In 2012 I was given the opportunity to join a live build project as part of my studies. Project Aga Sikolo (meaning 'build a school' in Northern Sotho) was a unique collaboration between our Studio Unit in Nottingham and the small rural community of Calais in Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Our tutors tasked us with designing a nursery school to give the children of Calais the best possible start in life. Working in groups each worked up a design proposal that was then submitted as a competition entry. We also carried out numerous fundraising events to raise money to cover the cost of the build, breaking our £30,000 target.
We then flew out to South Africa to do the building work ourselves, learning valuable lessons in project management, teamwork and the importance of good detailing.
I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to see a design that I contributed to get built. This has given me an appreciation of the reality of building designs sketched in the studio on site.
