Offaly school takes part in Architects Programme

TULLAMORE'S Sacred Heart School  was  one of  30  Irish  schools selected  in September 2020  to participate in the  Architects in Schools  Programme.

The  initiative provides  Transition  Year students  the opportunity to engage with and experience architectural design first-hand. 

Art teacher, Ms Deborah Moore  says,  “Not  only does the initiative complement many cross curricular links, but it also encourages critical thinking, creativity and other  transferable  skills needed  by a  student in  the modern workplace.” 

She continued “Much of the programme  has  taken  place online, which was a real  advantage  this year. “Ms Moore comments that,  “The resilience of our  girls  makes  it possible  for the school to  do  more than  just live through the pandemic.  At the Sacred Heart  School, we thrive.”   

The students  are guided  through the  programme  with the continuous  support  of an assigned architect, who functions as a mentor throughout the course of the programme.  Direct contact with the design professional,  architect  Emily  Power,  is made possible through the  online  student workshops. 

Between workshops, the students  at the Sacred Heart  School  engage with  a set of  themes related to  sustainability, functionality, and cultural heritage  as a source of  inspiration for  the  architectural  designs. 

The  structure  of the programme,  a  five-stage design process, allows  students the possibility to investigate their ideas extensively. The  stages, albethey  comprehensive,  are  by no means  linear,  meaning  potential  challenges  can be  revisited and solved at later points in the module.  The immersive aspect of the programme  similarly  offers  pupils insight into  a  somewhat  enigmatic  profession. 

The pupils  have  learned about  the range of skills needed  to pursue such a career path  too.  TY  students noted  that unlike many other professions,  both artistic ability and mathematical  proficiency  play  equal parts  in the  enjoyment and success of their  project  work. They explained  further  that the design elements  of the  architecture initiative  require  a level of competency in both the sciences and arts,  a matter  which the  girls  say they  hadn’t  realised before  this programme.   
Having had to adapt, pivot,  and adjust  under  the  current health and safety guidelines, students  have  remained flexible in their  approach  to  the programme. 
Handbooks  and  sketchbooks  as well as  digital platforms  have been  used to  gather research.  The  research  stage  is  centred on the creation of vision boards which display the  motivation  and origin  of  each pupil’s  idea. 

Once  students  have  finished their research, they present their ideas to Ms Power. Following  the online presentations, students  are advised on future steps  of the project  by the professional architect. 
The feedback  is  crucial for the development of the project as it  forms the basis  for students’ decision making. One key example being  the  inclusion  of  orthographic drawings.     

The final models and research work will be displayed in an online exhibition in June  with  the other schools  that have  participated in the Architects  in  Schools  Programme.  
In the meantime, art lovers can take a glimpse  at  other  artwork  produced by Sacred Heart  School students  via  their  Online 3D  Photography  exhibition  which  has taken  place in conjunction with the Sacred Heart School Arts Festival 2021.  The link  is  available on the  Sacred Heart  School’s social media accounts. 

Ms Moore concluded  “It  is projects like this that create future artists, architects and designers and for our students, suddenly a whole new world  beckon.”