Building Futures at IQL

Building Futures is a week-long primary classroom project which aims to raise children’s awareness of architecture and other careers in the built environment. Year 5 pupils become architects for the week, creating model buildings to present to construction professionals in a final competition.

“This was the best Year 5 theme yet! The project has been highly successful and children have been asking a lot of good questions about architecture.”

Year 5 Teacher

The innovative project was supported by Lendlease, local charity 15BillionEBP, Lloyds Bank, and the London Borough of Newham. It gave local Year 5 pupils the opportunity to learn and develop design skills in a real world setting.

The Building Futures Competition is the culmination of the week’s work, during which pupils research different types of building and the materials used in construction. They also learned basic numeracy skills around perimeter, scale and area, and considered environmental factors in their designs.

The final judging focused on eco-friendly design, health and safety, unique features, and accessibility, with the winning “companies” being presented with a certificate.

As part of the project, the pupils visited Lloyd’s Construction Skills Centre at International Quarter London on Friday 28 June as part of a construction-themed trip. The visit helped them to better understand the construction changes taking place around them.

“There were so many learning opportunities which enabled our children to apply their mathematical skills and problem solve.”

Year 5 Teacher, Carpenters Primary School

This important project allowed the children to understand the links between learning in school and success in adult life. The project demonstrated how important maths skills are for careers in architecture, construction and engineering. It also aimed to prevent gender and cultural stereotyping by encouraging and inspiring both boys and girls to work in those fields.