Last updated on November 27th, 2024

In the Pilot Green webinar on Nov 7^th 2024, MUrCS staff Eeva Aarrevaara and Cornelius Scherzer contributed with presentations. A current MUrCS student, Arsalan Makinian (MUrCS 2023), participated in the arrangements of the webinar – he was searching for interesting visitors and made agreements with them.

Last updated on November 25th, 2024

MUrCS got a high ranking for carbon footprint in Website Carbon Calculator! The dynamic calculation badge is shown in the page footer.

Last updated on November 25th, 2024

Recent MUrCS graduates, Sawn Yee Tun Lwin and Ankur Negi who won the 2024 NBS EduWORLD hackathon (see news item on 11 April 2024) recently travelled to Brussels to showcase their work at the Network Nature Annual event.

MUrCS students visiting Huelva’s old town guided by the architect association.

Last updated on November 25th, 2024

MUrCS Cohort 5 completed all requirements of their programme, including thesis presentation and viva recently and have graduated today on September 20 2024!

Last updated on November 25th, 2024

MUrCS Cohort 7 commenced their studies at GCU on 16 September 2024 with a week of Induction activities.

A blog by MUrCS student Jarin Tasnim Oyshi (supervised by Eeva Aarrevaara) was nominated as the best article from LAB Technology faculty 2023 – the third most read in the category of Circular economy! It was evaluated to be an excellent description connecting education and RDI work as well as regional effectiveness and international education. It also contains illustrations which are clearly connected with the text.

Read the blog here!

Transformative Power of European Cities and Regions
Designing the Future in Times of Uncertainty
International Perspectives.

Read the MUrCS presentation

Rand Hamdallah and Jonie Agas, have been awarded the 3^rd Prize in the Tactical Urbanism NOW! IV international design competition in Milan. They write:

Our proposal was inspired by our winter experience in Finland. It’s a privilege to apply the urbanism strategies we learned in MUrCS on an international platform, which is why we also share this success to our professors who imparted your knowledge to us.

Here is a short project description about our entry (click images to open and enlarge):

The Nordic region’s extensive winter significantly reduces outdoor activities and community engagement for nearly half the year. Located in Lahti, Finland, the DeFROST initiative reimagines urban winters by transforming Pikku-Vesijärvi Park into an engaging space during these cold months.

While thriving as a recreational oasis in the summer, the park remains largely dormant and underutilized from September to May due to prolonged snow cover. The area’s significant immigrant population also adds diversity to the challenge of enhancing community connection and integration.

DeFROST rejuvenates urban life during the long winter months by leveraging thermogenesis, the body’s natural response to physical movement. This process helps maintain internal body temperature, making outdoor environments more bearable during the extended winters.

Activity-filled cubes, interconnected by a walkway, encourage urban interaction. Signage placed every 2 kilometers along the walkway helps visitors monitor their warmth gain, based on the average time needed to increase body temperature by 1°C during a 25-minute walk at a moderate pace.

The cubes are thematic, divided into three categories: social, environmental, and leisure. Social cubes focus on language, music, art, culture, and self-expression; environmental cubes emphasize recycling; and leisure cubes provide spaces for exercise, games, relaxation, and meditation. Each cube features a modular system designed for easy detachment, relocation, and customization according to user requirements.

The design strategy is incremental, starting with a test phase in the park to assess impact and adapt based on community feedback. With a successful pilot, DeFROST aims to scale up, expanding to other Nordic cities.

Tactical Urbanism Now IV Results