Urban Design@OBU 50th Anniversary Self Guided Walking Tour of Oxford

Looking southwest over Frideswide Square by Chaz2041 via WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

While you're in town for the 50th Anniversary celebrations, take a look at what's happened in the town since you were here.  We've put together a self-guided walking (cycling) tour past a range of new buildings and spaces in Oxford including: Frideswide Square, the Observatory Quarter, Broad Street, Weston Library, the Castle Quarter, Westgate and more.  In all likelihood, the route will also take you past some of your old haunts so it's also an opportunity to meet with old colleagues and catch up.  Some members of current staff will be doing the circuit in the afternoon of the 4th, starting about 13:00 at Frideswide Square. Link to 50th Anniversary Self Guided Walking Tour of Oxford - take a trip back and see what's new...

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Urban Design at Oxford Brookes: 50th Anniversary Event on 4 November 2023

50 years of Urban Design at Oxford Brookes University 

Come back and look forward 

Urban Design staff and students are proud to invite you to celebrate fifty years of Urban Design education at Oxford Brookes University on the 4th of November 2023. With more than 2000 postgraduate, undergraduate and research Alumni, we want to celebrate our collective achievements: teaching and putting the teaching into practice. Please join us to mark this important milestone, meet former and new staff and colleagues and discuss our collective futures. 

The celebrations will include an Alumni Exhibition, Drinks and Dinner (and possible free fireworks).

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UD@OBU 50th Anniversary on 4th November 2023: Details..

Alumni Exhibition and Drinks 

From 17:00 - 18:00  at The Terrace, John Henry Brookes Building, Headington Campus. Connect, reconnect and view the Exhibition. Cost: £15 per person.  Pay here at the online shop   

Alongside the Exhibition, there will be a series of pre-dinner talks given by practising design professionals about their latest work in masterplanning, urban design, architecture, sustainability and community engagement. Confirmed speakers include Hawkins\Brown Architects, Gen Two Real Estate, David Lock Associates, PLACE by Design and edge Urban Design.

Special Rate for Students and Grads (from 2022 and 2023)

Join us for drinks and networking from 17:00 - 18:00  at The Terrace, John Henry Brookes Building, Headington Campus. Connect, reconnect and view the Exhibition. Cost: £5 per student/grad 2022/23. Pay here at the online shop  

Dinner 

From 18:00/18.30 - 23:00 at The Terrace, John Henry Brookes Building, Headington Campus. Cost for Dinner (including Exhibition and Drinks): £100 per person or £85 for OBU staff/students*. Details of the menu to follow. Bookings for Dinner are now closed. 

Dress code for the Dinner is SMART CASUAL.

*staff includes former OBU staff and student rate includes current students and recent graduates (graduating in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023)

Exhibition and Sponsorship

We invite urban design practices and individuals to showcase their previous and current work and ideas for future directions and innovative projects. Sponsorship is open to practices and individuals. Sponsorship recognition is through inclusion in the Alumni Exhibition and the Anniversary brochure. Funds from sponsorships will go towards supporting current and future students through:

• Sponsoring students to attend the event
• Student recognition awards
• Scholarships

The levels of sponsorship are as follows:

PLATINUM - £500
Includes two A1 exhibition boards or vertical banner and/or a video up to three minutes together with a whole page in the Anniversary Brochure

GOLD  - £350
Includes one A1 exhibition board for exhibition and/or a video up to two minutes together with a half page in the Anniversary Brochure 

SILVER - £ 250 
Includes exhibition video up to two minutes and a quarter page in the Anniversary Brochure

BRONZE - £150
Includes one line and logo in the sponsorship recognition page of the Anniversary Brochure 

For more information on the Exhibition or Anniversary Brochure, please contact Regina Lim at rlim@brookes.ac.uk. To sponsor the event/book exhibition space register your interest and pay here

Optional Day Activities (on 4th November 2023)

Self Guided 50th Anniversary Walking Tour - take a trip back and see what's new...

While you're in town for the 50th Anniversary celebrations, take a look at what's happened in the town since you were here.  We've put together a self-guided walking (cycling) tour past a range of new buildings and spaces in Oxford including: Frideswide Square, the Observatory Quarter, Broad Street, Weston Library, the Castle Quarter, Westgate and more.  In all likelihood, the route will also take you past some of your old haunts so it's also an opportunity to meet with old colleagues and catch up.  Some members of current staff will be doing the circuit in the afternoon of the 4th, starting about 13:00 at Frideswide Square. The Walking Tour is here.

Headington Campus Tour from 16:00 - 17:00: a guided tour of the redeveloped Headington Campus buildings and spaces.  Meet at the Piazza, London Road at 15:50.

Parking and Accommodation
There is limited parking at the Headington Campus so, we will practise what we preach and recommend using Park and Ride.  The closest is Thornhill, off the A40.  The 400park&ride/U1  bus stops in front of the Brookes London Road Piazza.  If you get the train, the buses from the station/Frideswide Square to the Headington Campus are the 280 and 400/U1, You might also park in town (Westgate, Gloucester Green or Worcester Street) and catch the 400/U1, 8 or 280 from the High Street.

Suggested overnight accommodation in Oxford

• Premier Inn, the Westgate - £91 pp per night
• The Dial House, 25 London Road - £89-£99 per night
• Red Mullions, 23 London Road - £90-110 per night

Urban Design End of Year Show 2023: Experimentation

“Without the possible, the desirable is little more than a dream. Without the desirable, the possible is boring” (Jacob F, Of Flies, Mice and Men, 1998).

For 2023, the theme of the Urban Design End of Year Show is: EXPERIMENTATION. 

Students from MA Urban Design, the MArchD Urban Design and the BA Urban Design, Planning and Development have explored experiments and visions to improve the material and immaterial organisation of built environments. The show is open until Sunday 9 July from 10am to 4pm each day and is located on the second floor of the Abercrombie Building on our Headington campus. Come and take a look!

Click here for further details.

I went along a few days after it opened to take some photos...

Don't forget to visit! The show is open until Sunday 9 July from 10am to 4pm each day and is located on the second floor of the Abercrombie Building on our Headington campus. 

FABRIC: the Urban Design End of Year Show 2022

After a break of 3 years due to Covid-19, the Urban Design End of Year Show stormed back with an amazing opening night on 27 May 2022. The theme for 2022 is FABRIC. 

A diverse range of work produced in modules from the BA Urban Design, Planning and Development, the MA Urban Design and the PhD programme in Urban Design is displayed in our Urban labs. The diversity of the work is knitted together by the creative work of the Art and Design students. The show will be open from Friday 27 May to Friday 1 July and is located on the second floor of the Abercrombie Building on our Headington campus. Come and take a look!

Click here for further details.

I went along a few days before it opened and also on the opening night to take some photos...

Don't forget - the Urban Design End of Year Show 2022 is on until 1 July 2022. See it on the second floor of the Abercrombie Building on the Headington Campus. 

Graduation 2020 and 2021 - it finally happened!

 After two years of missing, GRADUATION IS BACK! It was so good to see all the students, families, friends and staff who turned up to celebrate Graduation 2020 and 2021 in person on 18 May and 24 May 2022. Some photos and videos of the extra special day for undergraduate and postgraduate students who graduated from courses in Real Estate, Planning and Construction. Enjoy!

Graduation 2020 (held on 18 May 2022)...

And now for Graduation 2021, held on 24 May 2022...

For more information on any of our courses, take a look at the School of the Built Environment website:

Oxford Brookes School of the Built Environment