The evening of 2nd December marked the culmination of the third and final Northwest Architecture for Everyone programme. The programme has seen a total of over 90 young people in the region taking part in workshops that aim to identify and support new and emerging architectural talent from a wide range of social groups.

The Manchester group discuss their designs with architects

Architecture for Everyone, a three year nationwide campaign, is founded on the belief that built environment professionals who reflect the diversity of the society they serve have a better chance of creating a built environment that meets the needs of society. The campaign is being led nationally by Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust and international architects RMJM, with Places Matter! leading in the Northwest. The project has been supported by Aimhigher Greater Merseyside, the University of Manchester and Liverpool John Moores University.

Jo Harrop, Places Matter! Education Manager said “Places Matter! have been part of this fantastic campaign since it started in 2009. We have worked with talented and committed young people from Merseyside and Greater Manchester, and have had the privilege of seeing them develop and grow through their participation in the project.

"The programme has certainly ended on a high in the region, with it being bigger and better than ever before. We are thrilled that we have been able to give so many young people an opportunity to learn more about the value of architecture and the built environment.”

In this, the campaign's third and final year, 45 young people aged between 15 and 21 from Liverpool and Manchester successfully applied to participate in eight workshops between October and December 2010.

The workshops saw participants learning about the cities in which they live and working to develop proposals that would improve city residential areas. Participants explored new neighbourhoods, looking at the different housing solutions that have been developed to enable modern living. They undertook a wide range of activities, from city tours with architects, working with urban free runners Parkour to see the city in a new light and developing design proposals for their cities.

Urban free running with Northern Parkour in Castlefields Manchester

Participants in both cities worked in teams to develop proposals that would help to improve these residential areas and create places that nurtured the development of communities. There were many fantastic ideas, including flexibly designed retail and refreshment outlets housed within disused railway arches and innovative floating pods on the canal. A workshop that looked at public art, support in Liverpool by Liverpool Biennial and local artist Carol Ramsey helped them to develop ideas for art work in their sites that respond to the local area. 

The participants met architects, architecture students and recent graduates, developers and planners to help them to gain a better understanding of the profession and the opportunities available to them – as well as dispelling some of the myths about who can work in the sector.

One participant said “I now know so much more about the career and what goes on ‘behind the scenes’. I’ve learnt what they do and what is needed to create working buildings. This has been really helpful to me since I had no idea of a future career however I’ve got an idea of becoming an architect.”

The 2010 programme was the third collaboration between the Stephen Lawrence Trust and Places Matter! to deliver Architecture for Everyone in the Northwest. During the three year campaign participants from the region have progressed to shine at national competitions and have been given the opportunity to begin their careers in architecture with real support.

The Liverpool group get down to model-making

In January 2010, Syed Karim, 19, from Liverpool beat national competition to win a once in a lifetime all expenses paid trip to Shanghai. Whilst there, Syed took part in a week’s work placement at RMJM’s Shanghai studio, before joining the Architectural Association’s Summer School at The University of Hong Kong in Shanghai. Commenting on winning the competition, Syed said: “This is an amazing opportunity.  I feel very privileged to be given the opportunity to live my dream by having the opportunity to study in Shanghai.”

In 2009, Callum Gilbert, 21, of Mossley Hill, Liverpool, won the opportunity to head across the Atlantic to study at Harvard University on a six-week architecture scholarship. Callum, along with the five other candidates, left Liverpool to travel to the United States to start the all expenses paid six week trip where they joined other elite students at the prestigious university in the US taking part in the intensive design course. Callum said: “Getting on this course means the world to me, it’s overwhelming.  It’s like winning the lottery.”

The feedback from the participants has been overwhelmingly positive. 87% believe that a career in the built environment is more accessible as a result of participating, and 97% are more aware of their city and community. Additionally, 97% of participants reported that they learnt to communicate better, gained new skills and are more aware of their strengths and weaknesses. The development of transferable skills and increasing young people’s confidence is at the core of the programme and it is fantastic to hear from the young people that the course is having such a positive impact.

When asked to describe how their thoughts about architecture and architects had changed since being involved with the project one participant said “I look up more at the buildings and recognise the ‘building bee’ of Manchester which I would never have known about. I’ve even mentioned this to other people and they’ve learnt this too! I see more shapes in the buildings and look at the styles and also views of the buildings. I appreciate the hard work architects have done!”

Jo Harrop says “Young people have such a wide range of exciting ideas and, as the future clients and designers of our towns and cities it is vitally imporant that they understand the value of good design and feel able to communicate their views. This course gives the participants the tools and confidence to demand better design. It has been a great inspiration and honour to work with the participants and  the Stephen Lawrence Trust to deliver this valuable project.”