‘Bright Spark’ Students from Cornwallis Academy enjoy a design experience day at Golding Homes
Three students studying A Level Product Design at Cornwallis Academy took part in a design experience day at Golding Homes last Friday, as their prize for being a finalist in the KM Charity Team’s Bright Sparks Awards.
The three students were taken on a tour of the Park Wood regeneration project and experienced first hand the demolition of the old shops and flats as part of Phase 3 of the development. They also met with the contractors Rydon on site, where they viewed the plans and drawings of the future homes that will be built, learnt about the health and safety regulations on site and the various roles that make up the construction team. This was followed by a design masterclass hosted by Keith Mandy, Golding Homes’ Head of Regeneration and Construction where they were tasked with designing and planning a regeneration project.
Rashida Petch, Acting Head of Design and Technology at Cornwallis Academy said: “Thank you to the staff at Golding Homes for a fantastic day, which the students found very interesting and relevant to their product design exam topics.”
For the students, the experience day provided them with a valuable insight into the all the various aspects involved in a major regeneration project from the planning, design through to the construction stage. One of the students Zach Stiff said: “It has been a really interesting day and has opened my eyes to new careers available to me for the future.”
Keith Mandy, Head of Regeneration and Construction at Golding Homes said: “This was a great opportunity for the students to experience the real world of housing and construction and the different aspects of planning a regeneration project. It was great to see the students enthused and hopefully the day has provided a valuable context to their product design course.”
Golding Vision is a main sponsor of the KM Charity Team’s Bright Sparks Awards, a competition for Kent schools which helps to encourage an interest in science and engineering. The finalists are invited to present their project at an annual awards event where they showcase and pitch their inventions to a collection of Dragons in a dragon’s den-style format. The overall KM Bright Spark champions are awarded a £500 cash prize with experience prizes being awarded to the finalists.