Navigation menu

Pupils become 'clients' for architecture students

20 second-year students from the Kent School of Architecture (KSA) at the University of Kent have started work on a project in which pupils from Longfield Academy secondary school (Kent) will act as their clients.

Central to the project is the idea that the pupil-clients explore the architecture of their school together with the students, before drawing up a brief for adapting and extending it. Students will present their finished schemes to pupils at the Academy early in 2009.

During the course of the project, the KSA students will benefit from a mentoring session with leading architectural company Jestico + Whiles.

Longfield Academy is a partner school of the University of Kent.

Dr Timothy Brittain-Catlin, Cultural Context and Design Lecturer at KSA, said: 'Combining this goal with the educational requirements of a RIBA-validated course has its challenges, not least because our students are required to draw up their own design proposals for a new building at the school while they are engaging with the pupils as a group.

'However, this process and project are extremely valuable as they enable KSA to get involved with its local school community - a role that we very much hope to expand in coming years. We also believe that this type of research involving young users has a valuable part to play during the current debate about the Building Schools for the Future programme.'

Maggie Klus, Project Manager at Longfield Academy, said: 'This unique project has challenged our students to consider all of the implications of planning spaces for public use and has been an exciting educational opportunity.

'I am very grateful to colleagues at KSA and indeed Miss Klara Rock here at Longfield Academy who has worked hard with both our students and those from KSA to ensure the success of the project.'

Contact: mediaoffice@kent.ac.uk

Story published at 11:13am 17 December 2008