Close
East London school pupils enjoy taster of UCL Architecture at free holiday workshop
5 August 2025
Last month saw the conclusion of UCL East Schools Engagement team’s first ever Architecture Holiday Club.
The UCL East Architecture Holiday Club was a free, architecture-themed holiday workshop for students in Years 9, 10 and 11, who live and/or go to school in the London boroughs of Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest. Run in partnership with The Bartlett School of Architecture and taking place at the award-winning, UCL East campus flagship Marshgate building, the expertise of the teaching staff and the surroundings were a source of inspiration for participants.
The aim of the club was to give students an idea of what studying architecture and related disciplines might entail at UCL. Led by UCL academics and staff members, the club focused on the progression of design. Participants created a 2D composition combining drawing and collage then repurposed it into a 3D model. They then worked in groups to turn their 3D models into larger installations with moving parts. Each model was intended to complement a specific part of the Marshgate Community Classroom where the club took place.
Club participants were also treated to a tour of the Institute of Making in Marshgate, a multidisciplinary space which UCL staff and students can join to work with wood, metal, ceramics, plastics, textile, and even flavour (in a fully equipped experimental kitchen!).
Claudia Toma, Technician, B-made at Here East and one of the teachers for the club said:
“The students worked really well together and made such inventive use of the structures in the space. When creating the club, we took inspiration from architecture, fine art, and stage design. Throughout the two days, we shared examples of work across these disciplines, to demonstrate some of the different ways people create and it was clear to see the students had really taken this on board when presenting their final work.”
Ella Rule, Senior Schools Engagement Officer from UCL East Schools Engagement said:
“It was fantastic to work in partnership with the Bartlett School of Architecture to deliver this holiday club to young people in east London. We had a brilliant response from local parents and carers and a large number of sign-ups, showing lots of enthusiasm to learn more about Architecture and creative careers. I'm so pleased that UCL can support teenagers in learning more about this subject through academics sharing their expertise. I was so impressed with the amount the students learnt across the two days, the scale and quality of their models was amazing!"