Lucy-Ann Gilbert is a Senior Lecturer in BA Interior Architecture (BAIA) at the University of Brighton. Following completion of her Masters from the Royal College of Art she has worked in a range of spatial design settings including film, exhibition design, collaborative design through making, architectural practice alongside working in education where she taught a L5&6 Design Studio since 2016. As of 2021 Lucy has begun Co-Course leading BAIA and running the L4 Design Studio.

Lucy has an array of research interests that sit within the realm of spatial practice. At the core of many of these projects lies a deep curiosity of understanding the human condition and how we (mis-)interpret, explore and discover our way of being and experiencing the world in which we inhabit. With a firm belief that we are all active agents in this and the designers role is to tease out the tacit knowledge that we all possess.

This manifests in a range of explorative methods of designing through writing, drawing, making, photography and film which informs much of her own work and teaching methods deployed within the studio. Some sample projects:

The Misadventures of Precision A drawing workshop taught within context week with the aim to allow students to freely and loosely think/draw and discover initial design ideas through the process of potential error.

Design through Making A live project working in collaboration with carpenter and artist Joel Bird, co-designing and building 8 “sheds” each designed through client collaboration – building, designing and developing throughout the process.

A new way of looking – altering our view of education Thesis Project, Royal College of Art (Interior Design MA) analysing the significance of the physical realm in the 2020’s and posing the question “What is the future of education?” creating a proposal for a school that engages in students’ innate desire to learn.

Now. Me, You; And Them. Then.  Dissertation, Royal College of Art (Interior Design MA) using writing as a tool to create a methodology for discovering ideas.

The variety of Lucy’s experience and research interests have informed much of her approach to teaching within the discipline of Interior Architecture. She is a firm believer that as spatial design practitioners who work primarily within the realm of the existing, we require a range of tools and methodologies at our disposal in order to respond to the ever-changing needs of our environment.

As such, this very much about providing students with not only the skill set to communicate their ideas but challenging the pre-conceived notion that there is a ‘right answer’ and instead empowering students to explore through the process of design and take risks along the way.