Planning permission has been granted for Manchester Metropolitan University’s low-carbon fashion hub.
Announced last year, the £4m Robotics Living Lab, will use collaborative and soft robotics and agile tooling to support local and sustainable production. The focus will be on high-value, low-volume fashion production.
Based at the University’s Manchester Fashion Institute (MFI), the low-carbon timber and straw pavilion has been designed by Bennetts Associates. The single-storey building, will provide an adaptable and functional workspace and exhibition and events space for the Robotics Living Lab to promote and showcase its work and research.
“I am delighted to be working with Bennetts Associates to develop a low-carbon design for the work in progress space. This beautiful structure will help support us in showcasing and drawing attention to the important work of the lab,” said Susan Postlethwaite, Professor of Fashion Technologies at MFI and Director of RoLL.
“The lab will support new research in collaboration with small businesses to bring back fashion manufacturing to the UK, using new technologies to develop innovative, new, carbon neutral and sustainable fashion technologies.”
Sam Gills, architect at Bennetts Associates, added:
“The pavilion meets Manchester Metropolitan University’s climate commitments entirely, embedding circularity and low-carbon design whilst also acting as a landmark space on its All Saints campus for fashion designers and manufacturers.”
