A Plymouth student has won first place in the RIBA Plymouth Inette Austin-Smith Work Experience Competition 2016, following a week long work placement at LHC.
Ellie Garland, who is currently studying her A Levels at Saltash.Net Community School, entered the competition following encouragement from her mentor, Jo Horner, at LHC’s Plymouth studio.
The brief was to design an observation station for lifeguard activities on any beach in Devon or Cornwall. Submissions needed to include detailed drawings, computer generated imagery and clear rationale for choice of location and building design.
The judging panel included RIBA members James Cock and John Wilks, alongside architecture students from the University of Plymouth. RIBA Plymouth Branch Chair, Nicholas Morris, said:
“The judges were very impressed with the overall standard and quality of all the entries this year but Ellie’s innovative design and interpretation of the brief was of a higher standard.”
Architectural Assistant, Jo Horner, who supported Ellie with her submission said:
“Ellie worked extremely hard during her time with us and we’re all very happy to see that she was rewarded for her efforts. Supporting work experience students is a great opportunity for us as well as the students themselves. Their enthusiasm and creative ideas remind us why we wanted to become architects and often inspire us to think outside the box.”
The team at LHC have welcomed 11 students for work experience placements so far this year and encourage budding architects to get their hands dirty by working on real projects and contributing ideas and support to the team.
Student Ellie said:
“I couldn’t believe it when I found out that I had won first place in the competition. It’s really great to see that my ideas are valued and I’m really grateful to the team at LHC for all their help and support. “
