Working collaboratively with the next generation of creative thinkers, we recently welcomed Arts Ambassadors from Stebon Primary School in Poplar, Tower Hamlets to our London studio. This visit exemplifies our commitment to community engagement and educational outreach, providing students with hands-on insights into architectural practice and the diverse career paths available in the built environment.

The young visitors experienced our design and placemaking process first-hand through interactive sessions exploring models, discussing key housing, arts and education projects, and using virtual reality headsets to step inside our designs. The day finished with the students creating their own imaginative proposals to reinvent our studio building—demonstrating how early exposure to design thinking can inspire confidence and creativity.

Our relationship with Stebon Primary School, part of the Letta Trust, stems from our long-term partnership with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Poplar HARCA. Since 2020, our Place Studio has led workshops on landscape architecture and hosted tours of the completed park works, creating practical learning experiences that connect classroom concepts with real-world applications. Our collaboration has now evolved into a meaningful educational relationship spanning over twenty years.

These ongoing initiatives hold particular significance as Stebon Primary School has been recognised with Inclusion Quality Mark Flagship School Status—an acknowledgement bestowed to only 100 schools nationally for their excellence in inclusive practice and educational inclusion. By engaging with such a diverse school community, we're helping to broaden access to our profession and nurture talent from all backgrounds.

Through these educational partnerships, we're investing in the future of our industry while demonstrating our belief that meaningful engagement with young people creates lasting social impact—opening doors to possibilities that might otherwise remain undiscovered.

Photos by Anna Lerner.