| Inspiring times at Lord Silkin |
Inspiring times at Lord Silkin
The Lord Silkin students started with a tour of unusual and thought-provoking buildings in Birmingham. They had the strongest reactions to Fort Dunlop, Bournville and Summerfield Eco Neighbourhood, where they were absorbed by the energy efficiency centre, wanting to know more about coconut-fibre carpets, sheep’s wool insulation and light wells. Back at the school, the group – two from each year - have been working on design principles with interior designer Sue Hope and Bournville Architect Ian Tipton. They used ‘mood boards’ to explore emotional reactions to design and Design Quality Indicators to assess their current school buildings. They have researched sustainable building techniques, and the architect organised a site visit to a proposed new housing development in Telford to investigate ground conditions and topography. And for an end-of-term celebration, they worked with Sue Hope in her studio to design and create a glass artwork for the new building. This project is also an introduction to the new Diploma on Construction and the Built Environment. But it goes beyond working alongside professionals to design the new school. It is also about students receiving positive feedback and enjoying school, and working in small groups to build confidence and communication skills. It is about being exposed to new ideas to raise aspirations and having “more challenging work and interesting activities in lessons that involve [students] in discussions [to] make faster progress in learning” (OFSTED recommendation, 2007). MADE worked with Telford & Shropshire Education Business Partnership and ConstructionSkills on this project which was made possible by the goodwill of Bournville Architects and the enthusiasm of students and staff at The Lord Silkin School. Site visits Students visited architecturally-significant sites in Birmingham, including Fort Dunlop, Castle Vale, Bournville, Selfridges and Summerfield. They used Design Quality Indicators inside and outside their school. They visited the site of a proposed new housing development to investigate topography, landscape and ground conditions. They worked with an artist in her studio to create an artwork for the new school building |
Telford students have been working with an architect and interior designer as a preliminary to designing their new school (Building Schools for the Future).
