MADE to last
Students in the West Midlands have been getting to grips with sustainability in the built environment thanks to MADE’s education programme, supported by the Ove Arup Foundation.
A flurry of activity in the past year from the Birmingham-based architecture and built-environment centre has seen students:
A 15-strong group of 14-19-year-olds initially seized the opportunity to work alongside planners and architects at the CABE Urban Design Summer School.
After learning about good design practice on a series of site visits, the students were then asked to develop plans to regenerate Birmingham's Ashted Locks and Wholesale Markets. They created models for new ‘urban playgrounds’, mixing residential with leisure and commercial uses. The models commanded positive feedback from fellow students, and will be exhibited at The Lighthouse in Glasgow (10 September 2010 to 15 January 2011)
After the CABE Summer School, the MADE delegates spent at The Public in West Bromwich. Working in small teams, students took photographs and videos and uploaded them onto Stickyworld, a web-based consultation tool developed by architect practice Slider Studio.
On the final day of the programme, students learned about the history of Park Central, a resident-led housing estate in central Birmingham, where excellent design matters.
Some 70 young people aged 11-17 — most studying for a Diploma or BTEC in Construction and the Built Environment — spent a morning following Harper Adams University College’s Sustainable Technologies Trail. They saw a traditional brick-built milking parlour that had been converted into a low-energy food technology centre, and studied Display Energy Certificates.
They explored the naturally-ventilated Bamford Library, with its thermal mass of concrete, monitoring systems for internal and external temperatures and wind speed, and automatic window-operating system.
One student commented, “I’ve really enjoyed today, it’s been really interesting learning how things work. We’ve been talking at school about making a garden that’s eco-friendly”
Another set of students, from Year 7 at Ercall Wood Technology College, turned to more familiar turf for their creative activities. An underused and isolated wildlife garden in the college grounds was the target for regeneration into something more useful for the syllabus.
Coordinated by MADE, the students worked with architect Alison Davies and creative professional Jeremy Brown to analyse the site and work to real-life architectural specifications. They identified constraints and opportunities, worked with maps and aerial photos to create a topographic model, and went on to develop the design brief, and sketch a plan with outline costings. Visits to Penn Hall School in Wolverhampton (pictured) and Telford Town Park were arranged to provide inspiration for the project.
The garden, previously forgotten by teachers and students alike, is now central to science, engineering and design studies at the college.
.jpg) To complement the wildlife garden project, a group of Year 8 students set about creating a quieter, more reflective space at the college. Again working with Alison Davies, they explored sacred spaces in Birmingham. In Art, Maths and Religious Education classes, students planned the garden, considered emotional responses to design, and organised a tour of real-life spaces in Birmingham designed for contemplation and reflection.
One student commented, "I've learned that small ideas can be turned into the biggest things."
As part of their Building Schools for the Future involvement, students from Lord Silkin School, Telford were given the opportunity to work with an architect and interior designer to develop and air their views.
Visits to landmark redevelopments in Birmingham brought positive reactions, most particularly to the renovated Fort Dunlop building and Summerfield Eco Neighbourood.
In the classroom, they used Design Quality Indicators to assess the quality of the existing site, and researched sustainable building techniques.
All of these projects were aimed to bring students fully into a hands-on role in the development of potential real-life projects, engaging with them, and getting them to engage with the real-life considerations. The aim was for the students to build confidence and develop skills in an area that has been a touchstone in the education of their generation, and which will become increasingly important in the future. |
