Newcastle College Design Talk: Sharing practical design and decision-making in the real world.
Following on from sessions in 2025, it was great to be back at Newcastle College. We had a really insightful session with the Level 6 Interior Design students at Newcastle College University Centre.
Aptus Social Value Lead Anna Saunders and Polly Dodsworth, Lead Interior Designer on Durant Hall, shared three live Aptus projects and opened up the conversation around designing for listed buildings, adaptive reuse, planning approvals and the coordination needed across clients, consultants and delivery teams. The students asked fantastic, thoughtful questions, especially around user experience and how design decisions shape the longevity of a space.
Thank you to Nagham El Elani and the team for inviting us back, and for your kind words. It’s always a pleasure to support emerging designers in the region, and to share some of the thinking that helps navigate common challenges in heritage and refurbishment projects.
‘I would like to thank Anna Sanders and Polly Dodsworth from Aptus for their lovely presentation to our Interior Design students Newcastle College University Centre.
This year, they visited our Level 6 cohort and spoke about three of their latest projects. They shared valuable insights into working with listed buildings, highlighting the complexity of such projects and the importance of careful coordination.
It was an eye-opener for students, giving them a better understanding of how Interior Designers navigate planning approvals and the RIBA stages.
Anna and Poppy also visited us last year and presented their work then. The picture shown here is from that visit. It was wonderful to see you again — thank you both for your continued support and commitment to our students.’