Recently, we have been working with a group of fifteen D&T students at the Arts and Media School, just ten minutes from our studio in Finsbury Park.

The students were given a site on their school grounds to reimagine. The first workshop was a very wet and rainy ‘site visit’ where they surveyed the site in groups and sketched any initial ideas or thoughts as we walked around.

During the second workshop, the groups identified a ‘client’. It wasn’t a complete surprise that all three groups picked a chillout zone for year 10s and 11s… However, there were some great conversations about sustainability, repurposing materials and working with existing trees!

Finally, the groups created their presentation boards, and we finished the sessions with a small design review. It was up to the students how they presented their ideas as long as they were graphically represented. We had some great drawings, diagrams and even a few models by the end!

The students’ ideas and confidence really developed over the sessions. It was great to see students who at the start had been reluctant to talk or draw, standing at the front presenting by the end! We left impressed and think the Arts and Media School should be pretty chuffed with their new designs for an edible garden, games room, bike store, aerial tree route, art wall, planting scheme and much more!