STUDENTS HELP SHAPE BOLLO LANE

We had the pleasure of hosting a second design workshop at The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls in collaboration with Outerspace.

We set students the challenge of designing two key spaces within the development, incorporating features that they’d like to see in their local community. Since the workshop, Outerspace went away and formulated design proposals, combining ideas from the students with feedback from other stakeholders involved in the project.

The second workshop was about providing students the opportunity to reflect on their previous proposals and challenge them to review and critique the latest designs, highlighting the favourable elements and recommending improvements to the space. Daisy Froud, The Mayor of London’s design advocate (MDA) and Manijeh Verghese, MDA and CEO of Open City, brought their joint expertise, to facilitate the students collaborative thinking and idea generation, for the development. This included a session to upskill students on how to be design critics, enabling them to confidently review design work by Outerspace. Once again, the students embraced the challenge with enthusiasm and at the end of the workshop, they presented their feedback.

Their recommendations included everything from implementing more ambient and nocturnal lighting, to reading spaces, all aimed at creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for everyone. This workshop was a powerful reminder of the importance of listening to the voices of women and young girls when designing public spaces. Too often, their needs are overlooked, and workshops such as these, seek to change that.

A massive thank you to the students, teachers, facilitators, and our partners for participating in the workshop and making this such a success. We can’t wait to bring their vision to life at Bollo Lane! 

Source: LinkedIn - Places for London