Ravensbourne students have won a competition to design an orphanage with both living and education spaces, for children affected by the ongoing conflict in Nigeria. The competition, run by young people and family support service, World of Hope, called for undergraduate students within the Department of Architecture at Ravensbourne, to design an orphanage for primary and secondary children, situated in Osun State, Nigeria. It was judged by a panel including: Olu Babatola, Former Mayor of Greenwich; Keith Prince, London Assembly Member for Havering, Redbridge & Barkingside; Teresa Pearce, Labour MP for Erith and Thamesmead; Emma Namah, Education and Welfare Minister at the Nigerian High Commission; Caroline Ngere, Head of Immigration at the Nigerian High Commission, as well as representatives from the London Metropolitan Police and wider members of the London Nigerian community.
The winning entry was awarded £1,500, as well as their design being planned for construction across 2019-20. The second place entry was awarded a cash prize of £500. The first place prize was awarded to third year BA (Hons) Interior Design Environment Architectures students, Giulliana-Florela Giorgi and Meryl LeFleur. Their design centred around the idea of fitting in with the natural landscape, so residents wouldn’t feel enclosed, including upper level spaces to increase protection and take advantage of the surrounding views. The second place prize was awarded to Miniratu Coker and Jhemae Fullerton. Their design made safety and security a key priority, allocating space for learning skills such as planting and gardening. They also included provisions to ensure local materials are readily accessible in case they are needed for repairs. Commenting Giulliana-Florela Giorgia said: “We are delighted to have had our design selected.
It’s been a fantastic project to be involved with and we can’t wait to help it materialise. We wanted to design a space where children would feel safe and empowered, and want to stay and play, without disrupting the natural surroundings. With the consistent support and feedback of our tutors, we’ve been able to come up with a design which I think will have a significant positive impact on people’s lives, which is a thoroughly rewarding feeling.” Florence Emakpose, CEO/Founder, World of Hope said: “We have had the honour of working with some highly creative and forward-thinking individuals across this project. The standard was very high, but Giulliana and Meryl exceeded our expectations showing meticulous attention to detail and maintaining an impressively strong vision throughout. We are excited to move this project forward, so are appealing to anyone who might be interested in providing funding for the project.”