Build Studios was proud to sponsor Open City’s Architecture in Schools programme to work with Streatham Wells primary school in Lambeth this summer.

The pupils worked with architects to develop a building on the theme of Smarter Cities. They explored how to combine the best of architectural design with new technologies to create cities that improve our lives.

Drawing inspiration from Ted Hughes’ Iron Man, rainforests and other subjects they had been studying during the school year, the class developed an extraordinary, multi-layered, self-propelling building called The Survival Ark that housed different activities from workspace, education, growing and living areas.

Throughout the course the pupils were able to learn practical design skills and understand the important role that cities play in our daily lives. They also took the role of architects and considered how buildings could help address some of the challenges of city dwelling.

For us at Build Studios it was great to hear that the pupils had looked at inspiring examples of coworking spaces and incorporated this into their final design with a collaborative workspace sitting alongside other amazing zones.

They won the award for ‘Most Imaginative Design’, which was presented at an award ceremony in Canary Wharf.