PENAIR SCHOOL BEATS 200 TEAMS ACROSS UK TO TAKE UK TOP PRIZE -

Students from Penair school in Truro have beaten 200 other teams from across the UK to take home one of two national prizes for their innovative proposal for a new local sports stadium.

Create Sport, a national competition run by the Institution of Civil Engineers, Arup and the Engineering Development Trust (EDT), challenged 12 to 13 year olds across the country to plan, design and construct a model for a new sports venue in their region.

Proposals had to take into account all the engineering considerations of a real life project, such as environmental and community impact and planning and safety requirements, in an attempt to better equip school age students with an understanding of the profession. The projects were assessed on structure, aesthetics, sustainability, community aspects, end users, legacy and safety.

Eleven regional finalists went to ICE’s London headquarters on Monday 27 June to compete for two national prizes of £1000 cash for their school, with runner ups winning either an exclusive visit to one of the most exciting civil engineering projects of our time, the Olympic Velodrome, daytrips to BRE educational centre or a school visit by a top athlete.  

The team from Penair School were George Sowerby, Tim Powell, Daniel Kerrison Stock and Tobias Sydenham, all Year 8, and Dan Johnson and AJ Leverton of Year 7. They triumphed in the final mock public inquiry where they were required to defend their project to the ‘community’, in this case the judges, a high profile group of athletes and engineers including Ben Hunt-David, Olympic gold medallist, Shaun McKeown, Team GB Olympic Cyclist, and representatives from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), Alison Nimmo and Simon Wright.

The winning project, a design and model for a Cornwall National Fencing Centre, featured a flexible gridshell roof and factored in plans to use rainwater for the stadium’s facilities, including showers and flushing toilets, as well as solar energy to power the venue.

The team decided to include a cafe and gym within their design to help with the running costs of the fencing centre. They also sought advice from James Honeybone, a professional Great Britain fencer who trains in the area, to ensure that their design would meet the needs of professional fencers.

Judge Alison Nimmo, Director of Design and Regeneration at the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), said: “The students from Penair School had built an impressive team dynamic and enthusiasm which came through in their inspirational design and ideas for delivery.  The team had worked incredibly hard on all the detailed issues and in particular the needs of the different user groups and maximising the sustainability of the project.  The judges were really impressed at the team’s confident presentation and maturity in handling numerous difficult issues and questions. The students had clearly enjoyed the challenge and showed some great potential for a future in the profession.”

ICE president Peter Hansford said nearly 1000 students had been involved in the inaugural competition: “It is crucial that we engage young people early enough to make informed curriculum, and ultimately career choices. Create Sport has highlighted the wealth of talent in our young people today, and I hope it has given a new generation of potential engineers the inspiration to take it beyond this competition and into real life. Congratulations to all the contestants.“

ICE South West Regional Director Trish Johnson added: “It has been so inspiring to see how enthusiastic the students were about their projects and how well they were able to articulate their ideas. I hope that their confidence continues to grow and that in years to come we will be welcoming the students we have worked with into the civil engineering profession.

“We would like to congratulate the team from Penair School once again and thank ambassador Angela Holmes for her dedication and support of the team.”

Master of ceremonies, Kate Bellingham, former BBC Tomorrow’s World presenter and engineer said: “The teams were truly enterprising – they were not only knowledgeable and passionate but they were able to communicate this effectively to a large audience. It made me proud to be an engineer.“

ENDS