Bournemouth University commissioned Feria Urbanism to explore the implications of the ‘fusion’ concept in the design of a new university building.

This concept is central to Bournemouth University’s strategy and is essentially “the combination of teaching, research and professional practice”, which when fused together creates greater value than the constituent parts.

Our work began by engaging university staff to understand what the concept meant to them in both professional and personal ways — interpreting these answers in terms of the architecture and space-planning implications.

Our project sought to find out more about what these spaces might look and feel like, and the results formed part of the design brief for project architects BDP.

The Fusion Building is located on the Talbot Campus and has been operational since 2016.