Expanding Spatial Practice introduces key ideas and issues in the changing debates on space and spatial practice. It uses case studies to examine a range of contemporary and historical examples that integrate knowledge and methods from other fields. The module critically examines practices that adopt cross-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary approaches, including artistic, architectural, urban, performative, and curatorial practice. It also encourages exploration of written work and examples of other practices that take collaborative and participatory approaches. The module aims to help students identify ways of expanding spatial practice beyond disciplinary boundaries in preparation for further study on the course, while also proposing, developing, and implementing their research projects.

Module I
Spatial Practice Proposition

Learn to contextualise historical and theoretical perspectives that underpin spatial practice. This module encourages exploration of new areas for investigation and critical enquiry by engaging deeply with contemporary social, cultural, political, and ecological issues, as well as current public debates and policies. Students critically analyse a range of conceptual, theoretical, and technical frameworks concerning space, with particular attention to cross-, intra-, and trans-disciplinary methodological approaches to spatial practice. The module enables the development of knowledge to formulate a theory- and practice-led project proposal, which expands spatial practice, informs the choice of option modules, and provides the basis for individual research in the field.

Module II
Spatial Practice Development

Develop the skills needed to carry out and synthesize rigorous research in response to the proposed area of enquiry. Students work on innovative and ambitious projects that address clearly identified issues, challenges, and opportunities. Projects can fit different categories including, but not limited to, artefacts, devices and products, exhibitions, installations, events, performances, digital media, and written work. The work produced in this module provides the basis for the project’s implementation in the self-directed module. 

Module III
Spatial Practice Implementation

This module develops the skills to organize expanded spatial practices, enabling students to realize and communicate a high-quality project. This includes producing the documentation and dissemination of outputs for specialist and non-specialist audiences. Projects can take various formats including, but not limited to, artefacts, devices and products, exhibitions, installations, events, performances, digital media, or written work. The module encourages the development of collaborative skills, including interpersonal, interprofessional, organizational, and networking skills, as well as the capability to lead and work with multi-disciplinary teams and complex organizations. It fosters initiative and self-direction, further develops research skills and intellectual autonomy, and enhances the ability to work independently and collaboratively in the expanded field of spatial practice. The module also develops critical awareness of ethical principles, strong professional values, and understanding of codes of conduct, encouraging reflection on and responsibility for individual and collective outputs.

Sarah Mills 

Sarah is an architect and head of Leeds School of Architecture at Leeds Beckett University. She studied architecture at the Architectural Association, London (AA Dipl) and completed the Professional Practice in Architecture at The Bartlett, UCL. She is currently External Examiner for the Master of Architecture course at Cambridge University (2023-2027),  Professional Examiner for the Professional Practice, RIBA Part 3 exams at The Bartlett, UCL (2019-), a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a member of SCHOSA. Sarah has co-led the design research unit ‘Cinematic Commons’ since 2013, engaging in international collaborations, exhibitions and research workshops (Mumbai, Mexico City, Tokyo, Marseille, London). Sarah’s research reconsiders future models of interdisciplinary practice and the relationship between architecture and film in challenging urban conditions. 

Lara Rettondini 

Lara Rettondini is Course Director in the Leeds School of Architecture at Leeds Beckett University. Previously, she held teaching and leadership roles at the University of Westminster, the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), Central Saint Martins (UAL), and Kingston University. Lara is a registered architect, was the co-director of London-based practice Studio X Design Group and is Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.  Lara is presently undertaking a PhD in the Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy (CRMEP) at Kingston University. Her project focuses on the formation of autonomous subjectivity in the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Antonio Gramsci, and Michel Foucault, and on the role that discipline, and self-discipline play in such process.  

Elena Palacios Carral 

Elena Palacios Carral is a Director of the research and design practice Forms of Living based in London. She earned her PhD at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in 2023. Her research focused on a critical examination of the typology of the studio as a space that integrates domestic living with intellectual work. Elena defines this as the “studioification of the home," a process with both economic and architectural dimensions that has normalised the precarity experienced by home-based workers. Elena is currently developing a research study on the life and work of British-American architect MJ Long and Mexican architect Ruth Rivera Marín. She is a Design Fellow at the University of Cambridge, a Design Tutor Master at the Architectural Association, a lecturer at the University of Leeds, and a dissertation tutor at Central Saint Martins.  

Matthew Haycocks 

Matthew is a senior lecturer at Leeds School of Arts and teaches on the MA Expanded Spatial Practices. His background in making and design practice informs research into the politics of heritage, creative approaches to heritage in the built environments and the uses of fiction in the interpretation of the past in public spaces. 

Lola Lozano Lara 

Lola is an architect and researcher. Her latest research focuses on domestic space and typology through the notion of proximity in Mexico City. She teaches Architecture at several UK universities, including Dip13 at the AA, Studio 3.4 at Cambridge University, and is a lecturer at Leeds Becket University Interior Architecture programme. Lola is a director of the design and research practice Forms of Living. 

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