Northumbria University degree show 2009

Fri, 26 Jun 2009

Newcastle and cars: for many, that phrase brings to mind the 1971 British cult gangster movie ‘Get Carter', starring Michael Caine. The city isn't obviously associated with cars and the Trinity Centre car park famously used in the movie is about to be demolished as part of major regeneration work that the city has seen over the last 15 years.

Northumbria University's magnificent new School of Design, which opened just two years ago, is a typical example of the exciting architecture now emerging in this city and CDN decided to pay a visit to catch up with this fast-developing UK design school. Part of the overall exhibition covering Design for Industry, Interior Design, Fashion Design, Graphics and Multimedia courses, this year's degree show - entitled 'Reveal 09' - showcased 17 students' work from the four-year Transportation Design BA course.

Open Source Transportation
Adam Walker

This was one of several projects that explored biomimicry, an increasingly fashionable theme amongst car design students right now. The base chassis uses biomechanical principles from a shark's cartilage backbone and combines it with an alloy/GRP skin, as used on jumbo jets. The gas-filled chassis takes inspiration from a toucan's beak, being light yet massive. Shape memory alloys combined with heating elements can activate the alloy memory and the onboard repair system. Although no finished physical model was shown, a small 1/24th scale SLA model was displayed to show the ideas.

McLaren Bc17 Hybrid
Chris Loydall

Having done an internship at CGI, where he completed contract work for McLaren last summer, Loydall decided to continue his links for his final project - a hybrid road car similar to the forthcoming McLaren P11 model. Another project inspired by nature, this concept uses molecular cells as a recurring theme, used in the weave of the composite skin panels, tail lamps, air intakes and graphics. The apparent chaotic nature of the cells is said to be optimized to suit the strength requirements at specific points in this new 'plastic steel' material.

Electric Le Mans car
Chris Pinches

Continuing the race team theme, this project proposes a generic Le Mans shape, such as a Lola, and uses it to act as a canvas for a new brand, for instance Virgin. "I didn't want it to be too different, I didn't want to alienate spectators," said Pinches. The painted clay model featured intakes for downforce rather than cooling, and batteries spread low around the floor.

Lamborghini concept
Ross Sedgley

Following on from the Estoque last year, this project takes cues from the Espada, a fitting inspiration as Sedgely did an internship with David Wilkie at Stile Bertone last summer. "An amazing experience," Sedgely told CDN. The painted clay model has some novel features, such as a trunk that is accessed via a butterfly opening in the roof and large intakes in the rear flanks, even if these are largely superfluous: the car features a front-mounted engine.

Continues →

By Nick Hull