Design Lab : Making Waves 2024

How many young people look around them and feel that they have had a say in what they see? AATE Design Lab seeks to create the conditions, expertise and network to enable young people to directly help shape the built environment of the west of Ireland. We aim to "Make Waves", to shake things up by cultivating creative vision, championing young people and their innovative way of thinking, and encouraging them to take the lead on designing and constructing their very own unique and ambitious build project.

Architecture at the Edge was selected as a finalist by the Thornton Education Trust (TET), for the Inspire Future Generations Awards in the School Collaborations category for Design Lab - Making Waves 2023.

Design Lab has also been shortlisted in the One-off activity - Youth Category for our dedication in bridging the gap between young people and architecture. We look forward to attending the Awards Ceremony on the evening of December 4th, at the Building Centre in London when the final decision being revealed by the judges.

A big big thanks to all our incredible design lab ambassadors, the participating schools, staff and students and congratulations on being a finalist! 

 
 

What is Design Lab?

Design Lab pairs schools and creatives in Galway to work with students on an innovative and inspiring architecture education programme. The programme involves hands-on designing and making using real-life process and collaborating with leading practitioners and current students in the field. It enables and empowers each student to participate in a genuine creative, design process that results in real design proposition for a space or place.

The project was initially developed in partnership between Architecture at the Edge (AATE) based in Galway, with architecture education organisation Matt + Fiona based in London. Matt + Fiona is a social enterprise that believes all young people should have the opportunity to shape their built environment. Through their collaborations they offer unique, hands-on education programmes for children and young adults, which enable them to directly create full scale places and spaces.

 

The programme aims to:

  • Empower students to physically realise their ideas

  • Build confidence and curiosity in the next generation

  • Provide understanding about the built environment though constructive teaching, playing and making

  • Inspire students, creatives and schools to see how they can shape and influence the spaces in which we live, work and play

  • Familiarising students, teachers and creatives to the processes involved in design and construction within the built environment

  • Enabling students, teachers and creatives to work collaboratively towards a collective goal

  • Encourage young people to consider studying or a career in design, architecture and construction. In turn, increasing the diversity of who enters these fields. 

  • Build young people’s essential skills in making, communicating and collaborating which are missing from the current curriculum

 

  • In 2021, learning from the pedagogy and processes of MATT+FIONA, enabled six local emerging architects, designers, and creatives – Ciara Coogan, Molly King, Lua Flannery, Alessandra Longino, Jacqueline Glynn and Joanna McGlynn – to further develop skills to enable young people to shape space. These designers became the programme’s brilliant Design Ambassadors, the ‘on the ground’ leads, working alongside teachers, to introduce ideas and concepts to local school children.

    The Associates worked in pairs, each pair partnering with a local school. Schools participating in the 2021 pilot included Coláiste na Coiribe, Dominican College, Taylors Hill, Coláiste Bhaile Chláir, all in Galway.  

    The young people, Design Ambassadors and MATT+FIONA realised their collective ideas of belonging, wellbeing, imagination and purpose in a series of 3 full scale installations which went on display in the Architecture at the Edge Festival 2021, thereby celebrating and sharing the young people’s ideas. 

  • AATE’s Design Lab; an exciting initiative to empower the next generation to develop their ideas for the future of their local area, ran from March-June 2022. You can read the AATE’s report on Design Lab 2022 here.

    The journey enabled (up to) 90 Third Year students to develop their ideas about the built environment into a collective brief and design ideas for a more young-person friendly proposal for an agreed project centred on the city of Galway.  

    The programme took student’s on a journey of a real-life architecture brief and design process. Through a series of workshops, they developed the brief and designs for ‘spaces for joyful collaboration’. 

    Through a series of workshops, including virtual site visits, designing through online resources and desktop model making the students realised the brief. Themes of belonging, well-being, imagination, purpose & meaning are our starting point for the collaborative brief. 

    At the proto-build stage, MATT+FIONA joined the Ambassadors to lead a day-long scale build in Galway City. This important and unique stage for enabled the young designers to experience what they have designed as a 3-d Build.

    Meet the Design Lab Ambassadors for 2022

    Soňa Šmédková is a Czech multidisciplinary artist based in Galway, Ireland. Artist-Sona Smedkova-Galway @sonasmedkova

    Orla Clogher is a visual artist, designer, and theatre maker. @orlaclogher

    Aaron Conneely is a maker/designer based in Galway. aaronconneely.com @aaronconneely

    Jacqueline Glynn is a visual artist employing a multi-disciplinary approach to their work, using sculpture, drawing, video, photography and performance. @jacqglynn

    Ciara Coogan is a freelance illustrator based in Galway. cicoillustrates.com @cicoillustrates

    Joanna McGlynn is a socially engaged arts practitioner based in Galway, Ireland. @joannamcglynn

    Kate McSharry is a Visual Artist based between Cork and Galway. @kate_mcsharry

    Lua Flannery has experience in facilitating creative workshops, event production, designing creative therapeutic sessions, UX Design. @luaflannery

  • For 2023 the aim was to "Make Waves", to shake things up by cultivating creative vision, championing young people and their innovative way of thinking, and encouraging them to take the lead on designing and constructing their very own unique and ambitious build project.

    With the guidance of our Design Ambassadors, students will channel their ideas and inspiration into creating a real, tangible, design for a large scale installation. The program consisted of a series of four half-day workshops held within each school, working toward the co-design and build of their full scale installation in a shared space which will, once complete, opened for exhibition to the public.

  • We are seeking expressions of interest from schools and creative individuals to join us for Design Lab 2024. If you work with a school or young people based in Galway City or County and are looking for exciting ways to expand your current curriculum or practice, we would love to hear from you!

    For more information and to apply contact: learning@architectureattheedge.com

    Deadline for applications Midday, Monday 27th November 2023.

 

SPONSORS

Funded by Arts Council. Thanks also to our generous supporters and sponsors made this project a reality.