SPUD Group
Working in education, training, consultation, strategy and advocacy, in the arts, architecture, urban design and placemaking.
What We Do
Projects
Let's talk
About
SPUD (Space, Place-making and Urban Design) is an organisation led by Mark Drury and Phil Smith and emerged out of the Solent Centre for Architecture + Design.
The Solent Centre had been regularly funded for over 5 years by SEEDA and CABE and following the change in the public funding landscape in 2010 Mark and Phil decided to find a new way to build on the sound reputation thay had established for their work at the Solent Centre.
SPUD is committed to promoting quality design in the public realm and increasing engagement for people of all ages in understanding and influencing the nature and quality of the places where they live.
We believe that a broad understanding within professionals and the public of what makes a good place in which to live and work is vital in creating healthy, vibrant and sustainable communites.
SPUD collaborates with professionals across a broad range of disciplines to develop our projects and to initiate and deliver our programmes.
Although based in Southampton, SPUD associates have delivered projects nationally and internationally.
SPUD 5x5. A project for Hampshire County Council working with schools and young people in 5 areas of Hampshire to give them a voice to influence the development of their towns, all of which are currently undergoing development.
Take One Building is based on the National Gallerys successful Take One Picture programme, and is developing a pilot for a national web-based resource to enable primary schools to explore and utilise buildings as resources for cross-curricular projects.
The Exbury Egg is a live/work structure for an artist at Exbury in the New Forest. The Egg will be a high quality, low impact architectural structure that will highlight best practice in renewable energy, recycling and sustainability. It will facilitate a 12 month residency for the artist who will inhabit the structure, explore the ecology of a unique site to create new work and offer a broad public education programme.
Creative World is a series of commissions aimed at encouraging collaborations with arts and cultural practice at their heart to connect hard to reach children and young people (CYP) in Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight with their contemporaries internationally. Projects will link to the 2012 Cultural Olympiad and give young people a voice in influencing the development, delivery and evaluation of work with in which they are engaging.
If you would like to talk informally about how we might work with you, or if you have a project you would like to discuss, whether this is fully formed or at an early planning stage, we would be happy to hear from you.
Please see the 'Contact' page of this site for details of how to get in touch.
Latest News
Schoolchildren in Surrey have learned about architecture and urban design through a series of workshops run by SPUD at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) at Farnham.
A total of 150 pupils, from St Polycarp's, St Peter's, Farham Heath End, All Hallows and Hale schools, were set the task of re-imagining Farnham's Castle Street during December. With the help of SPUD and UCA students they created new concepts from street fairs and pedestrian crossings to bridges and blimps - on scale models to show how they would improve the environment to make it safer and more appealing to the public. The five 1:50 scale models will form an impressive 30m long installation that will provide a unique centrepiece for the Blower Foundation's Cultural Connections exhibition which takes place at UCA Farnham's James Hockey Gallery from 5-14 January 2012.
The Cultural Connections exhibition celebrates the contribution of three local architects and contemporaries, Harold Falkner, Guy Maxwell Aylwin and Arthur Stedman, and what they did for Farnham during times of great upheaval and urban development.
EDUCATION
PUBLIC CONSULTATION
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
WINNER!
Wealth
Manager
of the Year
Val
van der
Hoven
Mark
Drury
Philip
Smith
Mark trained as a Graphic Designer at De Montfort University, Leicester and then as a teacher in Cardiff. He has been Head of Art at 2 secondary schools in Hampshire and was a member of the Senior Leadership team and responsible for public relations, marketing and fundraising at his last school. Mark has run his own freelance graphic design business, lectured in photography at FE College and even owned a coffee shop. He took up the position of Director of Arts and Education for the Solent Centre in February 2005 later becoming Creative Director for the centre, with responsibility for the education programme, fundraising, marketing and business development. Mark is also a keen cyclist, runner and outdoor enthusiast and lives with his partner and 2 dogs in the New Forest.
Phil trained in fine art and education followed by nine years as a photographer in studio product and location work for advertising.
Phil has taught photography and design in the formal and informal education sectors. He ran the f.Stop Gallery and darkrooms, a public access photography facility in Bath until joining the Arts Council in 1996 where he specialised in visual arts, particularly photography and digital media. Phil was Head of Visual Arts at Arts Council England South East when he left to pursue freelance opportunities in 2006.
Freelance projects have included acting as interim chief executive, managing a fund-raising, organisational change and recruitment process for a music education charity, consultancy on commissioning art in the public realm and development and management of exhibitions and artist residencies. While working with the Solent Centre for architecture and design
While working for the Solent centre for Architecture + Design from 2007 -2011 Phils projects included from Places from Spaces which brought together the city councils and universities in Brighton, Portsmouth and Southampton to share knowledge through a series of workshops, international study trips and seminars leading to temporary transformation of a public space in each city. The project developed partnerships between council officers, elected members, university lecturers and students to underpin creative approaches to public space and user consultation.
Phil is actively involved in music as a bass guitarist, playing a wide variety of music and continues to practice in visual media mainly in the areas of photography and digital print. He enjoys hill walking, cycling, climbing, and has a broad interest in the arts. He currently works part time for the National Trust on arts development and is a Board member of the Aspex Visual Arts Trust.
Val trained as a linguist before joining the Army for a varied career which took her to some sunny, but mostly much colder climes, including The Falklands, Northern Ireland, Germany and South Africa. Ending with postings nearer to home, Vals jobs involved instructing at Sandhurst and event management and corporate hospitality in the MOD in London. After a tour in Pretoria on the British Military Training Team, working with the amalgamation of the previously opposed forces in South Africa, Val left the Army and worked for Portsmouth City Council managing the Lord Mayors Department and organising the Citys major civic events, including the D Day 60 commemorations, the annual Remembrance Parade, and the Citys part in Trafalgar 200. Skiing, riding and hillwalking are less frequent now since becoming Mum to 2 young boys, but becoming a Governor and being involved with other school projects is very rewarding. With a background in project work, Val now provides project support for the SPUD team.
PEOPLE +
PLACEMAKING
AN INDEPENDENT NETWORK OF ASSOCIATES WITH A SHARED VISION
SPUD is committed to promoting high quality design in the public realm and increasing engagement for people of all ages in understanding and influencing the nature and quality of the places in which they live.
Education + Training
SPUD designs and delivers bespoke training an education and training packages in the formal and informal education sectors.
We work independently and in partnership with schools, further and higher education instututions on a range of initiatives to increase engagement with and understanding of design, sustainability, community and place making. This includes direct provision of teacher training to increase the use of the built environment as a cross curricular teaching resource.
SPUD also works with professionals who have no formal design training but who make design decisions as part of their daily working lives and who wish to enhance their CPD. This includes, Local Authority Officers involved in planning, highways and housing, Elected Members, Housing Association staff, Planning Consultants, and even Architects and Urban Designers.
Public Consultation
SPUD associates have experience in a range of public consultation projects including working directly with residents of local authority housing that is due for regeneration.
Our view is that the experts on how a particular place works are the members of the community that live there. Ensuring those voices are heard through proper consultation can make a major contribution to social cohesion and the future sustainabilty of communities.
It is equally important that residents of new developments are consulted engaged in developing a sense of place and community identity. This might involve consideration of facilities, connectivity with existing communities, or design of public space including public art that engender a sense of pride and ownership of new places.
Project Management
As well as initiating our own projects and programmes we have extensive experience of working in partnership to deliver projects on behalf of other organsations.
Through our extensive network of professional associates we can bring a wide range of experience and knowledge to projects involving education, training, consultation, strategy and advocacy, across the disciplines of the arts, architecture, urban design and placemaking
Additional Services
Within our group of associates we have a broad range of professional skills in supplementary areas such as graphic design, illustration, photography, film making, managing exhibitions, commissions and artist residencies for the public realm.
PASSION
ENTHUSIASM
KNOWLEDGE
CURRENT ACTIVITY
Creative Worlds - A Collaboration of Commissions
SPUD 5X5
A Youth Voice and Influence Programme initiative across 5 local authority areas in Hampshire.
The programme aims to:
Offer young people the opportunity for face to face conversations with key stakeholder groups.
Enable young people to engage with a wide range of stakeholders including the construction industry, planners, professional associations and bodies, landscape and heritage interests, academics, government agencies, cultural and community organisations.
Facilitate young people to develop as cultural leaders and influencers in order to ensure that a sustainable legacy from the programme that will make a difference in the long term. Ensure that these groups of young people are reachable by local authority officers for future/further consultation.
Create reference information that can be used by local authorities as a part of future engagement with young people on related issues.
EXBURY EGG
A temporary live/work space for an artist to explore low impact living, sustainability and the ecology of the New Forest.
We are planning to construct and install a temporary live/work space for artist Stephen Turner on the New Forest coast at Exbury. The current land owner, Nicholas de Rothschild is fully supportive of the project and is supporting the project with use of the land, support from estate staff for the preparation and construction process as well as provision of temporary exhibition space, meeting space and public information resources at Exbury Gardens. The structure has come to be known as the ‘Exbury Egg’.
The temporary nature of the building aims to facilitate experimentation and innovation avoiding the pressure that a permanent structure would generate in terms of planning precedents, maintenance, etc. It is likely that a more productive debate will be had if it is understood that the structures are testing possibilities rather than presenting a 'fait accompli'.
The structure will be installed in the estuary of the Beaulieu River and will rise and fall with the tide. The light touch and basic nature of the 'Exbury Egg' aims to re-appraise the way we live; to properly consider sustainably and future use of natural resources.
Stephen Turner is interested in exploring a more ethical relationship with nature, which at the same time reveals the precious and transcendent in everyday life. The artwork created will stem from Stephen’s occupation building through direct experience an understanding of the local natural cycles and processes and the relationship of the environment to the narratives of human activity in the unending calendar of seasonal life.
The ‘Exbury Egg’ will be 'off grid' and aim to be 'carbon neutral', testing current thinking around sustainability e.g. whole-life costing, BREEAM, Code for Sustainable Homes etc. and will be occupied over 12 months to test seasonal resilience. The structure will exploit local materials, recycling and energy efficiency, considering the entire process, including transport, material production and construction methods to minimise fossil fuel use and carbon footprint.
Opportunities for broader community participation with people of all ages will be offered through a series of events, seminars and workshops.
TAKE ONE BUILDING
An exciting new website being developed for a national roll-out, that enables children to learn about significant and historic buildings.
The National Gallery runs a hugely successful programme called 'Take One Picture' , which is used by schools across the country. ‘Take one Building’ is a similar programme that focuses on BUILDINGS rather than paintings.
‘ Take One Building’ is being piloted with 5 buildings in the South East along and The Solent Centre for Architecture + Design plans to launch the programme nationwide with the ambition that every young person is within 10 miles of a Take One Building that they can explore.
How does it work?
Take One Building is an online facility enabling teachers and students to use buildings and the built environment to inspire cross-curricular work in the classroom. They will be able to explore buildings through a variety of media including photographs, videos, maps, plans, elevations, technical drawings, archive material and oral commentary. Schools will have access to a rich resource providing a range of teaching and learning opportunities across the curriculum enabling students to engage with the supplied material and also to upload their own work for the benefit of others.
Who is it aimed at?
Take One Building will be offered to 17,000 primary schools across England, but in reality, will be accessible to anyone who wishes to explore buildings through the internet.
How will it be used?
Take One Building offers ‘virtual’ exploration of a building anywhere in the country without the need to leave the classroom but all the featured buildings will have comprehensive teachers' notes and activities to support an actual study visit to the building. The programme offers ideas for cross curricular activities e.g. technical plans for Maths or Science, origins and use for History or PHSE, design for Art or Literacy .... the permutations are endless! The website will allow teachers to interpret and select the content that is appropriate for their students.
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Name of the Project here
SPUD Group, Unit 26 Bargate Centre, Southampton, SO14 1HF
Phil Smith m: 07940236806
Mark Drury m: 07881950196
