Manchester Met is delighted to offer a 3.5 year fully-funded AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) Collaborative Doctoral Award PhD scholarship that covers tuition fees and an annual stipend set at the minimum UKRI level (currently £15,285 per annum for 2020/21). Study is scheduled to commence in October 2021.
The architectural history of the telephone exchange building does not exist. Partnered by British Telecom Archives and with advisory support from Historic England, this research will examine the organisational structures of the post-war nationalised state and its influence on the design of one of the most ubiquitous, yet overlooked building types in Britain. The research will examine the building typologically and within its governmental context.
The doctoral project researching the architectural and landscape design of twentieth century infrastructure sits within a body of leading research at the Manchester School of Architecture. In 2019, supported by the Paul Mellon Fund, the academic supervisors convened a two-day international workshop, public lecture and conference on this topic. Their established partnerships with BT Archives and HE have identified gaps in knowledge and opportunities to connect both organisations’ archive collections, resulting in AHRC funding for two follow-on projects.
Using infrastructure as a methodological lens enables the exploration of its design as a nexus of architecture, engineering, technology, urbanism and landscape, and offers a novel means to reveal the materially productive qualities of the nationalised state in post-war Britain. The building type has existed for less than 150 years and is likely to all but vanish in the near future as the hardware used in telecommunications has shrunk immeasurably in scale. Exchanges are already being disposed of, either demolished or converted, and this will accelerate as technology advances. This research is timely and will be undertaken whilst this unique national network of buildings still exists.
For an informal discussion, please contact Dr. Richard Brook – [Email Address Removed]
Aims and objectives
The project will make methodological contributions to urban history and inform new ways of thinking about twentieth century infrastructural architecture, beyond its functional and stylistic qualities. Using a mixed-method approach, the student will contribute to national heritage protection priorities for HE and enrich BT’s understanding of the architectural value of its remaining estate. The student will develop a taxonomy of exchange buildings using a typological approach.
Through the research, the student will identify key examples of the building type that are worthy of further study and consideration for protection. Exchange buildings were designed by architects in public office and by private commission. How and why this occurred is unknown. Using novel visualisation techniques to map the state structures and personnel involved in their realisation the student will bring new insight to the mechanics of the nationalised state and its agents.
Specific requirements of the project
The skills required to complete this research are diverse and reflective of the mixed-method and multi-disciplinary context. They include: archival work, surveying, photography, sketching, production of formal drawings, synthesis of data as visual information (possibly inclusive of coding), curation and presentation. The successful candidate will be embedded within the archives by way of induction and training. They will go through the same induction and training processes as a new member of BT Archives staff. This will equip the student with novel insight into the role of the archivist and the structure of the archive holdings. The student will be able to retrieve their own material and will have similar access rights to a full-time member of archive staff.
Essential attributes
- Applicants are expected to have a First Class or Upper Second Class Bachelor Honours degree and/or a Master’s degree (minimum merit, with a minimum overall average of 65%, including 65% in dissertation and no mark below 55%) in architecture, architectural history, urban studies or any other closely related subject
- Capacity to visually synthesise data in the forms of drawings, diagrams and tables
- Skills in both quantitative and qualitative research methods
- Experience of archival study
- Experience of building surveying methods and the ability to produce drawn information in CAD software
- Good photography skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, demonstrating an ability to deal with a wide range of people and stakeholder groups
- Good time management skills and ability to work independently
- Creative, outcome-focused and a sense of initiative
Desirable attributes
- An understanding of post-war British history
- Good photography skills
- Any existing peer-reviewed publications will be considered an advantage
- The applicant should be fully proficient in English
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