23/07/2026
3 years
7 partner organisations
65 students
When we founded our work experience programme, we couldn’t have predicted the impact that it would have had only three years on - but last night, when we brought together past students for our inaugural Summer Show, we got a sense of the scale of change delivered.
We invited students, each of whom who have done a week of work experience at the studio, back to the office to present their work to an audience of architects, peers, friends, and family. During their week, every student gets the chance to see what working on a real project could look like, developing a project from brief to research to proposal with support from the team.
Students developed a range of exciting proposals, from a cinema pavilion by the Leadenhall Building, to a public, student-friendly library in the heart of Regents Park. Importantly, as explained by director Julian de Metz at the event, the opportunity is both a chance to experience the real work of an architect, but also get a sense of what it is like to be a changemaker - whether they pursue a career in architecture and related fields or not.
Thank you to all participants and presenters for making the evening a success, Tomi Akinyemi for compering the event, and special thanks to Lovely Jayne Javier, Isobel Eaton, and the wider Social Values team for organising and overseeing the programme throughout the year.
Our partners are essential in helping us run our work experience programme, helping to find the people that most need support and widening access to careers in the built environment. Over the past three years we have worked with the Construction Youth Trust, Beyond The Box CIC, Royal Institute of British Architects, Local Village Network, The Mayor's Fund for London, Ark Globe, HomeGrown Plus and The Baytree Centre - thank you for your support.
We will continue to support the next generation of architects, placemakers, and designers over the next three years and beyond.
