Foster + Partners recently participated in Open City’s ‘Young City Makers’ programme, formerly known as ‘Architecture in Schools,’ for the fifth year running.
‘Young City Makers’ is a creative and cross-curricular programme, which takes place across three sessions. It partners professional practices with local primary schools to inspire the next generation of city shapers and help them understand how architecture informs the world around us, while introducing students to some of London’s buildings.
This year we partnered with St George’s Primary School in Nine Elms, London. Thirty Year Five students were asked to imagine and create a more sustainable London. The students were encouraged to think of ways to make positive changes to the city and design a reimagined sustainable area, where they would like to live in years to come.
The first workshop was an opportunity for students to explore the brief, better understand the role of architects, engineers and planners, and experiment with their drawing and communication skills. A site visit to Battersea Power Station allowed students to explore this part of the city, and prompted them to consider the importance of community and environmental impact. The site visit included a trip to the Power of Place Museum, followed by a biodiversity treasure hunt in Foster + Partners’ recently completed Battersea Roof Gardens.
