Learning more about London’s architecture was the name of the game when New Covent Garden Market teamed up with two local primary schools as part of March's British Science Week celebrations.
Four classes of primary school children from two Vauxhall schools visited the market, taking to the rooftops to discover more about architecture and the construction business, before recreating London’s ever-expanding skyline with a Lego tower challenge.
The visits tied in to pupils' understanding of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) topics and were led by Nick Harrington, Senior Construction Manager at Vinci St Modwen, which is redeveloping the market.
Nick welcomed year four and year five pupils from St George's and Griffin Schools to view the skyscrapers across Vauxhall and beyond from the Food Exchange building's roof terrace. “We had great views of the local building sites so it gave some context to the day,” says Nick. The school children were given a timed challenge to create a skyscraper: firstly on paper, followed by a timed construction session with Lego bricks.
The Lego Tower Challenge - created by GoConstruct - saw teams of four using teamwork to design and plan their towers, before creating a strong tower design using an assortment of Lego bricks. The aim was to build the highest tower, although the children were all winners on the day thanks to some innovative shapes and concepts.
Nick stressed that the construction industry is open to all – regardless of sex or background – and told the children that some of them could very well be part of the Nine Elms construction process in ten years’ time. “The roof terrace visit was a real success and it really inspired the children with their Lego builds,” says Nick. “It looked like everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day.”
The collaboration with the schools follows on from the outdoor advent calendar ‘window’ created at Griffin Primary School in December.
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