by the AHRB, it has since been published as a book. His MA research explored urban fragments and investigated the nature of architecture based on two distinct themes: ‘city and space’ and ‘interior and place’. His primary research interests are in the fields of visualisation, modelling, mapping, pedagogy, representation in architecture, and urbanism.

Projects

bar_cycle

Competition entry with Richard Brook, Ming Chung and Nick Tyson. bar_cycle is a prototype unit that presents a set of creative solutions within the city which provide a new layer of sustainable behaviour in terms of culture, economy and the environment. The bar_cycle is a dynamic and versatile addition to the streetscape and public spaces of Milan as it facilitates a recycling and vending system of glass drink bottles whilst also offering a meeting point for social behaviour and cultural events. bar_cycle works by developing a number of ecologies: city, urban, cultural, economic and environmental. City ecology is promoted as the bar_cycle unit connects to the existing AMSA management system enabling bottles to be taken away for recycling and new bottles to be redistributed efficiently. More Details >>

MApping COntroversies on Science for POLitics (MACOSPOL)

Co-investigator for Work Package 5 for MACOSPOL which is a major international research project funded by the European Union. Principal Investigator: Bruno Latour. My contribution to the project will be as part of an investigation into the representation and mapping of space, both real and digital, as places for public engagement with a variety of different communities and ‘architectures’ and an analysis of the potential controversies. www.macospol. More Details >>

Recycle City

Presented as a parallel component of State Legacy is an intervention and exhibition of new research-by-design work from team-bau. This project investigates the ecological issues raised as a consequence of industrialisation. Through the analysis and synthesis of data generated by the original industrial city, Manchester is used as a vehicle to explain dynamic solutions that offer both ecological sustainability and adaptability to changing needs and future use. By communicating creative strategic proposals this continuing research project seeks to form a more cohesive perspective upon the material benefits and unwanted side effects of industrialisation. The emergent post-industrial landscape evolves through the integration of natural systems and man-made processes combined with the various levels of public interaction and events to develop an urban master-plan whose adaptability enables ecologically and culturally sustainable relationships to exist. More Details >>

Silt City

Competition submission with colleagues for urban lagoon park in Venice. Co-authors: Richard Brook, Ming Chung + Nick Tyson "We propose a framework of interacting systems that will initiate an event landscape across the island of Sacca San Mattia and also address the wider lagoon area. We call this landscape Silt City in reference to its temporal and evolutionary nature as a result of a series of fluctuating depositions and dispersals over time. As a landscape of events, the island directly addresses the tension existing between global interest and local needs, in which tourism can coexist with the extant social conditions of Venice by providing both additional recreation for the citizens and alleviation from the current overcrowding due to tourist influx. In addition, Sacca San Mattia will act as a transportation hub for connections to other outlying areas. More Details >>

Research

Exhibitions

Dunn, N., 2010. Power of Copying, Xuzhou Museum of Art, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, 14 May - 10 July 2010.

Dunn, N. and Brook, R., 2009. Shaping the Future: Heritage Open Days, Town Hall, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, 10-13 September 2009.

team-bau, 2009. State Legacy, Cornerhouse and Grosvenor Gallery, Manchester, 2nd April - 8th May 2009.

Stone, S. Dunn, N., 2006. Interventions, CUBE, 16/06/06 - 16/09/06.

Stone, S. Crompton, A. Dunn, N., 2005. CMI National Competitiveness Summit 2005, GMEX, October 2005.

Books

Dunn, N., 2010. 'Architectural Modelmaking', Laurence King.

Dunn, N., 2007. 'The Ecology of the Architectural Model', Peter Lang.

Edited Books

Brook, R. and Dunn, N., 2009. 'Isolative Urbanism: an ecology of control', bauprint.

Book Chapters

Brook, R. and Dunn, N., 2009. 'The Control of Space: mediating fear in the urban condition.'. In Isolative Urbanism, 1, 7-14, bauprint, Manchester.

Journal Articles

Dunn, N., 2010. 'Hybrid Modes of Inquiry - [Re]Mapping the Nature of the Design Studio in Architecture Education', Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal, 4, 2, pp.39-46.

Presentations

Dunn, N. and Lotz, K., 2009. 'A Controversy in the Move.', Visualization of Controversies, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, 14-15 May, 2009.

Yaneva, A., Dunn, N., and Heaphy, L., 2009. 'Mapping Architectural Controversies: An Enquiry on the Aesthetics of Matters of Concern', Royal Geographical Society Annual International Conference 2009: Geography, Knowledge and Society, University of Manchester, 26-28 August 2009.

Dunn, N., 2009. 'Models in Architecture Education: an ecological approach', IASDR 2009, The 3rd Conference of International Association of Societies of Design Research: Design Rigor & Relevance, Coex, 159 Samseong dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-731, South Korea, 18-22 October 2009.

Dunn, N. and Brook, R., 2009. 'The City and The Control of Space', Metropolitan Desires: Cultural Reconfigurations of the European City Space, Manchester Metropolitan University, 8-9 September 2009.

Dunn, N., 2009. 'The Ecology of Architectural Models.', 4th International Forum on Architectural Education: Flexibility in Architectural Education, Faculty of Architecture, Erciyes University, Kayseri, 26-29 May 2009, in Architectural Education Forum IV.