Mayor announces winners of second Design Future London Challenge
- The second Design Future London Schools Challenge took place in the new London Minecraft World.
- Young Londoners designed a new, sustainable Minecraft version of Croydon town centre and submitted a two minute video entry.
- Winners were announced at a ceremony at City Hall.
Talented young Londoners have immersed themselves in world-famous video game Minecraft to design a greener, more sustainable city and win the Mayor’s Design Future London Schools Challenge.
Youngsters from across the capital used their creative skills to design sustainable changes to a special Minecraft version of Croydon town centre and the winners of the challenge were announced today at a ceremony at City Hall.
The collaboration between City Hall, Microsoft’s Minecraft Education and C40 Cities aims to inspire young Londoners into future careers in the green, tech and design industries.
The Mayor made his virtual debut as a non-player character in the new London Minecraft World, introducing the challenge to young Londoners.
The youngest participants produced a two minute video explaining their vision of a greener Croydon. Older students went even further creating physical models, worked up proposals, videos and presentations setting out their ideas. Many of the winning submissions focussed on the reuse of buildings rather than redevelopment - supporting a circular, more sustainable economy in line with the Mayor’s London Plan. Students were also keen to include bright, new spaces for the community in their designs, such as rooftop gardens and tailor-made facilities for young people.
There were more than 150 entries to the Design Future London Schools Challenge.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “We were blown away by the fantastic ideas and designs young Londoners came up with to create the Croydon town centre of the future, from sustainable housing and community spaces to art and transport.
“Partnering with Minecraft Education has made this challenge even more fun and engaging and I congratulate all the young people who took part. They will be designing the homes and green spaces of future generations and I hope will continue our work to build a safer, fairer, greener and more prosperous city for all Londoners.”
The Mayor of London worked with C40 Cities on the challenge, as part of their Schools Reinventing Cities programme which incorporates Minecraft Education. Other partners included George Clarke’s education charity MOBIE – Ministry of Building Innovation and Education, Croydon Council and Mayors Fund for London.
George Clarke, MOBIE founder, said: "Inspiring young talent to help define the communities of the future and reshape and improve existing places is a real passion of mine. Creating places that are innovative, beautiful, genuinely sustainable, and transform the quality of people’s lives is why we hold these challenges".
“I was very impressed by the variety and quality of entries to Design Future London. Each design was incredibly well thought out and took into account the varied and complex challenges facing Croydon, and London more generally. Young people are certainly not short of brilliant ideas about how to transform our built environment for the better based on the amazing finalists' schemes we saw today. I can't wait to see what they do next."
Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities, said: “C40 Cities is thrilled to have worked with Minecraft Education and the Mayor of London to give young people the chance to reimagine Croydon Town Centre. Youth voices are vital to the future of cities, and programs like Schools Reinventing Cities help to make sure they are heard. The winners of Design Future London exemplified what a greener, safer future could look like through their innovative ideas and people-first designs. C40 congratulates all participants and encourages them to keep thinking big — our future depends on it.”
Executive Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, said: “This was a fun and accessible way to introduce town planning and regeneration to young people. Congratulations to all the winners. Croydon has the largest population of young people in London, so it was the perfect place for this competition. It’s always great to hear from our young people about their ideas for how to make our communities greener and more sustainable.”
Justin Edwards, Director of Learning Experiences of Minecraft Education said: “I’ve been impressed by the innovation and creativity students of all ages have showcased in the Design Future competition. Their diverse perspectives produced imaginative visions of ways to make Croydon, and London, a better place to live. I’m delighted to see how they’ve put their STEM skills to good use, to reimagine the spaces we live and work in. And I am sure they had fun using Minecraft, too.”
Julian McIntosh, JMA architect and TV presenter said: “Transforming places with creativity and innovation is at the heart of what we do at JMA. We loved seeing the creativity and ingenuity coming through in the students’ work.”
Notes to editors
NOTES TO EDITORS
Find more information on the next Mayor’s Design Future London Programme.
Watch the official trailer for the 2023 Design Future London Schools Challenge.
About the Design Future London Schools Challenge
The Minecraft Education challenge is open to young Londoners and has a strapline for students to ‘Be Inspired – Be Creative – Have Fun!’
The Primary Schools Challenge prompts young people aged 5-11 to consider how Croydon can be reimagined to make it a greener, safer, and a more prosperous place for everyone.
For young people aged 11-15, 16-18 and 19-24+, the challenge is set within a wider competition - Design Future London. There are several additional resources for students who can create their entry in a variety of different ways, including video, audio, physical models, computer generated 3D or built in Minecraft Education.
There were 161 entries to the competition (representing 41 students) and many more classes undertook the challenge however only some students were chosen to enter.
Nearly 23,500 Minecraft licences were requested with nearly 20,000 being activated.
On Friday 14 July the final was held at City Hall.
60 finalists (from four age groups – 5-11, 11-15, 16-18 and 19-24+) attended the final with select teams presenting their designs to a panel of architecture, planning and construction experts before taking part in a networking lunch with over 50 professionals from sectors that shape London.
The winners of the four categories are:
5-11 year olds: Croydon Remixed, Harold Wood Primary School
Croydon Remixed reused existing buildings to provide spaces and places where the community can live, work, shop, learn and play 24 hours a day. The scheme included a gym, a green roof, clothes and food shops, and a nightclub. It centred around a community courtyard with a mosaic floor and a big screen.
11-15 year olds: 2 joint winners
Spazio Verde, The Ursuline Academy Ilford
Spazio Verde created a diverse scene of art, food and culture, moving towards a circular economy. Spaces were created where the community could work, shop and play all under one roof while offering homes with little or no bills.
Eco Builders, Highgate Wood School
Eco Builders’ submission focussed on repurposing and re-building Croydon, creating a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable community in North End. The design included pedestrian-friendly green routes, affordable and eco-friendly homes, shared green spaces, sustainable living practices, and eco-friendly transport options.
16 – 18 year olds: 2 joint winners
Croydon Super Gardens, Edmonton County School
The Croydon Super Gardens team identified that the North End Quarter lacked green space and places that allow people to come together as a community. They created a nature reserve with a destination attraction and activity centre to increase biodiversity, help build a community and increase civic pride.
Old Palace of Whitgift School
This proposal focussed on the sustainable re-use of Allders on North End as a positive focus for the future of Croydon town centre to restore local pride and bring together the community of Croydon. Art installations were proposed on the existing façade alongside rooftop viewing platforms and sky gardens. The redevelopment focussed on providing a solution for housing the homeless and those in temporary accommodation.
19 – 24+ year olds: Creative Croydon, University College London
Creative Croydon centred on creating a more permeable, greener town centre. North End was revitalised with an indoor market, new youth centre, affordable housing, co-housing schemes for all ages and rooftop urban farms for the community.
The winning entries received a range of prizes, including work experience with project supporters Landsec and Grosvenor. Schools involved in the 11-15 and 16-18 age groups received a cash prize of £250 from Derwent London towards design equipment for their labs, and all finalists received a book voucher sponsored by planning consultants DP9. There were also prizes for winners and runners-up of the People’s Vote where nearly 5,000 members of the public voted on their winning entries.
All winners and runner-ups were invited to 22 Bishopsgate with their team to design a legacy piece of art that reflects the young Londoners’ experience on the challenge, followed by a visit to NLA’s The London Centre.
The Design Future London Judges were:
5-11 age group – judging panel led by Gerry Ruffles, Head of Education, MOBIE
George Pope, MATT+FIONA
Aman Sahota, Senior Project Officer, Croydon Council
Darnell McKenzie, Mayor of London Peer Outreach Worker
11-15 age group – judging panel led by Gerry Ruffles
Hannah Martin, Placemaking Team, Croydon Council
Zaid Ismail, Team Administrator, Lendlease
Gabriella Brown and Hayley Maris Norman, Croydon Youth
16-18 age group - judging panel led by Mark Southgate, CEO, MOBIE
Emma Foster, Senior Development and Design Director, Mount Anvil
Ben Elworthy, 2022 Winner of Design Future London People’s Vote
Johan Prinsloo and Aleksei Vorontsov, Croydon Youth
19-24+ age group - judging panel led by Mark Southgate, CEO, MOBIE
Dr Wei Yang, Chair, Wei Yang and Partners
Anjali Raman-Middleton, C40 Global Youth and Mayor’s Forum
Raven Justyce, Mayor of London Peer Outreach Worker
Chairs of judging panel:
• Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan
• George Clarke, Architect, TV Presenter and Founder of MOBIE
• Mark Southgate, CEO, MOBIE
About C40 Cities
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, was appointed as C40 Chair in December 2021.
Find out more about the C40 Schools Reinventing Cities initiative: https://youtu.be/HD_jYnnJQnM