Published in 2018
In September 2018, The Glass-House and partners hosted a two-day Design Training workshop for participants in Sheffield, as part of the Empowering Design Practices research project. This hands-on course based on Buildings by Design, the longstanding course developed by The Glass-House, brought together four community groups at the early stages of re-thinking the use and physical elements of their buildings to develop their design skills, knowledge and confidence. Participants explored the challenges and opportunities of their buildings, and how design can help unlock their potential, be it through small or complex changes.
This short film, produced by Picture Story Productions aims to share the experience of participants, and the benefits of this approach to empowering community groups to commission and lead design projects to improve their community buildings and spaces.
Read more about this Design Training course on our blog.
Empowering Design Practices is a five-year research project (2014-2019) exploring historic places of worship, the people who manage them, and the potential of these buildings as community resources. The aim of the project is to explore how community-led design can help empower those who look after historic places of worship to create more open, vibrant and sustainable places that respect and enhance the heritage of their buildings.
The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, under their Connected Communities and Design highlight notice.