LUC, along with Wayward and Erect Architecture were delighted to be winners of the Health and Wellbeing category of the Children In Scotland Making Space 2016 awards. Making Space is an international award promoting innovation, creativity and sustainability in the design of spaces of children and young people. The Camden Active Spaces project was chosen for its innovative approach for promoting children’s physical and emotional wellbeing.

The pilot scheme commissioned by Camden Council aimed to tackle the borough’s childhood obesity rates which are amongst the worst in London. Five primary schools and two secondary schools were reinvented to create physically challenging and imaginatively stimulating play spaces for a range of age groups. The new facilities are also designed and managed to be used by the wider local community beyond school hours.

Jemima Wade, Head Teacher at Argyle Primary School, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the new playground LUC has created. It is fun challenging and looks great. The children have already developed their confidence and discovered new talents.”

Concurrently University College London has been monitoring the pupils’ activity levels before and after the playground interventions and findings are to be published in British Medical Journal.

This award sits alongside NLA 2016 Wellbeing Winner; Camden Design Award 2015 Education: Highly Commended. The project is also featured in the current Museum of Architecture: Well Built: Designing for Health and Wellbeing in Architecture exhibition at 10 Thurloe Place, South Kensington.