Partner Article

Construction students to rebuild the Gherkin

70 students from Northumbria University are to rebuild the London Gherkin, along with two other famous landmarks.

Three North East companies have teamed up with Northumbria University to give young people entering the construction industry a slightly more unusual form of hands-on experience.

Construction firm GB Building Solutions, recruitment consultants Corepeople and Space Architecture are all helping provide 70 students with a creative building challenge at Constructionarium.

The students, who are studying construction related degrees at Northumbria University, will build scaled down versions of three of the Swiss Re building in London, better known as the Gherkin, Sheffield’s Millennium Galleries and the canopy roof of Naples Airport underground station.

Martin Smout, Chairman and Chief Executive of GB Building Solutions said: “This is the third year we have supported and invested in Constructionarium and we didn’t think that the recession was any reason not to. The UK economy is heavily reliant on the construction industry and it is vital we take the time and money now, to invest in the people who will be fundamental to our growth of tomorrow.”

Constructionarium works through the triangle of a university, a contractor and a designer working in partnership to deliver a new learning experience, which combines the academic perspective with the practical demands and skills of the design and construction professions.

Workshops have already been held at the University and at Space Group where the students discussed and planned how they would take the project from a bare site, through to fully completed scaled-down buildings.

Space Group Chief Executive Rob Charlton said: “We are hugely committed to allowing time to invest in developing talent for the future and investing in multi skilled professionals in the industry. It is essential now more than ever that students leave university with project management, cost control and hands on experience and Constructionarium helps them in this.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .