Last week Milly, Joe W, Esme, Yuxin and I ran a couple youth outreach sessions with 6- to 7-year-olds at Hugh Myddelton Primary School. The workshop's theme was The Great Fire of London, so after introducing our work and the world of architecture, we focused on how to ‘rebuild London’ following a fire on Pudding Lane. Students were encouraged to consider materials and users, and show and tell sessions highlighted potential budding designers.

The students had the freedom to choose which type of building they wanted to create and there was a wide range, including homes, an art gallery, pet shops, GP surgery, cinema, shopping centre, ice cream shop, McDonalds and, of course, the Arsenal stadium. We were told many of the lollipop sticks on roofs are actually solar panels. Future sustainability advocates in the making!

Next, the children worked together to arrange their buildings in a town. Unsurprisingly, green spaces with play areas and trees featured heavily. We had a lot of fun over these two days, and hope the students feel a bit more inspired to pursue a career in the built environment!