From Group to Lab: Growing a Community of Care and Collaboration
Blog by Ruchit Purohit (Research Associate, Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge and Trustee, The Cambridge Room)
In October 2025, we celebrated the launch of the Community Design Research Lab (CDRL), a significant milestone in our journey from the Community Design Research Group (CDRG). This transformation marks our growing commitment to fostering community‑driven research and innovation.
From Research Group to Research Lab
Our story began in January 2024, when we formed the CDRG, bringing together researchers from the Departments of Architecture at the University of Cambridge, the University of Reading, and Anglia Ruskin University. Our group included Master's, Doctoral, and Postdoctoral researchers working on projects that involved engaging directly with communities. For example: Gloria working on the Happy Homes Project; Seyda and Zhuozhang working on The Cambridge Room project; Kewei and Caitlin working to the Public Map project; Gustav working with DemocracyNext; Violeta working on StoryLab; Charlie on Resilience Web; and so on.
We called this the Community Design Research Group because our work sat at the intersection of these three areas. What started as an informal space to chat, share research ideas, discuss careers, raise questions, or simply grab a coffee soon grew into a supportive network. The life of a researcher can be lonely, and meeting once a month, supported by a WhatsApp group, became an important ritual.
Over time, some of us stayed in the same roles, while others completed their projects and moved on to new opportunities at different universities or organisations. Today, although we are spread across institutions, including the University of Luxembourg, London College of Communication, Hasselt University, Tsinghua University in Beijing, and the University of Aberdeen, we continue to meet monthly. Our network is now truly global.
Securing Funding and Launching the Lab
In April 2025, we took up an opportunity from the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH) to apply for funding, and we were fortunate to receive it. This support allowed us to officially establish the CDRL.
Our launch event in October 2025 featured a compelling discussion between Flora Samuel (Head of Department and Professor of Architecture at the University of Cambridge) and Tina Saaby (Sir Arthur Marshall Visiting Professor in Sustainable Urban Design for 2025–2026). They explored the importance of participatory methodologies in architecture and the built environment, and highlighted the need for multidisciplinary approaches. The conversation emphasised the significance of community‑focused research and the value of testing diverse methodologies, including live action research, within academic practice. As the former City Architect of Copenhagen (2010–2019), Tina shared examples from her influential work shaping urban development in Denmark.
The mission of CDRL
The CDRL aims to host events that actively involve the community, reaching beyond traditional academic circles. While we will organise some seminar‑style sessions to share our findings, most of our activities will engage directly with communities. We invite anyone involved in community, design, or research to join us. Please subscribe to our mailing list for updates, as some events will be in‑person and others hybrid: https://lists.cam.ac.uk/sympa/info/ucam-cdrl
Although most events will take place in Cambridge, we are open to exploring other locations. If you have ideas for hosting a session or talk, we would love to hear from you. Our base is the Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge, and The Cambridge Room (Unit 55, Grafton Centre), but we are committed to working closely with communities and going to them.
We have several events planned for the next four months (see the programme below), keep an eye out for more details, and don’t forget to subscribe!
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People, Power, and Planning: Understanding Cambridge’s planning system and your role in it.
Lead: Lilly Adamo
Date: 23 March 2026 Time: 17:30–18:30
Type: Seminar + Discussion
Venue: The Cambridge Room, Grafton Centre
More details: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/people-power-and-planning-tickets-1983229818775
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Mapping Mill Road: Findings and discussion from Mill Road map survey
Lead: Zhuozhang Li
Date: 24 March 2026 Time: 18:00–19:00
Type: Workshop + Talk
Venue: Mill Road Community Centre
More details: https://www.cambridgeroom.org/projects/whats-your-mill-road
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The ‘Living’ Cambridge Room: An imaginative storytelling space where visitors help shape the story of the city.
Lead: Ummiye Seyda
Date: 30 March 2026 Time: 10:00–14:00
Type: Drop‑in Workshop
Venue: Alison Richards Building
More details: https://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/48959/
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Visual Methodologies in Community Engagement in Planning: Artist‑led workshop exploring visual tools in participatory planning
Leads: Zhuozhang Li & Minna Sunnika‑Blank
Date: 15 May 2026 Time: 14:00–18:00
Type: Panel Discussion + Exhibition
Venue: CRASSH building
More details: https://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/49149/
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A three‑part series examining the city at eye level through seminars, walks, and discussions.
Part 1 — Module I: The City’s Spaces and Frameworks – Building a Common Language
Date: 13 May 2026 Time: 17:30–19:00
Venue: The Cambridge Room + Cambridge City
Part 2 — Module II: Out in the Real World
Date: 20 May 2026 Time: 17:30–19:00
Venue: The Cambridge Room + Cambridge City
Part 3 — Module III: Urban Development in Practice – Your Opportunity to Influence
Date: 21 May 2026 Time: 17:30–19:00
Venue: The Cambridge Room + Cambridge City
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Diffractive Design‑Intervention (DDI) as Counter‑Cultural Possibility: Exploring public participation with more‑than‑human perspectives
Leads: Gustav Nielsen, Caitlin Shepherd & Violeta Tsenova
Community Partner: Water Sensitive Cambridge
Date: 25 May 2026 Time: TBA
Type: Guided walk along the River Cam
Venue: River Cam
More details: Coming soon
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Future‑proofing Housing in Cambridge: Community‑centred housing retrofit approaches
Leads: Gloria Vargas Palma & Leonardo Ricaurte
Date: Autumn 2026 Time / Venue: TBA
More details: Coming soon
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Architecture and Public Health: Exploring connections between built environment and wellbeing.
Leads: Hélène Solvay & Olivia Alliott
Date: Autumn 2026 / Early 2027 Time / Venue: TBA
More details: Coming soon
More details about CDRL:
Our common aim in CDRL and Urban Rooms is to humanise the planning and consultation process, and to introduce care to the process so that it could be more inclusive and plural in a way that cultivates and leverages the political energies of ordinary citizens.
As a starting point, one of the questions that the CDRG would like to focus is: How can we go beyond existing ways of collaboration and engagement in a way to dismantle existing power hierarchies and introduce care in the process?
The purpose of the Community Design Research Group (CDRG) is to function as a research system aimed at generating a positive impact on communities. Our world and society are complex systems and to make a positive change we aim to operate as a research system inside the community to identify key leverage points for positive change.
As a system, the CDRG comprises three components: (1) elements, (2) interconnections, and (3) a function or purpose. The elements are ordinary citizens, the community and our multidisciplinary group from various research areas (sub-systems). CDRG's main purpose is to empower communities by creating a platform where they can take agency. Our work is driven by the pursuit of resilient, adaptable, and anti-fragile communities. Our primary function is the application of research knowledge and innovation directly to the community.
https://www.arct.cam.ac.uk/research/research-groups/community-design-research-lab
