THE SKY IS THE LIMIT WORKSHOP - Careers and Design Day

This exciting one-day workshop for local sixth form girls involved female professionals from architecture, landscaping, engineering, planning and surveying sectors, and aimed to give the students an insight into built environment careers. The workshop involved two site visits and a practical model-making activity to design the exterior of a new office for the Soil Association, the Bristol-based charity which certifies and promotes organic food and farming.

Organised by the Architecture Centre, Bristol and Employability Skills at Connexions, the event encouraged local female students to consider the variety of interesting careers available in the built environment sector, where women are currently under-represented. There was also a strong focus on sustainability and environmental design features, as these are key to the ethos of the Soil Association.

Inspiring presentations from a range of female professionals were combined with
a site visit to the existing Soil Association building, led by Kathie Burton, Operations Manager, who explained what the charity desired from a new national office. The students then visited a redundant site on the Bristol Harbourside, which became the theoretical site for the development of the new office building.

The students then took on the roles of designers and architects, and produced their own inspiring designs for the new building. The final designs were appraised by the Soil Association's Operations Manager, Kathie Burton, and Project Architect, Mark Hoare, who were impressed by the students ability to incorporate their design brief into original and innovative designs.

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