Architecture students discover hidden gems on Paris visit
Architecture students from the University of Huddersfield have taken an old school and environmentally-friendly approach to discovering hidden architectural gems, on their doorstep and in the ‘City of Lights’ itself, Paris.
A group of Architecture (BA) students, along with senior lecturer Dr Danilo Di Mascio, recently undertook walking tours of both Huddersfield town centre and the French capital to help them gain an understanding of the development of urban environments.
It is part of a wider piece of research by Dr Di Mascio, ‘(Re)imagining the Inhabited World Towards a Better Future’. In 2024 the project saw Dr Di Mascio speak at the prestigious ‘Liveable Cities’ conference at City University, London, and organise the ‘Relationships between Architecture, Art and Nature’ exhibition on Naoshima Island in Japan.
After observing some of Huddersfield’s Victorian-era buildings, as well as the change to the town’s skyline with the new National Health Innovation Campus, 16 students and Dr Di Mascio took a coach and then the Eurostar to take in some both historical and contemporary buildings in Paris.
Study Architecture at the University of Huddersfield
“I recently published an article, ‘A Story of the Narrative Features of a Liveable Town: Discovering Huddersfield Through Walking’, in the AMPS Proceeding Series which I also discussed at Liveable Cities,” says Dr Di Mascio. “I investigated and reflected upon the narrative qualities of a series of places and buildings that it is possible to discover just while walking.
“Even by walking from Huddersfield’s station, with its wonderful neo-classical façade, to Longley Woods just beyond the University’s campus you can see so much because you are slowing down to observe when walking. Most of the time, we are going from place to place for a reason – commuting to work, going shopping or going home – that it is easy to not look up and see what there is. Huddersfield has some fine old buildings, and then within a short distance there is this oasis of nature almost in the town centre at Longley Woods.”
Developing a Museum of Climate
Dr Di Mascio and the third-year students are developing a Museum of Climate, which will inform the public about various aspects of climate change, including its causes and impacts. The Museum of Climate is aligned to Cultures of Climate, the fourth iteration of the University of Huddersfield's annual Cultures Of programme of place-based development. Running into 2026, Cultures of Climate will feature exhibitions, installations, performances, workshops, podcasts, talks, and discussions about the climate crisis through art and creative activities, helping to embed sustainability into the curriculum.
“Through a combination of activities and public displays that will cover and use scientific and artistic knowledge and representations, the museum can make information related to climate change more accessible and engaging to a broader audience,” Dr Di Mascio adds.
“The building can also communicate specific narratives through its architectural features. Its goal is to increase people’s awareness and encourage alternative behaviours and lifestyles, namely more active and adequate responses to tackle the current situation.
“The visit to Paris allowed the students to learn more about cultural, historical and social aspects of buildings in an unfamiliar context. They can learn how to translate this information into some interesting design projects. We visited some wonderful museums and buildings designed by winners of the Pritzker Prize, which is akin to a Nobel prize in the field of architecture.
Taking inspiration from modern great Frank Gehry
“We also visited the Fondation Louis Vuitton, which was designed by Frank Gehry, to help the students to understand essential principles of architecture through a direct experience. It was wonderful to see the students’ wonder and curiosity triggered by the buildings, places and exhibitions we visited, and I am sure this trip will be a source of inspiration for their current and future projects.”
Dr Di Mascio’s research projects in Japan, which culminated in the exhibition on Naoshima, were funded by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation.
“I investigated the relationships between architecture, art, culture, and nature in various buildings and places, including the island of Naoshima, and I also visited academic institutions. The research is still in progress and will also be further connected to Huddersfield and the UK.”
Dr Di Mascio also spoke at the Liveable Cities conference in June 2024, where he presented his findings in ‘A story of the narrative features of a liveable town: Discovering Huddersfield through walking’. He is also currently running an international collaborative workshop with colleagues from Louisiana Tech, ‘A narrative of an architectural and cultural experience: Telling the story of a visit to an art museum’.