Teesside University is launching a suite of ground-breaking new courses in partnership with architect and TV presenter George Clarke, through his Ministry of Building Innovation (MOBI) initiative.
George Clarke and MOBI’s mission is to kickstart a fundamental change to the building industry, attracting new generations into the profession. Teesside University has developed a suite of courses in Advanced Home Construction starting with a Higher National Certificate and Diploma, an undergraduate degree programme, BSc (Hons) Advanced Home Construction (top up) and a postgraduate degree course – MSc Advanced Home Futures.
The courses take a new look at the building industry and offer a broad-based practical approach which aims to attract learners from different disciplines, not just traditional architecture and enable students to explore a variety of specialisms, allowing them to challenge the status quo. Students will engage with industry and explore the concept of home, different aspects of living spaces, digital solutions to create innovative approaches to address the issues of the built environment.
“MOBI is about training, retraining, making, building and creating innovative twenty-first century homes that genuinely improve the way people live,” says George Clarke. “We need to teach the new generation of students how to think differently to challenge the norm and look for new ways of doing things.
“The slow and antiquated method of building new homes is painful and, fundamentally, we still build homes the way we did hundreds of years ago. Whilst technology corporations, telecommunication companies, the automotive and aerospace industry are advancing at incredible rates, the house building industry is stagnant and it’s genuinely time for systematic change. There is a need for exciting innovation, opportunities to push the boundaries of what we build and how we build that will attract bright new minds in to the industry.”
The courses will offer the added advantage of working closely with industry and with some of Teesside University’s specialist facilities including Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art which is looking at social issues such as housing, MOBI-Lise, a dedicated workshop on campus to allow students to make and test items and RIBA, the Royal Institute of British Architects which will give access to their online library resources.
Professor Tim Thompson, course leader, explained: “These courses are designed to produce students ready to make a disruptive change to a traditional industry. With MOBI aspirations at the forefront of what we deliver, we’ll encourage creativity, independent thinking, leadership skills and artistry to address a social need.”
Full details of the courses, which start in September 2017 and how to apply are available at: www.tees.ac.uk/advancedhome
