Year 13 DEC students from Future Tech Studio presented on the Samsung stand at this year’s BETT Show. The invitation came in recognition of the group’s high ability and enthusiasm for learning about design, engineering and construction.
Samsung were looking for cohorts of students and teachers who could demonstrate how they utilise the latest technology in their lessons; an activity which is intrinsic to the DEC learning programme.
The students demonstrated the flexibility of Samsung touchscreens showing off their Revit skills and the use of multimedia content throughout the design process. Professional, polite and enthusiastic, they had very positive feedback from visitors to the stand and industry experts.
“We were delighted to be able to arrange this experience for the students”, says Class of Your Own’s Alison Watson.
“Some of the best learning and preparation for the world of work comes from industry experts. As well as meeting with industry professionals at BETT, the opportunity to get them behind the scenes of some of the London’s biggest and best real-life construction projects, was one not to be missed.
Tour of the £2bn Elephant and Castle Regeneration Project
Lendlease are an international property and infrastructure group. They welcomed the students to their site offices in the centre their £2bn regeneration of Elephant and Castle.
The vision for the Elephant Park Project is to create “a place full of life in Central London; London’s new green heart”. The students learned about the need for the project; the demolition of the deprived and dangerous Heygate Estate, the social and emotional impact of the future change on the existing community and how Lendlease plan to deliver “a vibrant, established neighbourhood, where everybody loves to belong.”
The students were then given a tour of the whole site, which included different phases of construction; completed, in progress and future plans, as well as the temporary park which is provided to new residents until the 2025 completion.
The students found the tour engaging and informative and wished they could stay for the whole day!
An introduction to 3D modelling
Allies and Morrison are an architect and urban planning practice. The students visited their Southwark High Street practice, to get a deeper understanding of architectural modelling. They were talked through the different types of models and the reasons they were commissioned.
In the modelling workshop, they got to see how the team use a wide range of materials to create 3D visualisations and highly detailed models for structural testing.
The students enjoyed the experience of visiting a highly professional architects firm in an impressive building. The modelling workshop demonstrated alternative, more hands-on, aspects of an architect’s role.
The visit inspired the students to think of more creative methods and materials to use on their journey to create their own building design.
Seeing the Olympic Park in a new light
The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) was set up to deliver one of the most important legacy promises made in the original London 2012 bid. This concerns the physical legacy and long term planning for development, management and maintenance of the park and its impact on the local community and surrounding area.
The students took the short walk from their apartment overlooking the Olympic Park to the LLDC offices. They were shown the 3D map of the park and discussed the functions of key buildings and future plans for them. Sustainability and reposing were key topics for discussion and the students were gained a greater understanding of the site’s long term planning in relation to the local community. The students were particularly interested in the “temporary” Olympic buildings that had been designed, renovated and re-purposed in order to be given back to the local community following the close of the Olympics in 2012.
From the LLDC marketing suite, they watched the sunset over the Olympic Park and saw the way that lighting can be used to enhance buildings and the skyline at night, bringing to an end a fun and fact-filled day.
Student Reflections
“We learnt that they had planted nearly 1000 trees around London to replace each tree removed plus two more. We also learnt that on top of each building they were making green roofs, and parks that are going to be built for the community. We saw how they worked as a business, that affordable housing and marketable housing is all the same quality and specification and that they are building for the community that everyone can take part in.
Personally I would love to be a part of Lendlease; how they operate and what they do as a company is something that I’d love to be part of in the future.”
Lucy ~ Lendlease, Elephant and Castle Park Project
“This project focused on rebuilding the old concrete flats that formed a very closed up area; that don’t create a safe environment and definitely didn’t promote a positive community. These factors resulted in a dramatic increase in crime rate in the area and giving the area a horrible reputation.
However, by the time we got there it was hard to believe that was even the case, the regeneration is nowhere near finished but you can already see how it has so quickly improved the area
and community. The buildings style promotes a way more positive outlook replacing the old concrete flats that were more likely to feel like a prison than a home.
You now have modern brick flats with clear green space, and a place you would be proud to call your home the change is breathtaking. Also from a personal view I really liked the fact that the improving the quality of environment is clearly shown with the clever use of green space if it’s the park, water feature or even the fact they have managed to preserve a large amount of the tree population in the area.”Stephen ~ Lendlease, Elephant and Castle Park Project
“The minimalist aesthetics of the vivid ground floor and staff were very welcoming. The grey structural space on the ground floor alongside the warm lighting complimented the showcasing of the models exhibited. From this, I was able to visualise a vast number of models that ranged from conceptualised masses to detailed regional external environments that provided a good sense of the development stages.[The workshop] was fascinating from my standpoint as an individual who enjoys model making. … it is enticing to have a better
understanding of the projects I may potentially work on in the future after I finish my Architectural studies.”
“What I really enjoyed about the London trip was going round the Olympic Park. You could really appreciate the work that the architects put into designing the buildings. We went and saw the Orbit, The Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre. We learnt how the Architects tried to make their buildings sustainable, and how they are now used after the Olympics.
I loved taking photos of all of the buildings, to use in my portfolio and give me inspiration for my drawings. The Aquatic Centre had a really awesome roof, that sloped and dipped like a wave, accentuating the water theme, the curtain system windows allowed a view of the blue water, and it made great use of the space.”Saul ~ LLDC, Olympic Park
“We were given the opportunity to be able to present our DEC project work using the interactive whiteboards that Samsung provided at the Bett Show 2017. Our job was to introduce what the new course DEC is all about. We used the Architecture software Revit and other software to show the content of the project and the procedure we have to go through on the course. We were able to show how Samsung’s new innovative technology can be used for real life education purposes.
As a team we demonstrated how to design a building from scratch given a plot of land. This included; evaluating the land and which plot was most suitable to build on considering health and safety issues, environmental factors, most accessible, and the effect on the locals.”
Simone ~ Samsung, BETT 2017
