Dezeen School Shows: a creative redesign of an amphitheatre informed by dance is among the projects from the University of Dundee.
Also featured is student housing in a renovated church, and homes for cancer patients and their families, which place emphasis on wellbeing.
Institution: University of Dundee
School: Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design
Course: Interior and Environmental Design B Des (Hons)
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
School statement:
“Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD operates at the exciting intersection of architecture, design, art and new media.
“It allows spatial investigation into areas such as set design, architecture, furniture, exhibition and installation and is a dynamic programme that respects the tradition of design history, contemporary culture and new social issues.
“See the graduating students work in the Matthew Gallery at the Art and Design Undergraduate Degree Show 2026, taking place from 23 to 31 May 2026.”
Relic by Ben McArthur
“Relic is a ‘kit of parts’ furniture collection informed by ancient artefacts and the stories they carry. Developed in collaboration with Solus Ceramics, the pieces are made from Spolia Terrazzo tiles.
“Designed and produced in Leeds using aggregate sourced from construction waste, these slabs form the basis of each piece, embedding fragments of discarded materials within their surfaces.
“The project explores ideas of dynamic materiality, recontextualising overlooked objects by fixing them in place and preserving their narratives.
“By doing so, Relic reframes waste as something of value. Through the varied materials captured within each piece, the collection suggests that value is not inherent, but assigned. Encouraging a shift in how we perceive the everyday objects around us.”
Student: Ben McArthur
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: mcarthur.ben[at]yahoo.com
Dreamscape by Cherie Shek
“Located on the Southern bank of the River Tay in Newport-on-Tay, Fife, Dreamscape is a sleep retreat designed to foster tranquillity, mental clarity and restorative sleep.
“Inspired by water, it incorporates biophilic design through natural elements and organic forms to create calming, fluid spaces.
“The retreat supports those with insomnia and high stress by offering serene riverside environments that enhance wellbeing.
“Public amenities include a restaurant, bakery, library, social hub, pier and gardens, while private resident facilities feature suites, pools, a steam room, yoga and meditation rooms, an audio listening room, and a clinic for therapies and consultations.”
Student: Cherie Shek
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: cherieshek289[at]gmail.com
Re-Mind by Filip Lesniewski
“Re-Mind re-imagines an existing high-rise housing block in Dundee through principles of neurodesign, creating a vertically connected living environment that supports mental clarity and emotional wellbeing.
“In response to sunlight, floor plates rotate within the structural grid, breaking the monotony of the Zeilenbau pattern while shaping light-filled interiors.
“A central communal floor, open circulation and lightwells foster visual connection and movement between residents.
“Inspired by mycelial networks and their parallels to neural systems, mycelium-based materials are combined with timber and mineral plaster to create a calm, tactile environment that softens the brutalist character of the original Multis.”
Student: Filip Lesniewski
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: filip.les1[at]gmail.com
Spatial Provocation: EVO – GEN 26:31 by Harry Scott
“Through the removal of humane materiality from the resemblance of humanesque features, the industrial husk extracts its sense of sublimity; commonly associated with its predeceasing cathedral inspiration, through its skeletal shell and actively hostile demeanour.
“A separation of body and spirit is anticipated, yet, through physical transference, gradually elicits an activated visual response.
“Replicating an inverse flow of Qi, originating in Daoist principality, stages the audience as the spiritual return of consciousness to its pre-existing physical form.
“Until finally confronted with the dystopian figure, an anatomical replacement for the lived experience, symbolising an evolution past the need for spiritual guidance.”
Student: Harry Scott
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: harryscott217[at]icloud.com
Forbes by Holly Lonie
“Forbes is an architectural and furniture-making project. The structure is a small residential pod designed to sit adjacent to Maggie’s Centres, offering patients and their families a calm, restorative place to stay during cancer treatment.
“Accompanied by a designed full-scale piece of furniture that would be featured in the space.
“Influenced by the ethos of Maggie’s Centres, the space prioritises dignity, warmth and connection. Inspired by the act of human embrace, the design symbolises the feeling of being complete when two individuals come together.
“The pod creates a domestic environment rather than a clinical one. Natural light, soft materials and carefully framed views aim to support emotional wellbeing as much as physical rest.”
Student: Holly Lonie
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: holly.lonie[at]gmail.com
The Assembly by Kayla Adamson
“The Assembly transforms a church within Dundee into a vibrant student living experience, which can adapt to become a hostel.
“The project considers issues of city centre regeneration, student loneliness, identity and how a space that is temporary by nature can still feel like home.
“The design is driven by pattern making, with shapes, forms and details abstracted from the site to become unique patterns which inform the spatial zones and design elements.
“Centred around congregation, the existing church is reimagined as a student social hub, with an open void and central stairs to connect the space and encourage informal interactions.”
Student: Kayla Adamson
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: kaylaadamson7[at]outlook.com
Re-Construct by Kyle Petrie
“Re-Construct is an adaptive reuse project located in the former Eagle Jute Mills in Dundee.
“The building focuses on the re-use of demolition waste materials through the former mill, creating new materials and products from wood, metal and aggregate supplied from demolition waste sites across Dundee.
“The design is inspired by the shapes seen within old jute machinery to open the building up to the public offering a cafe, shop and a lecture theatre to begin to inform the public how demolition waste can be reintroduced back into the construction cycle to avoid be sent to landfill.”
Student: Kyle Petrie
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: ksp84113[at]gmail.com
Time Out by Maria Kostova
“The ‘Time Out’ lounger focuses on the deep human need to relax, recharge and reflection.
“Inspired by lounging rituals from different cultures all around the world, the Time Out lounger incorporates the importance of human connection with others and ourselves. It is an invitation to take time away from the fast-paced environment.
“Nowadays, life moves so fast considering fast-fashion, fast-food and fast relationships, while the habit of slowing down may seem unordinary.
“One of the most impressive concepts that serves as a main point of inspiration is Hygge. Coming from the Scandinavian culture, where ‘hooge’ means to “take time away from the daily rush.”
“This model of appreciating and celebrating the simple joys in life became a crucial factor for the final outcome.”
Student: Maria Kostova
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: maria_ied[at]outlook.com
It Was Oil Rigged From The Start by Matt Perkins
“It was Oil Rigged From The Start, is a lighting project that explores the past, present and potential future of the North Sea oil and gas industry through the lens of an imagined apocalyptic scenario.
“Each lamp documents a different part of the overall story and holds physical properties relevant to its role within the narrative.
“A wide range of materials come together to create this series of lamps, ranging from scavenged natural materials to repurposed stainless steel, juxtaposing the naturally occurring with the man-made and the awkward relationship between the two in terms of North Sea oil and gas.”
Student: Matt Perkins
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: matt.perks02[at]gmail.com
Commensality by Tansy Flora Scott
“Commensality is a project highlighting the importance of connection through dining, specifically, dining at a round table.
“This installation is a scene representing three different human interactions taking place at a dinner table; love, gather and conflict.
“The piece is inspired by my expressive paintings, referencing chaos, movement and connection in a dining environment, with circles representing the round table as the heart of this interaction.
“The viewer is invited to step into a scene, coming to life through abstract shapes, chaos, projection mapping and immersive audio.”
Student: Tansy Flora Scott
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: tansyflorascott[at]gmail.com
Orbital Trajectory by Thieu Hien Vo
“A re-imaginative adaptive design of the Mills Observatory.
“Mills Observatory is the first purpose-built public astronomical observatory in the UK, located on the summit of Balgay Hill in Dundee.
“Taking the telescope as the central point, this project expands the original building outwards, inspired by the relationship, trajectory and orbit between the planets and the sun.
“The interior takes inspiration from the process of humans building the way into space, which is explored through the form of scaffolding frames that correspond to the central point.
“Interior includes two exhibition spaces, a cafeteria, a lecture theatre, a storage room, a staff office, a cylinder-shaped planetarium and lavatories.”
Student: Thieu Hien Vo
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: vothieuhien2005[at]gmail.com
ANode by Wendy Cheng
“ANode is reimagining co-working space by treating the building as a musical instrument where architecture converts environmental ‘babble’ into focused attention.
“Bringing in sound frequencies and Chladni figures as a spatial blueprint, the project moves beyond the isolation of cubicles and the chaos of open plans.
“Visitors are envisioned as the ‘living sand’ on a Chladni plate, naturally gravitating toward self-organising workstations that balance social synergy with psychological safety.
“Experiencing the movement of the nodes and antinodes in space, entering a building shape like a trumpet.
“An environment that offers experiences, variety, and connections that working from home cannot provide.”
Student: Wendy Cheng
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: wendychengyy374[at]gmail.com
Unco by Lucas Harvey
“Unco is an installation that exposes contemporary society’s fear of uncertainty through the lens of the liminal and the uncanny.
“Inspired by the liminal and uncanny qualities of Dundee’s wynds, as well as Walter Benjamin’s figure of the flâneur, the installation explores urban anxieties that have become increasingly prominent within a modern ‘achievement society’.
“The work encourages the viewer to adopt flâneurism, engaging in observational drifting within an urban environment that lacks commercial purpose, where efficiency would typically be prioritised.
“In this uncanny setting, the observer becomes the observed, and a sense of unease begins to emerge.”
Student: Lucas Harvey
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: lucasscottharvey[at]gmail.com
Cambré by Nicoletta Proto
“Cambré is a contemporary re-imagining of the amphitheatre, inspired by dance and motion situated in the Dundee Botanic Gardens.
“The construction consists of differently shaped arches arranged in a grid over a stage at a lower level wit seating surrounding it.
“The arch shapes are inspired by shapes made with the long exposure photography taken of a figure dancing, while the curved areas for seating come from the shapes made by a dancer dancing with paint.
“Cambré is a French ballet term meaning “arched,” referring to a controlled bend of the body linking the concepts of dance and curved shapes.”
Student: Nicoletta Proto
Course: Interior and Environmental Design at DJCAD
Tutor: Gary Kennedy
Email: ninnimaaria.proto[at]gmail.com
Partnership content
This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and the University of Dundee. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
