Chippindale Venture 1995 - TrustNews Spring 1995
At the beginning of 1994, the Urban Studies Committee decided to split the Chippindale education programme into two, one called Chippindale Venture and the other Chippindale Workshop. The workshop is a one day exercise and the Venture a two month exercise.
This year we are starting with a Chippindale Venture programme, which is already under way. Two schools are involved, Compton and Owslebury Primary Schools. There are 55 students aged between 9 and 11. Fourteen architects and landscape architects are involved with teams of approximately four students each helped by their school teachers. The project this year is to produce a Heritage Centre scheme for Winchester. The site selected is the same one that we used when we first started the scheme five years ago, the forecourt of the Law Courts. A brief has been drawn up setting out the site criteria, use of space, materials etc., car and pedestrian movement and a rough idea of the content of the Heritage Centre and its function. The schools have visited several heritage centres to help them visualise and understand spaces, and how the buildings are used and what they are providing for public education and why.
It never ceases to amaze those architects taking part how the pupils pass through the frustrating learning curve, then understand what is required, and develop a sense of place and sense of scale. They also master a certain amount of architectural jargon! The reward for the professional team is considerable for they see youngsters evolving their abilities very fast through an intensive programme. It will be interesting to see the end results on the final day which is March 24th starting at mid-day. Schemes will be on display in the Great Hall. The participants will also be preparing drawings of some pictorial episodes in the History of Winchester which would be exhibition material in the 'new' heritage centres they have designed. All Preservation Trust members are welcome to come and see the schemes which will be displayed all the afternoon.
Finally the Urban Studies committee would like to thank Pam Moore who co-ordinates this difficult programme, David Ashe for once again providing the wise guiding hand and all the architectural firms in Winchester who allow members of their firms expensive time off to undertake this worthwhile project and many other enthusiastic helpers who get drawn into and hooked by the Chippindale Venture. We would also like to thank Hampshire County Council for allowing us the use of the Great Hall.