During 2016, Architecture, Interior and Product design students from Harrow College went out into the community to put their skills into practice as well as to meet new people and broaden their experiences.
The first success story relates to former student Esterra Badelita (left image). Esterra’s work was on display at the Harrow College end of year exhibition back in 2016. It was there where Claire Linge, Education officer at the newly opened Heath Robinson Museum in Pinner, met Estrerra and offered her a paid commission to build a model based on a book of illustrations called ‘Living in Flats’ by Heath Robinson (William Heath Robinson 1872 – 1944, was a famous illustrator and cartoonist who was best known for drawings of complicated machines achieving simple objectives). Esterra worked over her summer holiday and was invited to attend the official opening of the museum to see her work on display.
Following this, during the autumn half term last year, a group Year 1 Architecture, Interior and Product design students were invited to complete a short period of work experience at the Heath Robinson Museum. They ran a workshop for local children to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali. The workshop saw students helping children to stick coloured plastic onto patterns which they had designed to create stained glass windows. Over 120 local children took part and the museum has invited Harrow College students to run the event again next year.
Towards the end of the year, in December 2016, Year 2 Architecture, Interior and Product design students returned to the museum as part of their Harrow Expo project where they designed, produced and installed decorations for the museum shop and activity room. These decorations were welcomed by the trustees of the museum and again the students have been invited to repeat the activity next year.
In addition to this, A-level and BTEC Architecture, Interior and Product design students have been working on a number of projects with Harrow Councils Regeneration Department. This has included a number of work experience days where students have helped run public consultation events for new flats being developed on the site of Vaughan Road car park. The students helped meet and greet the public and have also based a design project on the new development. In December 2016, the lead architect from Adam Khan Architects, who won the pitch to design the flats, visited Harrow College and talked to the student's in depth about the new flat development. Over 40 intrigued students attended the talk.
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