OSA Magazine
OSA's Story
OSA (Oxford School of Architecture) is a student-led magazine based at Oxford Brookes University. We aim to provoke conversations that surround relevant topics for architecture today through both visual and written materials. Thanks to our Sponsors, we have come to grow each year and develop a stronger body of work collaboratively with Architecture Students from various schools.
The Oxford School of Architecture at Oxford Brookes is one of the largest schools of Architecture in the country, with over six hundred students from undergraduate through to PhD candidates and beyond. The size of the school means we have a huge variety of agendas being pursued by students, from our humanitarian programmes in Development & Emergency Practice, through to formal and representational investigations found in Advanced Architectural Design. To find out more about Architecture at Oxford Brookes University, head over to the School of Architecture page.
As students with different interests, we started this magazine in order to give our peers a platform on which they could publish their work and encourage the cross-pollination of ideas.
We publish two issues a year: the first surrounds a topic or theme that’s relevant to the state of the art, the second includes an open-content narrative and a selection of the most competitive projects produced within that year.
Our print editions are printed at a local business in Oxford that specialises in producing RISO prints, an eco-friendly alternative to digital printing which gives our magazine its unique look and feel.
Who Makes OSA?
Since its conception in 2014, OSA magazine has been exclusively edited and curated by a dedicated team of undergraduate and postgraduate architecture students.
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The majority of our content are original or edited submissions from fellow students, however we make space in each issue for alumni and selected contributors from other Schools of Architecture around the world, helping to situate the work of our school into an international dialogue.
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Our ultimate goal is to inspire students to pursue their dreams instead of mere grades, providing a healthy mind-set through teamwork and collaboration in the process of design of the magazine layouts and content.
Meet the Team
for 2021/2022
Hi, my name is Alice, I am one of the Co-editors-in-chief of OSA for this year. I am a second year MArchD student, having completed my undergrad at the University of Sheffield. I am interested in architectural regeneration and was part of the IARD unit in my first year. This year I am looking at how we can make architecture more resilient in the face of shocks and stresses, such as the climate crisis.
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Outside of studies, I am on the Brookes Water polo team as well as working part time for an architecture firm.
I'm Ashling, and I am the also Co-editor-in-chief for the magazine this year. I am currently completing the second year of the MArchD at Oxford Brookes. I previously studied my Part 1 and have an MA in International Architectural Regeneration and Development. In my year out, I worked as a Part 1 at a company named Barton Willmore in Reading.
As well as studying I work part-time and enjoy keeping active with ladies' rugby.
Hiya! My name is Emily and I am the social media director for the magazine this year. I am currently in my final year of MArchD Architecture at Brookes, and studied IARD in year one.
I am very interested in designing for resilience and the role of architects in the climate crisis - how we can design buildings and places that are sustainable, adaptable and beautiful. I am intrigued by the use of bio-materals in design as an innovative approach to reducing the human impact on the world and reducing our carbon footprints.
I spend my time outside architecture dancing, going to the gym and sketching.
I’m Stef, I am a second year masters student and the Chief Graphic Designer for OSA magazine this year. Having studied my Part 1 at Oxford Brookes, I decided to come back and pursue my interest in the preservation and protection of heritage, specialising in International Architectural Regeneration and Development.
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Outside of architecture, I enjoy running and recently completed the Oxford Half Marathon.
Hi I’m Alana, and I am in my final year of masters and also completed my undergraduate at Oxford Brookes. I have an interest in heritage and conservation and worked in this area during my part 1. Whilst at Brookes I have been able to develop my critical stance on current treatment of historic architecture and hope to apply this in the profession when I graduate. I am part of the editorial team at OSA as I believe in the power of carefully chosen words to distribute knowledge and ideas.
When not studying I enjoying visiting art galleries or museums, as well as taking part in outdoor pursuits such as climbing and kayaking.