Vanguard Projects

24 March 2016

Stowe’s Third Form pupils had the chance on Wednesday 16 March to showcase their talents as architects and designers as part of the Lent Term Challenge: to produce the best designs for a new boys’ boarding house facing Chapel Court. The challenge was launched at the start of term with a talk from an architect from Rick Mather Architects (RMA), who set the brief to design a boarding house that would embody the vision of Stowe, sit well within and enhance its setting, have interior spaces that encourage calmness, well-being, intellectual inquiry and also socialising, have eco-friendly credentials and yet not be too ostentatious or out of line with the other boarding houses. The groups had to take charge of their work, think through strategies, conduct research, learn to use design tools and organise their final presentation leading up to the fair in the Marble Saloon and Temple Room, where each group had a stall and had to pitch their design and ideas to a panel of three roving judges.

Many of the designs produced were very impressive. Groups had conducted detailed research on eco-friendly building materials and techniques and had thought about how these would be applied. Many also used the professional design software tool ‘SketchUp’ to create 3D drawings of both the exterior look and the interior spaces and some had also found other tools to design floorplans. The project provided important experience and lessons in project planning and collaboration, along with encouraging Stoics to see how the different subjects they study at Stowe work together in real-world situations.

The winning group produced an exciting design which looked a little like the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars, but with classical touches like pillars along the front that meant that it provided an attractive blend of past and present. Details such as interior room designs had been thought through based on the psychology of colours and throughout there was a strong sense of style. Their ideas and others from the pupils will now be passed on to the architects and the winning Stoics will have the opportunity to do work experience with the RMA if they choose. Altogether an exciting term’s work!

Julie Potter, Deputy Head (Academic)