Chippindale Venture II - TrustNews February 1991
Following the success of the 1989 pilot exercise we are in the process of preparing for Chippindale Venture II. The school involved is St. Bedes and forty children will be taking part. Also taking part are a further twenty children drawn from the area who belong to the Southampton Explorers Club which is affiliated to the National Association of Gifted Children. The scheme this year is environmentally orientated in an attempt to get the children to think not only about buildings but also how a building should interact with, and complement, landscape.
Chippindale Venture: Map of Project Area
Click to enlarge
The site selected is situated somewhere within the recreation ground complex and includes the area of land designated as one of Special Scientific Interest.
The building is a proposal for an environmental centre concerned with the recreation grounds and the SSI land. The children are being briefed to consider how to build using the latest information on energy efficiency and use of environmentally friendly materials. They are also being briefed to consider the integration of the building within the landscape.
The initial briefing period has already commenced with planners, architects and landscape architects informing the children about their professions and what is expected of them in the production of such an exercise. We are about to proceed into the next phase of briefing when the team leaders who are architects and landscape architects drawn from various Winchester and Southampton firms will be briefed by teaching staff and the Urban Studies Committee as to what is expected of them. The leaders will then be directing their teams towards their various proposal conclusions. The conclusions will be critiqued by planners and elected members on March 7th. Incidentally, if any members of the Trust wish to come on the day, they will be more than welcome. (See the programme for details).
Last year we were surprised at the amount of interest the Chippindale Venture aroused from a wide spectrum of organisations such as the Civic Trust, the Open University, and local educational representatives from various authorities. This year we will be attempting to widen the publicity side to cover a greater spectrum of organisations that may be interested in such a scheme. There is no doubt that if Chippindale Venture I is anything to go by, the children will be both stimulated and inspired by not only the project but the interaction with adults who they would not normally mix with. It is interesting that, those professions who took part last time are also stimulated by the experience which is an additional bonus. The Urban Studies Sub Committee would like to thank all those people who have helped and are helping to make this venture possible.