After graduating from Hull School of Architecture (BA), Helen then studied at Kingston School of Architecture and Landscape (Diploma) where she was subsequently employed as a lecturer and senior researcher (1997 until 2003). Alongside teaching and researching she established iballastonarchitecture between 1997 and 2020.
Helen joined the MSA as an Associate Lecturer in 2005 and became full time in 2007. She led BA2 (2007-2008), then led BA1 for five years, coordinated the BA/M.Arch events programme (2008-2013) now called MSALive and co-led BA3 until 2020. Throughout this time she has always taught across the school in both the BA and M.Arch courses. She is currently the Architecture Departmental Education Lead and was recently invited to sit on the RIBA NorthWest Equity Diversity and Inclusivity Committee.
In 2017, Helen challenged the school to allow a specifically feminist research collective to be developed and from there she set up PRAXXIS. Throughout her time in practice and academia she has consistently taken an inclusive feminist approach and investigated gendered territories of cities, and the ways in which architectural practice sites itself within this environment. She has explored this through teaching, her own thesis project proposing the regeneration and the re-exposure of the sex industries in Soho, research into the space and manipulation of the female form, as a researcher at the Women's Art Library, and through her own architectural practice. Development of the architectural brief, client consultation, engagement techniques and design games are all tested within her practice and her current BA3/M.Arch teaching in PRAXXIS (2018 onwards) and MSA (Projects & Praxis) (2007-2018). Collectively PRAXXIS has built a consultation station, four gossip spaces at a school in Trafford and designed some feminist architectural wallpaper. PRAXXIS is an explicitly feminist teaching atelier aiming to stimulate a positive intersectional feminist debate within the school and beyond.
Between 2007 and 2018 she shared the teaching and running of the M.Arch atelier MSA (Projects) with Professor Stefan White, whilst also leading a third year sister atelier, MSA Praxis (2013-2018). Both MSA (Projects) and MSA (Praxis) focussed on social, economic and environmental sustainability aimed at working towards making cities more inclusive, working with multiple project partners such as Manchester City Council and the varying communities of Manchester. Most participative design projects were sited within and around Manchester, although some were located in Equador, Athens (Greece), Kenya and Senegal.
Helen has taken part in many PEAR course approval processes across the university and has represented the MSA in the Faculty Academic Standards Quality Committee , the Exceptional Factors Panel and recently coordinated the M.Arch admissions for the school.
Helen has also been directly involved with the Architecture School for Children (TASC), building inclusive school playgrounds, co-running creative workshops with Key Stage 1&2 school children and developing a long-term business plan using various funding streams for TASC.
Between 1997 and until 2020 she also ran a small architectural practice iballastonarchitecture, formed in order to draw on and develop creative experiences to date. The practice provided a working platform for the development of socially driven ideas and principles, undertook innovative consultation and participative design approaches, developed a series of design games for all client age groups and helped others to build. Projects include a number of small community and housing projects being undertaken, one of particular note being the 5th Urmston Scout Group new Head Quarters. On a personal level Helen undertook a self-build/partial re-use project to build a micro-house in Appledore, North Devon using cement SIPS panels.
Helen is currently co-convener of the multidisciplinary conference and research network ‘How Women Build?’ working alongside Dr Luca Csepely-Knorr (https://www.msa.ac.uk/howwomenbuild/), which is supported by the Women’s History Network and the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art.
https://www.instagram.com/praxxis_f
https://twitter.com/praxxis_f/
https://www.instagram.com/how_women_build/
https://twitter.com/howwomenbuild1
1997 – 2003 Senior Researcher and Lecturer (Kingston School of Architecture & Landscape) Joint Course Leader for MA in Sustainable Futures and Senior Researcher in Sustainable Design for the Designing for Sustainability Research Group and the Green Audit Research Project.
1997 – 2020 iballastonarchitecture - partner in own practice
Departmental Education Lead (2020- to date)
Atelier Leader for the Praxxis vertical atelier
Previous roles within the department include: BA3 Year Leader (2017-2020), M.Arch admissions coordinator (2013 – 2017), MSA Events coordinator (2008 – 2013), BA1 Year Leader (2008 - 2013) and BA2 Year Leader (2007-8 as maternity cover)
BA Hons Architecture
M.Arch
Sarah Day (2nd supervisor - in progress)
External Examiner: Newcastle University, BA (Hons) Architecture and Urban Planning (from 2022), School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape.
External Examiner:Liverpool University, BA (Hons) Architecture (from 2022), School of Architecture.
RIBA Ethel Day Award (July 2018) - as a result of many years of inspiring students who then go onto demonstrate an inclusive design approach in many architectural practices Helen was nominated by peers and previous graduates for the first RIBA Ethel Day Award to celebrate 130 influential Women in Architecture from around the world.
Member of the RIBA NorthWest Equality, Diversity and Inclusive Committee
Business modelling, funding stream development, knowledge exchange, designing, masterplanning and re-constructing the outdoor spaces of each school's playgrounds in collaboration with one manchester alongside the hub primary schools in Moss Side and Hulme
Next project
The project began with a number of engagement events building up relationships with the community and understanding what their needs and desires were. While the initial commission was for a playground, the proposals have developed into a coherent set of interventions to change the perception of all the existing community facilities on the site, which are little used. The current play area is nicknamed “the compound” by the local children and this play-structure along with decorative and landscape interventions around the site are intended to make both external and internal communal areas into personalised playscapes for the residents’ children. Due to the nature of such sites the equipment has to be designed to stimulate the imaginations and movements of a full range of ages and the design team has attempted to fold in as many playful allusions as possible into the form and detail of the construction: caves, forts, shipwrecks, merry-go-rounds, water-falls and
a ‘wall of death’.
A collaborative project with Places- The Architecture School for Children. Designing and building dens in All Saints Park with year 4 and 5 childrens from various schools in Manchester and Salford.
Next project
In collaboration with Places and Webster Primary School, Moss Side year four children explored model making, drawing and photography to propose areas of the city.
Next project
When a shed is not a shed but a wall to a community arts allotment at the Tatton RHS show 2013, including a participative allotment poetry wall. Achieved a highly commended RHS award.
Next project
A collaborative project between the MSA, Office for Subversive Architecture, curator Jane Anderson and Ecole Speciale, Paris. Designing and building a collection of art huts in Picadilly Basin, Manchester. March-Sept 2012
Next project
Helen's research is concerned with the questions about what feminist architecture might be and what this means for our cities and spaces. By consistently using an inclusive and participative approach her research and her teaching sets challenges for creating Feminist Cities with regard to otherness, types of feminisms and gendered territories. She loves having conversations about all things feminist inside and outside of the academy.
'How Women Build?' 2020 (postponed to late 2021) https://www.msa.ac.uk/howwomenbuild/
2019 Paul Mellon Centre Event Support Grant for the Conference ‘How Women Build?’ £2900 (PI)
2019 Women’s History Network Conference Grant for the Conference ‘How Women Build?’ £500 (Co-I)
2019 MSARC £2500 plus matched funding of £2500 from Stretford Grammar School for Stretford Builds... a series of gossip pavilions at Stretford Grammar School (Project Leader)
2016 Arts Council £20,000 plus £5000 match funding for St Mary's Primary School for St Mary's Phase 2 playground build (Co-Leader in collaboration with TASC)
2015 Arts Council £25,000 for St Mary's Phase 1 playground build (Co-Leader in collaboration with TASC)
2015 Arts Council £25,000 Travellers Playground in Blackpool (Co_leader in collaboration with Stefan White)
2014 Arts Council £15,000 plus £10,000 Primary School matched funding from all schools involved for Den City and Living Here Living There exhibitions, builds and participative workshops (Co-Leader in collaboration with TASC)
2013 St Ambrose Barlow Installation Hope and Promise £1000 from School for materials for the installation
2012 £125,000 Arts Council and £2000 Ideas Foundation for Atelier Zero (Co-Leader in collaboration with Tom Jefferies, Laura Sanderson and Office for Subversive Architecture)
2003 CEBE/RIBA 'Sustainability in the curriculum' £50,000 (Co-I)
2002 £200,000 Biffa Awards with Anne Chick at Kingston University Investigating the obstacles to UK architects and designers specifying recycled products and materials (Co-I)
2001 £20,000 'The Business Case for Sustainable Property', Construction Confederation (Co-I)
2000 – 2003 £20,000Designing for Sustainability Research Group business sponsorship (Co-I)
1999 £5,000 Developer's Guide to Green Buildings (PI)
1999 – 2000 £48,000 BedZED housing scheme technical research (PI alongside Bill Dunster Architects)
1999 Sustainable use of coppice timber in England report and conference paper,1999 £5,000 (PI)
1998 £20,000 'Project House 2000', Wates Built Homes (PI)
1998 £5,000 Exploration of Small Projects in Architectural Practices (PI)
Aston, H., Places Project/TASC, 2015. Living here living there exhibition, Cube Gallery, Manchester, 2015.
Aston, H., 2015. Places Projects - den city and living here, living there, CUBE Gallery, Manchester, 2014-15.
Aston, H., Places Project/TASC, 2014. Den City, Cube Gallery, Manchester, 2014.
Aston, H. and Dr Stefan White, 2011. Sharing the City: MSA_P exhibition, CUBE Gallery, Manchester, September-October 2011..
Aston, H. and Dr Stefan White, 2011. Sharing the City: MSA_P pop-up shop, Trafford Centre, January 2011.
Aston, H. and Dr Stefan White, 2010. MSA_P exhibition, NoiseLAB, June 2010.
Kingston School of Architecture, 2000. Project House 2000, Wates Built Homes, Kinsgton University, 2000.
Aston, H., 1998. Postcards from Whiby, RIBA HQ, Portland Place, 22/6/1998.
Aston, H., 1998. Postcards from Whitby, Royal Institute of Architects, London, July-September 1998.
Aston, H., iballastonarchitecture, 2019. 'H7 a micro house in Appledore', Appledore, North Devon.
Aston, H., Renshaw, S., 2019. 'Stretford Builds... a series of gossip pavilions at Stretford Grammar School', Stretford Grammar School.
Aston, H., Renshaw, S., Crompton, E., 2018. 'A Great Knowledge Give Away: 100 feminist architectural texts for International Women's Day 2018', Manchester School of Architecture.
Aston, H., Timmins, K., 2017. 'Feminist Architectural Wallpaper', Praxxis.
Aston, H., McCusker, S., 2017. 'Stretford Streetscapes 2017 Pop-Up Shop and Participative Design Event at Stretford Public Hall', Stretford Public Hall, Stretford, M32 0LG.
Aston, H., TASC, 2016. 'St Mary's Primary School, Phase 2', St Mary's Primary School, Moss Side Manchester.
Aston, H., 2016. 'St Mary's Primary School, Phase 2', further development of the outdoor spaces with and for the children at key stage 1, St Mary's Primary School, Moss Side Manchester.
Aston, H., McCusker, S., 2016. 'Stretford Streetscapes 2016, Pop-Up Shop and participative design community engagement event at Stretford Mall', Stretford Mall, Manchester.
Aston, H. and Dr Stefan White, 2015. 'Blackpool Travellers Playground', a playground for a traveller community in Blackpool - the playground was designed along with the children. It was developed and constructed alongside Maddi Mooney and Matt Shanley, 2015.
Aston, H., TASC, 2015. 'St Mary's Primary School, Phase 1', St Mary's Primary School, Moss Side Manchester.
Aston, H., Places Project/TASC, 2014. 'den city', All Saints Park, MMU.
Aston, H., Places Project/TASC, 2014. 'Living here living there', All Saints Park and Webster Primary School.
Aston, H., 2014. 'Living here living there', In collaboration with Places and Webster Primary School, Moss Side year four children explored model making, drawing and photography to propose areas of the city., 2014.
White, S., Aston, H., Shanley, M., Mooney, M., Minsky, J., 2014. 'Playground for Chapel Road Travelers site, Blackpool', Chapel Road Travelers site, Blackpool, UK..
Aston, H., White, S., 2014. 'Sharing the City', Noiselab Gallery, Manchester.
Aston, H., White, S., 2014. 'Sharing the City Pop-Up Shop', Trafford Centre, Manchester.
Aston, H., 2013. 'Installation Hope and Promise.', St. Ambrose Barlow Secondary School, Salford.
Aston, H., 2013. 'Tatton allotment', When a shed is not a shed but a wall to a community arts allotment at the Tatton RHS show 2013, including a participative allotment poetry wall. Achieved a highly commended RHS award..
Aston, H., 2013. 'when is a shed not a shed?', Tatton Park.
Aston, H., iballastonarchitecture, 2012. '5th Urmston Scout Group new Head Quarters', Urmston Manchester.
Sanderson, L., Jefferies, T., Aston, H., 2012. 'Atelier[zero]', Manchester.
White, S., Aston, H., Manchester City Council, 2011. 'Sharing the city: Generations Together', Manchester.
Farmer, J., 1999. 'Green Shift: changing attitudes in architecture to the natural world', Architectural Press.
Aston, H., 2020. 'Can community engaged research in architectural education influence citizenship?'.
Aston, H., Hammond, M., White, S., 2014. 'Manchester Compendium of Spatial Inclusion'.
Aston, H., 2003. ''Sustainability in the curriculum''.
Aston, H., 2003. 'Designing for Sustainability Research Group, 2000 - 2003'.
Royal Institute of British Architects, 2001. 'sustainability special interest group', CEBE/RIBA.
Aston, H., 2000. ''The Business Case for Sustainable Property','.
Aston, H., 2000. 'BedZED housing scheme'.
Aston, H., 2000. 'Project House 2000', Wates Built Homes.
Aston, H., 1999. 'Developer's Guide to Green Buildings'.
Aston, H., Crompton, E., Renshaw, S., Timmins, K., 2020. 'Praxxis', Journal of Architectural Education, 74 (2), pp. 280-287.
Aston, H., 2021. 'Feminisms Conversations: feminist way of exploring vertical dialogues across the intersectional issues of class, race, sexual orientation, age, disability and gender.', ACTION. Feminisms and the spatialization of resistances. Lisbon (online), Lisbon, Portigal, 21/4/2021 - 23/4/2021.
Aston, H., 2019. 'High Street as Host', ESRC Festival of Social Science, 2019. A nationwide celebration of social sciences., MMU, 7/11/2019.
Aston, H., 2019. 'PRAXXIS and the Feminist School of Architecture', The Unequal Architect Conference, Glasgow School of Architecture.
Aston, H., Crompton, E., 2019. 'PRAXXIS: A Feminist Design Atelier', Fielding Architecture: Feminist Practices for a Decolonised Pedagogy, Brighton School of Architecture, Brighton University, 24/6/2019 - 25/6/2019.
Aston, H., 2019. 'PRAXXIS: an inclusive approach', Liveable City, Mayfield Station, Manchester, 18/11/2019 - 20/11/2019.
Boys, J., White, S., Aston, H., Partington, Z., 2017. ''Collaborating with disabled artists to 'do inclusion differently'', Architecture Connects AAE Conference, Oxford Brookes University, 6/9/2017 - 9/9/2017, in https://aaeconference2017.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/aae-2017-architecture-connects-proceedings_180706_low-res-online-sharing.pdf, pp. 408-413.
Sanderson, L., Aston, H., 2012. 'Atelier[zero] Negotiated Dialogues', The Production of Place, University of East London.
Aston, H., 2002. ''Future Sustainability Teaching and Learning'', Sustainability and Architectural Education Conference, RIBA, 6/9/2002 - 6/9/2002.
Aston, H., 2002. ''Red, Amber, Green: 75 Years of Communicating Sustainability'', Sustainable Urban Design Conference, Kingston University, 1/4/2002.
Aston, H., 2001. ''From Green Fingers to Green Goddess'', British Interwar Suburbs, Dorich House Symposium, Kingston University.
Aston, H., 2001. ''The Business Case for Sustainable Property'', Construction Confederation Annual Conference, Construction Confederation, London,.
Aston, H., 2001. ''Why green is the new pink or why architects wear black'', CUDE 2001 Conference, Cardiff University School of Architecture,, 7/7/2001.
Aston, H., 2000. ''Reacting to the Ground Force'', CUDE 2000 Conference, Sheffield University., CUDE 2000 Conference, Sheffield University., in The paper was published on the CEBE conference website.
Aston, H., Renshaw, S., 2021. 'All these things Praxxis // a conversation', SHEBUILD #2 series of online talks with Urbanistas NorthWest.
Crompton, E., Aston, H., Valentine, K., Guerbet, S., 2020. 'Does Architecture Make You Anxious?', Manchester Lecture Theatre, All Saints Building.
Aston, H., 2020. 'The F Word: a celebration of a feminist inclusive approach.', Women In Planning IWD 2020 Event, Manchester.
Aston, H., 2020. 'These feminist things...', An interdisciplinary Network of Events celebrating all things feminist, all things women and policy for Baby Week across Manchester, Leeds and Bradford.
Whittow-Williams, R., 2019. ''Archi-culture': Exploring (innovations in) contemporary studio culture', Westminster School of Architecture, Westminster University.
Aston, H. and Sanderson, L, 2012. 'Atelier[zero] Negotiated Dialogues', The Production of Place, 2012, University of East London School of Architecture, December 2012.
Aston, H., 2002. 'Future Sustainability Teaching and Learning', Sustainability and Architectural Education Conference, Royal Institute of British Architects, June 2002, in CEBE website.
Aston, H., 2002. 'Red, Amber, Green: 75 Years of Communicating Sustainability', Sustainable Urban Design Conference, Kingston University, February 2002.
Aston, H., 2001. 'From Green Fingers to Green Goddess', British Interwar Suburbs, Dorich House Symposium, Kingston University and Design Historians Society, May 2001.
Aston, H., 2001. 'The Business Case for Sustainable Property', Construction Confederation Annual Conference, Construction Confederation, London, March 2001.
Aston, H., 2001. 'Why green is the new pink or why architects wear black', CUDE 2001 Conference, Cardiff University, September 2001, in CEBE website.
Aston, H., 2000. 'Reacting to the Ground Force', CUDE 2000 Conference, Sheffield University, April 2000, in CEBE website.
Aston, H., Crompton, E., 2019. 'PRAXXIS: Always Personal, Always Political', European Association of Architectural Educators Annual Conference 2019, Antwerp.
Aston, H., 2016. 'the architecture school for children', business modelling, funding stream development, knowledge exchange, designing, masterplanning and re-constructing the outdoor spaces of each school's playgrounds in collaboration with one manchester alongside the hub primary schools in Moss Side and Hulme.
Aston, H., 2003. 'the wider architectural forum'.
Aston, H., 2001. 'Sustainability Special Interest Group', Sustainability and Architectural Education.
