When you join a professional learning course at the School of Design, you’ll have the opportunity to learn in specialist studios, laboratories and technical spaces.
Our facilities support hands-on learning, giving you the chance to work with industry-relevant equipment, explore materials and processes, test ideas and apply what you learn to real-world challenges. Depending on your course, you may work directly in our specialist labs and studios, developing practical skills alongside experienced academics and technical specialists.
You’ll learn in an environment that reflects the technologies, processes and challenges of contemporary design and textile industries, giving you the opportunity to experiment, build practical skills and apply what you learn to your own professional context.
In our Nonwovens Lab, you can explore how fibres are transformed into nonwoven materials using a range of small-scale manufacturing processes.
You’ll have the opportunity to investigate different fibre types, web-forming techniques and bonding methods, including dry-laid, spun-laid and wet-laid processes, as well as mechanical, chemical and thermal bonding. Through demonstrations, you can better understand how manufacturing choices influence the structure and performance of nonwoven materials.
Our fibre-spinning facilities give you the opportunity to explore how fibres, filaments and yarns can be developed for specific applications and performance requirements.
Depending on your course, you may work with wet- and melt-spinning processes and explore how different materials and processing conditions influence the properties of the resulting fibres and filaments. This provides practical insight into developing materials for applications across fashion, sport, medical, protective and other technical sectors.
Our specialist materials testing, colour and chemistry laboratories give you the opportunity to investigate how materials perform when they are tested, analysed and compared.
You can develop practical experience in evaluating physical and mechanical performance, colour properties, biodegradability, chemical composition and structure, and sustainability. Working with specialist equipment and analytical techniques, you’ll gain insight into how materials are assessed and how testing can inform product development and material selection.
Our fashion studios provide dedicated spaces where you can develop practical skills across a range of textile and garment-making processes.
Depending on your course, you may have the opportunity to explore spinning, knitting, weaving and sewing, using specialist equipment to turn concepts and materials into textile and garment prototypes. The facilities let you experiment, make and test ideas while building a practical understanding of textile production and construction.
Our Rain Room provides a unique opportunity to explore how textiles and products perform in controlled, simulated rainfall conditions.
You can investigate water repellence and weather resistance and, where relevant to your course, explore complementary performance testing such as breathability, spray testing and hydrostatic resistance. This hands-on experience can help you understand how products are tested in practice and how material and design choices influence performance in challenging conditions.
Our Digital Innovation Labs give you the opportunity to explore how people interact with products, services and experiences using a combination of design, behavioural science and immersive technologies.
You can gain practical experience with technologies such as eye-tracking, extended reality (XR) and heat mapping, using them to investigate user behaviour and understand how people respond to different designs and environments. This gives you the opportunity to apply research and design methods in a practical, user-focused setting.
Our print and digital fabrication studios give you access to a range of technologies for developing, making and testing ideas.
You can explore processes including 3D printing, laser cutting, digital printing and screen printing, depending on your course requirements. These facilities give you opportunities to experiment with different approaches to making, develop prototypes and build confidence using technologies relevant to contemporary design and production.
Our photography and filming studios offer professional-grade equipment for a wide range of multimedia applications. We specialise in creating educational, promotional and social content, from short-form videos to longer-form projects, animations and motion graphics.
We provide professional video and photography services tailored to your needs. This includes two fully equipped video and photography studios for versatile production needs, plus an audio booth for high-quality voiceover recordings.
Our specialist teaching room provides a dedicated, flexible space for professional learning, supporting group discussions, practical workshops and interactive teaching. Its adaptable layout accommodates a range of learning activities, from focused discussions and presentations to hands-on workshops and collaborative problem-solving.
Designed for professional learning, the room provides a comfortable, engaging environment where you can share ideas, work with colleagues and apply new knowledge through practical activities. You’ll have the opportunity to develop new knowledge and skills alongside fellow professionals, experienced academics and technical specialists.
