George Clarke has announced the young winners of the Wates Home Design Competition for primary schools
The Home Design Competition, created in partnership with Wates Residential and education charity MOBIE, asked young people to design a home of the future.
The Young persons’ design challenge was open to schools and colleges located near to Wates’ housing sites in London, on the south coast of England and in Cardiff.
The homes were designed to help promote wellbeing and quality of life. Children were invited to design their home of the future in any way they liked, using whatever materials they could lay their hands on.
The competition was open to young people aged between 7 and 11
George Clarke commented: “Home is the most important piece of architecture in our lives. It crafts the way we live, and how we grow as families and communities. Well-designed homes can enhance the way we live and promote good health and wellbeing”.
Clarke added: “The homes of the future will be lived in by today’s young people. That is why I am so excited to announce the winners of this Wates young persons’ design challenge. We asked young people, aged between 7 and 11 to design a home of the future – a sustainable, adaptable, green home that promotes wellbeing and quality of life.
“From my past experience, I expected to see amazing design talent and imagination come forward and I was not disappointed. It was hard for the judges to choose the age group winners and runners up.
“They were genuinely wowed by the standard of the work that these young people produced. The winners created some incredible and inspirational, future thinking designs. The future of the built environment and homes is in great hands with young talent like this around – I can’t wait to see what they do next.”
The age group winners are as follows:
Age 7 – 9
- Andre (age 8), and Charlie (age 9), Birchgrove School, Cardiff
- Amira, Towers Junior School, Hornchurch, Essex
- Bea Noad (age 9), Lee-on Solent, Southampton
Age 10 – 11
- Sophie, (age 11) and Evelyn (age 10), Birchgrove School, Cardiff
- Ava Gillespie (age 10), St Joseph’s School, Cardiff
- Abu (age 11), Gascoigne School, Barking, London
- Inaayah and Adam, Towers Junior School, Hornchurch, Essex
The judges were drawn from MOBIE and Wates.
Showing young people the important role that a home can play in supporting wellbeing
Michelle McSorley, social value director at Wates Residential, added: “Over the course of Wates’ 125-year history, what we look for in a home has evolved dramatically, so it was exciting to see what the next generation hopes to live in in the future.
“At the heart of our business, is a commitment to delivering lasting legacies, whether that’s through the homes we build or our investment in training, education and skills. We hope this challenge has inspired these young people, showing them the important role that a house can play in supporting our wellbeing, and maybe encouraging them to think about a career in the built environment when they grow up.”
