In partnership with Greenhead College (Huddersfield), ‘Step into Architecture’ is an annual work experience initiative giving c.25 students a year a flavour of the architecture profession and quality experience to further their ambitions to join the industry.
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The programme, designed and delivered by our London Studio kicked off with an interactive presentation from the practice, giving the students an introduction to us, our work and the wider industry. We established, from the students, what their knowledge of the profession was and help to fill in the gaps: de-mystifying the process of becoming an architect, the disciplines that architects collaborate with and what skills are needed to become a successful architect. As Step into Architecture progressed through the week there are additional presentations and Q+A sessions covering Ellis Williams projects, university portfolios and plenty more!
A walking tour of Huddersfield focused on its urban development, buildings of note and ongoing redevelopments helps to ground the students in the built environment of their hometown and view urban spaces in a different light and through a place making lens. During this tour the students identify a site to conceptually transform as part of their group project.
The project asks students to identify an existing abandoned / empty building in Huddersfield town centre and, working collaboratively in small groups, develop a reuse and retrofit strategy to transform the unused building into something they feel would benefit the town. The project is specifically designed to promote sustainability from first principals and help them reimagine a building they are familiar with and have likely walked past hundreds of times.
The students progress their projects by representing their proposals in a range of different ways; drawings, physical models, collages, digital models, mood boards. However, they often go above and beyond, developing funding strategies, graphic design and branding for their conceptual schemes. In creating these proposals they are supported in daily mentoring sessions from us, working towards formal presenations of their schemes to Kirklees Council Regeneration team and to the Ellis Williams London Studio.
As part of clearing the route into architecture the students visit to Sheffield University to see the architecture department and hear first-hand from students and lecturers about the process of studying architecture at university.
