Jul 7 2006
No. 10 Downing Street has been declared environmentally unsustainable – a drain on energy and resources that must be replaced. As a result the Prime Minister requires a new purpose built eco-house and office to relocate to. This is the scenario that school students in Manchester are responding to as part of a unique project, called The Green Wing, which begins next week (Tuesday 11 July 2006).
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) are working with a group of Year 11 students (aged 15-16) from Cedar Mount High School, a successful inner-city comprehensive in East Manchester. The students are developing design proposals for an environmentally friendly Prime Minister’s office and residence, to replace 10 Downing Street, on Duck Island in St James's Park.
The students’ work – drawings, models, photographs and a film of the proposals for Tony Blair's new eco-house and office – will be on display in the RIBA’s ‘Architruck’ – a mobile exhibition centre in front of Manchester Town Hall on Tuesday 26 September, to coincide with the Labour Party conference. Senior politicians, conference delegates and members of the public will join the students for a fun, engaging and thought-provoking event.
Speaking about The Green Wing project, RIBA President Jack Pringle said:
"This is the first time a major party conference has been held in Manchester so we wanted to do something really special bringing together education, design and sustainability. This is a terrific project which has already captured the imagination of the students and will, I am sure, captivate politicians and the public alike in Manchester in September.
"The project will show not only that architecture and engineering are central to tackling the global challenge of climate change, but also that the built environment is a fantastic educational resource."
The school students will be working with architects and engineers at the Manchester School of Architecture from 11-13 July, prior to the exhibition on Tuesday 26 September 2006. The project will cover a range of subjects including design, science, geography and citizenship.