The City Academy
The City Academy, Hackney, opened its doors to students on 3 September 2009. Three years in the making, it has brought transformation to a quiet corner of East London and new opportunities for its young people, several of whom had a unique role in its development. Working with the Sorrell Foundation, a group of students from four local schools were given the responsibility of clients on the project, collaborating with the Academy’s architects, Studio E, at every stage of its design and build.
The student client team for The City Academy, Hackney, on a site visit near completion © Graham Carlow
The students’ journey with the Sorrell Foundation began in 2007. Over a series of creative workshops, the team produced a 'Students’ Brief' outlining exactly what they wanted for their new Academy which provided Studio E Architects with what director, Andrzej Kuszell, described as a ‘vital insight into young peoples’ perspective’.
Following the creation of the brief, a carefully timetabled programme of involvement saw the students attend regular meetings on-site, offer their feedback to Studio E and take part in the symbolic ceremonies marking each stage of the build. The client team, the youngest of which was just eight years old, also presented their ideas to an audience of 200, including Lord Adonis, architect of the academies initiative, at the offices of The City Academy co-sponsor, KPMG.
‘I hope this experience is repeated, so other children can have the opportunity that we have had in the actual creation of a building. There won’t be any children scared to come to secondary school.’ Student client, The City Academy, Hackney
Joinedupdesign for Academies
Three years on, a new Sorrell Foundation programme has piloted a route into finding out what students want from their academies. During the 2008/9 Joinedupdesign for Academies programme, 100 school students worked with design students in universities to create concepts for five new academies based on their Students’ Brief.
The university students, who were mentored by professional designers, forged a connection between the school students and their school development projects. The remarkable results from Shelfield Community Academy in Walsall show how successful the collaboration can be.
A final concept for ‘The Eating Place’, designed by students Jonathan Brodie and Sam Hamilton for Shelfield Community Academy in Walsall © Jonathan Brodie and Sam Hamilton
‘People would be more excited to come if it looked less like a school,’ the Shelfield client team told their student designers from the University of Derby, asking in particular for a new dinner hall, toilets and identity for the academy. The university students responded with a holistic and sustainable design, blending organised, functional and flexible spaces with a mature branding scheme, and creating a new logo and signage.
An enthusiastic supporter of the programme, principal Bernard Dickenson invited the school students and their university student designers to present the finished concept to six framework consortia at the academy’s bidders day. ‘The interaction between the pupils and the designers appeared to be an unbelievable one, because the outcomes were outstanding,’ he explained. ‘What we have now is this phenomenal resource, which must impact on the next stage of design.’
‘It’s a really good, worthwhile project because we get to change the school for the future, instead of just changing it for now,’ said one student from Shelfield Community Academy.
Impact
The City Academy project demonstrated how beneficial a programme of student engagement, beyond the design and briefing stage, can be for all involved. The activities and the student's dedicated documentation of the journey helped to obtain buy-in from the local community, and inform them about the academy’s progress. Its potential for enhancing the development of other new academy projects is enormous.
For students, engagement in their school’s development has far-reaching effects. Clients from these projects and others have been given a unique insight into the creative industries and have had the chance to develop the ‘soft skills’ that will help them through further education and into a career. In the short term, the opportunity to be involved in the creation of a new school inspires ownership - many students see it as a chance to leave a legacy for future generations of learners. In the long term, engagement in a pragmatic, real-life project for which their ideas and opinions are treated with respect has a life-changing effect.
Further information
The Sorrell Foundation used their experience on The City Academy to create a timeline with Studio E Architects, charting an ideal route for student involvement in building or refurbishing any school. A PDF version of the A2 poster is available to download at www.thesorrellfoundation.com.
Visit the Sorrell Foundation page for more information on its programmes.
