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Students from the University of Kent’s new Architect Higher Degree Apprenticeship have presented some radical – and in many cases, fully costed – proposals for transforming its campus, promoting links with local businesses and the wider community, and giving Canterbury a new landmark.

The students, who are working part-time at architect firms from across the South of England alongside their studies, presented their designs and proposals to representatives of the University’s estates management team (with whom the course team have engaged throughout the project) in a presentation on Monday 16 December 2024.

The contribution of Bob Allies, the founding partner of Allies and Morrison, who helped draft the brief and has engaged with the apprentices regularly throughout their work, was evident in the rigour of many of the presented masterplans, creating new public spaces within Kent’s post-war campus.

James Burland, formerly Managing Director of Arup Associates, has also inspired the apprentices to adopt technology-led design approaches, giving the University’s brutalist buildings new identities and values.

The apprentices impressed the panel with their proposals, with creative and practical suggestions on master planning and retrofitting buildings, and sustainability in mind. They praised the complex design proposals, with students having to critically consider the context of the brief in terms of history, policy, legislation, environment, economics and community.

Holly Porton, one of the apprentices working for Clague Architects, presented her project for enhancing the University’s community appeal. She used her personal experience of previously living on the campus to inspire her ideas. Her employer, Maylor Colloton (Partner at Clague Architects), said: ‘I was keen to let her fly and see where she went with it and I’ve been incredibly pleased with what she’s come out with.’

The panel praised the hybrid approach of the apprenticeship programme, which they feel makes a huge impact on the employability outcomes of the students. James Burland said: ‘As an apprentice, this is your big chance to do what you really want to do because when you’re out there in the real world, it’s not quite as easy to have such an open opportunity.’

Bob Allies, who is also Honorary Professor at the University of Kent’s School of Arts and Architecture and was shortlisted for this year’s Stirling Prize, said: ‘You can feel that practicing architects are doing student projects. It’s a future for us and that’s quite refreshing because it means that they are familiar with technical solutions and ways of presenting because they’ve practised as well as studied.’