Funded Research Opportunity: The Toolshed Project: Politics and Practices of Building With Local Timber

Start Date: 1^St October 2024

Deadline for Applications: 31^st May 2024

Dates for Interview: June 2024

This doctoral programme is based in the Leeds School of Architecture, part of the Leeds School of Arts, and is an initiative of the Expanded Spatial Practices Research Group. It aims to investigate the politics and practices of building with local timber. The research  will lead to the design of innovative systems, strategies and networks to facilitate the use of otherwise under-valued species and dimensions from local woodlands.

The practice- based PhD forms part of a project to design, prototype and construct an experimental teaching space on the site of an existing toolshed, at the Landscape Resource Centre on Leeds Beckett University’s Headingley Campus. As a ‘live project’ the design and construction will be incorporated into the School’s undergraduate and post-graduate curriculum.

Whilst the project is situated in West Yorkshire and focuses on the organisation of local supply systems, its aim is to engage with environmental and social questions, and to develop methods and outcomes that may be applied more generally and at other locations.

This initiative is founded on an understanding that space is produced through a combination of disciplines and interests, and not by design professionals alone. Hence, the research team has a strong commitment to inter-disciplinary practice and would encourage applicants from non-design backgrounds, for example: arts, engineering, social sciences, and humanities. An inter-disciplinary supervision team will be appointed according to the selected candidate’s interest and proposal.

Eligibility & Entry Requirements

This funded opportunity is only available for those assessed as being eligible for home fees status.

Applicants should normally have obtained a good result in an MA programme in a relevant subject area. Consideration will also be given on an individual basis to applicants with other kinds of experience and qualifications

Contacts

Applicants are encouraged to discuss their proposals with the project team.

Elena Palacios Carral    e.d.palacios-carral@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

Lara Rettondini  l.rettondini@leedsbeckett 

Matt Haycocks  m.haycocks@leedsbeckett

For information about the application process, please contact Research Admissions (researchadmissions@leedsbeckett.ac.uk). Please use the reference number as the subject of your email.

Make an application

To apply for this position please complete the research student application form and submit a CV.

You are also asked to provide:

1. A covering letter explaining how your previous study, academic or professional background has prepared you for this research. (maximum 2 A4 pages, or approximately 1000 words)
2. A brief research proposal that clearly states how you intend to engage with, and respond to, the themes and scope of this call (maximum 3 A4 pages, or approximately 1500 words).

The applications should be sent to researchadmissions@leedsbeckett.ac.uk 

Please use the reference number as the subject of your email.

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