CABE funds Olympic projects for young people

CABE has awarded five architecture centres a total of £15,000 to fund projects that will help young people all over the country to learn from the 2012 Olympics. Part of the O.space project, each grant is worth £3,000 and will showcase the regeneration and architecture of the Olympic Park and its relevance to neighbourhoods across the UK.

The five centres are: Shape East in Cambridge; MADE in Birmingham; The Architecture Centre, Bristol; Kent Architecture Centre; and Opun in Nottingham.

Anne Diack, head of education at CABE, said: ' What all these projects share is an ambition to capture the imagination of young people and help them to shape future regeneration projects, inspired by 2012. We want them to think about the ways in which buildings and places affect their everyday lives.’  

The grants have been given by CABE working in partnership with the Architecture Centre Network.

Bridget Sawyers, chief executive of the Architecture Centre Network, said: ‘This is great news. We are excited that the centres across the UK can use their expertise in working with young people and explore the Olympic Park in terms of their local built environment and what this international event means to them.’

Shape East in Cambridge will run ‘Green Change: The Olympic Park’, a two-day workshop for up to 35 students and teaching staff. Designers currently working on the Olympic Park will talk to pupils about the sustainability of the proposals and where energy comes from.

MADE in Birmingham will produce ‘Chain-makers’, an exploration of Dudley’s architectural and industrial heritage. Up to 40 young people will explore the Black Country’s architectural and industrial heritage, to create a photographic exhibition and develop dance performances.

The Architecture Centre, Bristol will run a ‘Design Challenge’ with Key Stage 3 and 4 students focusing on the development of the Weymouth waterfront and the 2012 Olympics. Weymouth is the location of an Olympic Village and the venue for the sailing.

Kent Architecture Centre’s project explores how local young people see their locality, Medway, in relation to their lives, and as the backdrop to the Modern Pentathlon World Cup, which takes place in April 2010.

Opun in Nottingham will work with students to create an Olympic stadium ‘pod’ containing an exercise bike for a 100-mile relay ‘Cycle to London’ event. They will produce an exhibition and explore local sporting facilities and sporting legends.

Delyth Turner-Harriss, director of Shape East, said: ‘We want young people to understand the legacy that the Olympics will bring and to be inspired by the ideas that are being used when thinking about change in their local area – future parks, public spaces and water. This project will give them that opportunity.’

Projects will be completed by the end of March 2010 and each centre will produce a collection of teaching materials which will be available to download free from the Engaging Places website.

Notes to editors

• CABE is the government’s advisor on architecture, urban design and public space. As a public body, we encourage policymakers to create places that work for people. We help local planners apply national design policy and offer expert advice to developers and architects. We show public sector clients how to commission buildings that meet the needs of their users. And we seek to inspire the public to demand more from their buildings and spaces. Advising, influencing and inspiring, we work to create well-designed, welcoming places. www.cabe.org.uk
• Architecture Centre Network is the development and advocacy organisation for the UK’s 23 architecture and built environment centres. www.architecturecentre.net
• O.space is part of Discovering Places, one of the major projects for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Discovering Places is a partnership between CABE, Natural England and Heritage Alliance.
• Engaging Places is a programme that aims to give every school in the country easy access to high quality resources which support teaching and learning through buildings and places.  It is run by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) in partnership with English Heritage. www.engagingplaces.org.uk
• The five architecture and built environment centres receiving O.space funding are:                      
  • Shape East - www.shape-east.org.uk/
  • The Architecture Centre, Bristol - www.architecturecentre.co.uk/
  • Kent Architecture Centre - www.architecturecentre.org/
  • MADE - www.made.org.uk/
  • Opun -  www.regenerationem.co.uk/
• For more information or to request images/and or an interview from CABE please get in touch with Jane Barraclough, senior press officer, jbarraclough@cabe.org.uk or 020 7070 6771.
• For more information from the Architecture Centre Network please contact Bridget Sawyers, chief executive, on bridget.sawyers@architecturecentre.net or 020 7253 5199