Aspiring architects to show city designs in Liverpool
Young people from Liverpool and Manchester will join design professionals next week to present their vision for the redevelopment of city centre sites in both cities.
The evening presentation will mark the culmination of a series of workshops being led by architects and delivered by Places Matter! the architecture centre for the North West.
The presentation is part of a national campaign, known as Architecture for Everyone, in partnership with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust and architects RMJM.
Between February and April this year, over seven sessions were held with two groups of young people from Liverpool and Manchester who have been learning about the importance of architecture and the built environment by exploring both cities alongside architects and others to develop a vision of their dream space.
Activities have included a tour of Grosvenor's £1bn Liverpool One development with BDP, the architects which produced the scheme's masterplan, and an exploration of Manchester's city centre with urban free runners Northern Parkour.
Over the past month the groups have been learning about the design process and working on designs for the redevelopment of two city centre sites. They will unveil their designs to some of the region's leading design professionals at an evening celebration being held at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on Thursday 22 April.
The Architecture for Everyone campaign was launched in 2008 in honour of black British teenager, Stephen Lawrence, who was stabbed in a racial attack in 1993. Stephen Lawrence was an aspiring architect and Architecture for Everyone aims to offer young people the opportunity to succeed within architecture and encourage more ethnic diversity in the built environment industry.
Jo Harrop, Places Matter! education manager, said: "The commitment and enthusiasm of the young people who have taken part is inspiring. We hope that they will take their experiences away with them and become advocates for better design in our cities – whether they become architects, clients or users."
Veda Harrison, project manager with the Stephen Lawrence Trust, said: "We are really excited by what these young people have achieved in such a short space of time. It just goes to show that the future of great British architecture and urban design is out there – you just need to know where to look."
