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feature
the swannery, bristol
for purpose but would also build skills and confi dence by giving young people the chance to work with the architects and builders doing the work. They sat in contractor interviews, helped choose fi nishes, informed the layout of spaces, and guided the activities and equipment that they wanted the space to support. From the early stages of setting the
brief, the young people were part of the design process. In addition to an open plan activity area, and a cosy chill out space with sofas and a big tv, what came through most strongly was that the youth club needed a kitchen. Wellspring Settlement is a community development organisation rather than a food charity. But, as Paul Simpson, Deputy CEO admits “kids are sometimes hungry” so a kitchen was added to the plans for them to develop skills in cooking and share food as a community. Throughout the development, the young people were invited to the construction site and involved in decisions, from looking at the tender packages, to choosing fi nishes and facilities for the club. The resulting orange fl ooring and dark green walls are hard wearing, practical
and non-institutional. Wood wool acoustic ceiling panels dampen the noise and the spaces are fl exible and easy to spend time in. It was important that the youth club shouldn’t feel like a hired hall or a classroom. Maria Krupa led the project for Barefoot
Architects. “The young people we worked with were inspiring – once they had warmed up to the idea that they would really be listened to, they had great questions, made thoughtful decisions and off ered useful critique. They wanted to know how everything worked – about the apprenticeships the contractor off ered, if they had to go for the cheapest tender, or whether suppliers were local for example.“ Paul Simpson, Deputy CEO
at Wellspring Settlement said: “What was also really, really important
was Maria’s standing as far as our young women go. They could see Maria and the way that the contractors engaged with her and respected her. But for these young women, to see that relationship was like, wow, there’s a woman here and she’s in charge!”
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