Reimagining 15 Park End Street with Oxford Brookes University Interior Architecture Students

Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of welcoming 2nd year Interior Architecture students from Oxford Brookes University to Fusion Arts at 15 Park End Street! As part of their latest project, the students are taking on Fusion Arts as their fictional client—imagining new possibilities for our space. It was an inspiring opportunity to connect with future designers and explore fresh perspectives on how community spaces in Oxford can evolve.

The students were eager to learn about Fusion—our history, journey across Oxford, team structure, and ambitions in the arts and community. We spent the morning sharing insights to Fusion's history and how we operate as a project-based organisation whilst items from the Fusion archive were passed around.

As a student, it's great to have a brief that involves a real-life design problem and get feedback from stakeholders. The project seems to have real potential in inspiring the way the building will be shaped.

2nd year Interior Architecture student, Oxford Brookes University

Euton Daley shared his experience working on transforming the Pegasus Theatre building from an old canteen to a thriving space for creativity. Team members also discussed various Fusion projects working directly within the community, as well as the diverse way 95 Gloucester Green was utilised as a central hub.

The workshop at Fusion was a very useful experience—not only to learn more about Fusion itself but also to meet the members and have a glimpse of the work they do as individuals. It’s quite nice to see that Oxford has places like Fusion where the arts feel more accessible and truly part of the community. Overall, it was a welcoming experience useful to our design brief and also to personal life.

2nd year Interior Architecture student, Oxford Brookes University

The session also led to an interesting dialogue between the tutors and Fusion team, with students engaging in thoughtful discussions, asking insightful questions, and sharing their own reflections.

Understanding the site and client is a vital part of the design process. The Fusion team provided rich insights into their heritage, community, and values. I felt extremely welcome at Fusion Arts and I'm certainly looking forward to this project ahead.

2nd year Interior Architecture student, Oxford Brookes University

During their lunch break, students were encouraged to explore the Gloucester Green site. In the afternoon, they split into small groups and took turns digging into our archives, exploring the building, and presenting their last semester’s work on 15 Park End Street—including documentation of their wearable devices project.