MDX Interior Architecture students win prestigious accolade

Students work together to re-design spaces at church in north west London facing demolition

Third year BA Interior Architecture students have collectively been recognised by the respected higher education forum Interior Educators for their vision to re-design a north west London church facing demolition. This is the third year in a row that Middlesex University has won the award.

Over 30 students worked as a team and together with church and community members to produce ideas to enhance St Mary’s Church in Eversholt Street, Somers Town, for local residents and other groups.

Individual Middlesex students also enjoyed success at the awards. Two students won honours in the progressing students’ category of the Interior Futures Award: Interior Architecture student Yi Xuan Lim and Interior Design student Bryony Johnson.

Meanwhile, two third year Interior Architecture students received Highly Commended recognitions: Seungho Cho in the Creative Reuse category and Naura Ayu Vierananda in the Social Justice Award category.

Interior Educators is a respected forum established by academics on well-established Interiors courses across the UK, while the Collaborative Practice Award recognises exceptional projects which explore collaboration and group working across programmes, disciplines or with external organisations, illustrating innovative ways of working and sharing ideas.

“The Collaborative Practice Award is a particularly meaningful recognition as it celebrates the outstanding work of the entire Year 3 Interior Architecture cohort."

Dr Francesca Murialdo, Director of Programmes in Interior Architecture and Design

Dr Murialdo added: "We’re also delighted that this is the third year in a row that Middlesex has won in this category after collaborations involving our first year students were recognised in 2023 and 2024.”

Students worked for several months on designs to reimagine the possible future of the church which is under threat due to rising maintenance costs. They produced ideas for architectural changes after research into the area’s heritage and community needs, as well as considering the existing building’s historic structure alongside its role as a place of worship and important community asset.

Together with their University tutors, they designed and installed an exhibition in the church earlier this year to showcase their proposals. To capture community feedback, both an online account and a physical comments table were provided at the exhibition. Their models were created with the help of the University’s workshop technicians in line with the University’s sustainability goals.

The students produced designs with a variety of uses, such as a ‘permanent archive’ to preserve and build upon the church’s heritage, an ‘escapism space’ where visitors could relax and de-stress, and a ‘hospitality’ space where they could meet over a meal. Students also designed different entrances to the church, combined with light-filled ‘upper rooms’ to avoid wasting space. 

Father Paschal Worton, Parish Priest of St Mary’s Church, said: “The exhibition opened our minds to fresh visions for the church. I was impressed and moved by the level of care and detail that went into every section. This stemmed from the research gleaned from real contact with the Somers Town community and resulted in a huge variety of options.

“Every design reflected a desire to value and celebrate our local identity, histories, stories and values. It was heartening to see the beautiful designs of different kinds of spaces for counselling, confession and individual or small group work.”

Meanwhile, Interior Architecture student Yi Xuan Lim was recognised in the Interior Futures category for designing ‘Stillwater Circle’, a one-stop essentials and communal space for the barge community on the River Thames. After conducting research that found renting in London is so expensive that more people might choose to live on barges, Yi Xuan took as her inspiration the London Canal Museum in the King’s Cross area of the city. The project is a practical hub for essentials such as groceries and boat repair items, and a communal space for meetings or to watch films using drawings and 3D models.

Interior Design Student Bryony Johnson was recognised for her project which explored the reimagining of environments such as housing, workplaces and retail, with a focus on combining sustainability, community focus, and innovative design to boost local economies. She drew her inspiration from upcycling and using second-hand materials for her designs.

Dr Murialdo said: “This recognition reinforces our growing reputation at Middlesex University, not only among peer institutions, but also with prospective students considering Interior Architecture and Interior Design as their chosen path.

“These awards are as much a celebration of the incredible talent and commitment of our students as they are a recognition of the collaborative excellence of our staff, including our brilliant technical team, whose support is fundamental to everything we do.”

Building on the momentum of last year’s success, this year’s winners were among 16 shortlisted entries across six major award categories for Middlesex University.

Find out about Studying BA Interior Architecture and BA Interior Design at Middlesex University.