S[q]WOTting Between Academia and Practice

S[q]WOT was a live project in 2013-14 between three architecture postgraduates and multidisciplinary design students from Birmingham City University, United Kingdom. The project aimed to foster a community of resourceful students with experience of collaborating with different disciplines, real clients and consultants, and working with real materials, costs and risk. The alumni facilitated the project as a research micro-practice, aiming to erode the gap between education and practice. This paper explores the inception, process and outcomes of S[q]WOT including: the value of multidisciplinary collaboration; learning through observing; as well as making; using social space as a tool for creativity and engagement; the complexities of alumni working with students on a live project; and the challenges of establishing and incubating practice within a university setting.