Open studio Afternoon at Allford Hall Monaghm Morris

In an event celebrating the London Festival of Architecture, young people aged 15-19 gathered at Allford Hall Monaghm Morris's headquarters for a day filled with architectural exploration and hands-on activities. The event featured engaging sessions, including VR experiences, LEGO challenges, sketching on the rooftop, a sustainability lecture, and model-making demonstrations, providing invaluable insights into the world of architecture. 

The session began with an introduction from senior architect Kit, who shared his diverse vocational background spanning London to Sri Lanka and highlighted the architectural projects AHMM has been involved in, including The Post Buildings, Soho Place and New Scotland Yard.   The attendees were then divided into groups and to enjoy various activities. In the LEGO challenge, they collaborated with industry professionals to construct the longest bridge structure in a limited amount of time, fostering teamwork and receiving expert guidance.  

The VR session introduced the digital design department's role in the architectural process, discussing the application of VR technology to showcase ideas to clients and colleagues. Learners experienced this amazing technology exploring by Kew Gardens' palm house- a recent project of AHMM.  

On the office rooftop, the young architects unleashed their creativity through sketching exercises. Starting with warm-up activities, they observed their surroundings and captured them in quick sketches and progressed to depicting the captivating city skyline. Jayla shared, 'it was so inspiring having the opportunity to draw with the beautiful views of the skyscraper surrounding us.'

Leighton's sustainability lecture delved into AHMM's commitment to sustainability and their role in advocating for sustainable living through architecture. The session explored the definition of sustainability and emphasised the importance of architectural firms in driving positive environmental change. 

The event also provided a unique networking opportunity for the young participants to interact with industry professionals, allowing them to gain insights into ongoing projects and establish connections within the architectural community. 'I had the opportunity to talk to Elisa [an architect at AHMM] who showed me her amazing portfolio! I got to ask her lots of questions about things I am working on in the Built Envronment course and she gave really in depth and helpful answers,' Enkhjin, year 12 Built Environment learner. 

The final session demonstrated the value of models in the design process, showcasing a range of meticulously crafted models and shedding light on their design and construction techniques. This immersive experience highlighted the significance of physical representations in translating architectural ideas into tangible structures. Year 12 Built Environment learner Nicolos shared, 'It was amazing to see how many different machines are used to create models of different sizes and also to learn about how model makers have to communicate and work together to create the models that the archictects and clients need for a project to be completed.' 

The London Festival of Architecture event at AHMM empowered aspiring architects, nurturing their creativity, expanding their knowledge, and instilling a passion for sustainable design and innovative architectural practices.  

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