Shape My City Session 1: Breaking the Ice

The first session of the 2018 Shape My City programme took place yesterday, with participants coming from across Bristol to the Architecture Centre to meet one another, hear from inspiring architect George Lovesmith, and to get stuck in with a hands-on project.

Part one: warm up 

The session began with some warm up activities. Participants were first asked to answer the question what architecture means to them, on post-its and add it to the wall. The responses reflected the broad scope of the term, ranging from 'abstract' and 'art' to 'late nights', 'maths' and 'really hard work'. 

Next, the group was asked to place dots on a dartboard to indicate their feelings about the following statements: most architects are white men, everyone should have a say about how places are designed and built, my views and opinions are listened to by people in charge and I’m sure about the career path I want to take. This exercise was a fun, visual way to find out how the young people felt about the need to widen participation in the built environment sector. Everyone then wrote down their aspirations for participating in the Shape My City programme on ‘bricks’, which were added to an ideas wall.

Part two: inspirer

After the activities, it was time to hear from an inspirer. George Lovesmith, a Bristol-based architect, place-maker and lecturer at UWE and University of Bath who shared his journey from farmhouse to architecture studio. 

Growing up on a farm in the East Midlands, George and his siblings were the first generation of the family to go to university. Drawn to studying architecture because it combined his passion for creativity with his penchant for numbers, George enrolled at The University of Sheffield to study for a degree in architecture. 

George's first project after university was helping to design part of the Olympic Park in London. After qualifying as an architect (a process that took almost nine years, involving periods of paid work), he went on to work at a London firm. Five years later, he decided to establish his own architecture practice in Bristol, integrateEd workshop. He is now following his passion for built environment projects that allow people to be involved in the shaping of their surroundings: currently, he is re-imagining public spaces around two tower blocks in Bristol and has a participatory project at a library in Newport, South Wales. He is also an Associate Lecturer at UWE and a Teaching Fellow at The University of Bath. 

George’s advice to the young participants included attending summer schools, many of which have bursaries and scholarships available, to work out whether architecture was the right course to study (you can find a list of some of these courses at the end of this post). He also mentioned the RIBA Studio courses offered through Oxford Brookes University, which allow young people to gain qualifications in architecture without going to through a traditional university course. 

The most important thing, he said, is to take your time: try lots of things out, and eventually you will work out what is right for you. 

Part Three: architectural activity

The final part of the session was a hands-on design activity based on a real community context in Bristol. The Bath to Bristol railway path is becoming increasingly busy, and there is conflict between those who use it (particularly pedestrians and cyclists).  The site that the groups were given is an especially busy section in Easton with a nursery school, secondary school, community centre, local shops, the homes of commuters, and a park nearby. The challenge set to the groups was to generate design interventions to enhance this site.

Participants were then split into groups, with a UWE student as a team mentor.  Each group was also given three unique factors to consider in their proposal: one particular user, one need, and one futuristic intervention.

Some great ideas were suggested. The first group to present came up with an extremely creative design to use the trees surrounding the path to create a playful bridge for crossing. The second group, whose futuristic intervention was that the railway be re-instated, hatched a plan to elevate the railway above the path. The third presented their ideas to make the space more attractive, including carvings into trees and solar powered lighting. The final group came up with innovative ways to fund upgrades to the site through raising money from local business advertising on digital screens.

After a jam-packed two hours of sharing, listening and creating, Amy Harrison (Head of Learning, Architecture Centre) wrapped up what proved to be a great start to the programme. Watch this space!

Useful links:
George Lovesmith's work:
Sculpting Saltram project
Redbrick playground

Summer schools:
Architecture Sans Frontiers UK
UCL Bartlett Summer School 2018
University of Westminster Access to Architecture Summer School
The University of Cambridge Architecture Summer School
Arts University Bournemouth Architecture Summer School
Architectural Association Summer School
University of Kent Sustainable Architecture and Landscape Design Summer School

University courses:
RIBA Education and Careers
RIBA Apprenticeships in Architecture
UWE Department of Architecture and Built Environment 

Bath University: Architecture