A North East school has won its way to the national finals of an Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) competition to design a community sports venue, taking into account all the engineering challenges this presents.
A team from Gosforth Central Middle School has been declared the regional winners of the Create Sport Challenge and has been chosen to represent the North East at the competition finals being held in London on June 27, with a chance of winning £1,000 for their school.
The competition has been a priority for ICE president, Peter Hansford, who wants to focus on skills development and retention as a key issue during his year of office.
Create Sport, developed in partnership with Arup and the Engineering Development Trust (EDT), aims to do just that, and has been challenging 12 to 13 year olds across the UK to plan, design and construct a model for a new sports venue in their region.
The winning entry from the Gosforth team, which comprised Maria Rhodes, Isabelle Young, Sophie Smith and Tom Wright, was of a velodrome.
During the project, they appraised the site’s suitability, explored the area’s demographics to gauge the need for such a facility, and employed engineering principles to create the stadium framework.
A key consideration for the pupils was the environmental impact. This resulted in their decision to sink their sports complex into the ground and cover it with a grass roof so it appears to be a hill and blends in with the local landscape.
ICE North East Regional Director Stephen Larkin said: “This project plays an important role in ensuring new talent is attracted into civil engineering.
“The standard of entries was extremely high, which is encouraging for the future of the profession. What made the Gosforth Middle submission stand out was that it went beyond the detailed criteria and the creativity involved in their design and model.”
Nigel Hearn, the Gosforth Middle School Teacher who championed Create Sport, said: “This competition was stimulating, challenging, fuelled the pupils’ imaginations and allowed them to put what they have learnt in lessons to practical use.
“It also demonstrates to them how what they have learnt in theory translates into practice and can be of use in the world of work. Gosforth Middle School is very proud to have been chosen to represent the North East in the national finals.”
The North East team will compete against 11 other groups from across the country at the national finals which take place at the Institution of Civil Engineers’ headquarters in Westminster.
Here they will present their entry to the judges, followed by a mock public inquiry where the team will need to articulate their plans, engage with the audience and respond to any questions raised.
Those taking part in the competition have been guided by an industry professional in the form of an ICE schools ambassador (in this case Ben Irons from civil engineering consultants AECOM) as they plan and design their venue.
They were challenged to think about the project from an engineering perspective, taking into account real technical, infrastructure and sustainability constraints and concerns such as transport links, flooding, drainage and water use, energy use and generation, environment (biodiversity), communities/town planning and safety aspects.
Studying for a degree in civil engineering requires a school level education in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects, so engaging pre-19s is vital to ensuring new talent is attracted into the profession.