Should teenagers be involved in the design of our built environment? It’s not a question that dominates the agenda of your average construction meeting. But attitudes are changing. Co-design is a grassroots movement of architects, teachers and designers who believe that enlisting the imagination and unfiltered honesty of the under-twenties to build youth-friendly public places is a force for social good.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is also on board. To mark the 100th anniversary of Becontree, one of Europe’s largest housing estates, the institution commissioned POoR Collective, four young London architects who champion a people-first approach, to design an inviting hang-out for local schoolchildren utilising those students’ practical input and insights.