LONDON.- Room for Art is a new commission by architectural educationalists Matt + Fiona for the Whitechapel Gallery with year 6 pupils at Lansbury Lawrence Primary School, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

The 1951 Festival of Britain featured major projects on the South Bank of the Thames including the futuristic prefab Dome of Discovery and the iconic Skylon tower. It also presented the Live Architecture exhibition that reimagined the urban renewal of East London with the creation of the Lansbury Estate. Over 65 years later, capturing this utopian optimism, the duo Matt + Fiona have worked with the modernist Lansbury Lawrence Primary School on the design of its new art room building.

This visionary post-war architecture provides the context and inspiration for the pupils’ design. The lattice timber skeleton with vibrant cladding is a full scale section model of the art room, which has been designed and constructed by the pupils in collaboration with Matt + Fiona.

Maquettes and design drawings reveal moments of a 12-week collaborative process, while the site model and prototype ceramic tiles offer a tangible glimpse of this design in situ. Through an ambitious creative process and hands-on experience with materials, children critically engage with and shape their own built environment.

Matthew Springett and Fiona MacDonald said: “We believe enabling young people to design and then build their own spaces empowers them to take ownership of their built environment. Young people’s ideas are fresh and they naturally perceive problems from first principles, something the best designers always strive for. The Lansbury Lawrence Primary School students have constantly challenged and built on our ideas for the better, creating something that is a true reflection of their ambitions and hopes. In the current education climate, opportunities to collaborate, take risks and surprise yourself are few and far between. It has been a privilege to work with the school and Whitechapel Gallery in this way.”

Kerri Sellens, Visual Art Teacher, Lansbury Lawrence Primary School said: “It has been fantastic watching the children grow in confidence throughout this project. I would not be at all surprised if we have some future design stars in our midst… the creativity and energy has been brilliant. The Whitechapel Gallery and Matt + Fiona have made architecture accessible to young children, and opened up their horizons to the potential of creative careers. Hopefully the final Room for Art design will now get to be realised, creating a legacy for our community to enjoy.”

Matt+Fiona: Matt + Fiona is a collaborative venture between architect Matthew Springett, Founder of MSA Ltd, and educator Fiona MacDonald, built on a long history of working together on architectural education initiatives. Through their collaboration they offer unique, hands-on education programmes for children and young adults inspired by place, resulting in full scale installations and buildings.