It was an exhilarating day for our KS5 Built Environment learners where they presented their final critique session in front of industry experts at a real-life architecture studio.

Working closely with the friendly folks from Holland and Harvey Architects and the Royal Institution of British Architects (RIBA), the objective of this Employer-Led Program aims to revive Stroudley Walk, a dying high street in Bow, East London by developing a building and surrounding public realm that supports elements of community use.

In the span of the 4-month project, LDE learners have understood and applied the RIBA work stages used by professional architects into their individual projects. These include Strategic Definition, Project and Sustainability Outcomes, Concept Design as well as Spatial Coordination amongst others. 

Sophie Draper, Learning Manager of Schools and Young People at RIBA, who has been incredibly supportive from the inception stage of this project commented, “The Learners really came through and created some amazing work, the quality of their projects were brilliant! I hope they’re feeling very proud of themselves and enjoyed working with industry practitioners”. 

16 of our aspiring architects took on this challenge and below are the Top 5, with their winning projects: 

Ollie - Winner of Most Eco-friendly Project 

Ollie’s commitment to environmental issues, celebrating biodiversity and green energy won him the Most Eco-friendly Project. His creation was an “interactive” environment around a community centre that promotes the arts and culture. The smart building has its own solar panels on the green roof and features a luscious living wall that not only act as a natural insulator but provide the area with colour through the cold weather. An aquatic plant pond laps the building that is aesthetically remarkable and will encourage the increase of wildlife to the area, attracting dragonflies, frogs and more.

Adam – Excellence in Visualisation 

Adam was one of the learners who made use of 3D-printing technology for his architecture models to showcase the spatial qualities in his project, celebrating the historical context of the site. He mixes the old with the new by incorporating the existing iconic arches of Stroudley Walk into his design and brings them into the 21st Century. Adam designed with the community in mind and is adamant about retaining the “genius loci” (spirit of place) of the area.   

Rudolf – Community Engagement Award 

Rudolf’s clever use of the shadows aims to provide prospect and refuge to the users in this project “Stroudley Shadow”. He draws his inspiration from the beautiful shadows that change throughout the day. His artistic sculpture is both a playground and a meeting point providing comfort and shelter, and a place where people gather. Rudolf is a firm believer in “People makes places” and community spirit is the key to providing a safe haven for children to play.

Monique – Best Speaker 

Winning the Best Speaker came as a surprise to Monique herself, “I never knew that I would be good at public speaking, but I think having an in-depth knowledge of my own project gave me the confidence to communicate my design intentions to the judges”. Her project makes use of colourful paving to inject much needed liveliness to the area as well as serve as a wayfinding tool to facilitate navigations to the users.  Director of Holland and Harvey Architects, Jonathan Harvey commented, “I thought overall the quality of work from the learners was excellent. The conversation around the wider issues was engaged and meaningful. Their proposals were creative and they were resourceful in finding ways to communicate their ideas”. 

Gabe – BEST PROJECT and Excellence in Place Regeneration Award

Gabe emerged as the overall winner and took home the Best Project and Excellence in Place Regeneration Award. Entitled “The Never-Ending Flow”, Gabe’s project wowed the judges with a river-like water feature that links across the site with the intention of drawing people into the area. It will also drive economic development with residential and retail spaces that will both rejuvenate the area and create employment opportunities. Gabe wanted to bring light to this neglected area, providing a place where the community and visitors alike can express themselves and be free. 

Senior Architect and Judge Chloe Anderson explains why Gabe’s scheme is the deserving winner, “Gabe’s poetic project title set the scene perfectly and he wove this narrative impressively through his presentation. He used a sophisticated and sensitive approach towards both the site and the local community and we were impressed at how he reflected on his design development to progress his final proposal”. 

By Andrew Tan, Design and Built Environment Teacher