Gedling Borough Council gets a makeover from second year BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design students

Students were tasked with presenting designs to Gedling Borough Council

The Civic Centre in Arnold hasn’t seen much change since opening in the 1980s and the council were looking to modernise the reception area to provide an attractive environment that both visitors and staff could enjoy and appreciate.

As part of their Design Studio 2 module, students were tasked with revising the space - exploring how they could fulfil user needs whilst expressing the council’s identity and branding.

After an initial site visit, the students were assigned specific roles within teams and were asked to produce sketch work and models. Five concepts were then selected to be developed and presented to representatives from Gedling Borough Council.

Earlier this month, the Leader of Gedling Council, John Clarke, and fellow council members hosted a virtual awards evening in which they praised students for their hard work and dedication, welcoming their refreshing and vibrant perspectives.

A number of key design choices were taken from a selection of students work and these will be implemented into the new Council Offices in Arnold over the next few months.

Interior Architecture and Design student, Hugo Borthwick, said:  'Being afforded the opportunity to work on the Gedling Borough Council live project has provided us all with invaluable experience of working within the industry, allowing us to both develop our design skills and create useful contacts for the future.'

Interior Architecture and Design student, Nikita Malik, said: ‘The Gedling project presented me with the opportunity to work alongside my peers and industry professionals. Following the project from an early design stage to completion is incredibly rewarding, and we’re very lucky to have been involved. Being a team leader for this project not only provided me with leadership skills, but also gave me invaluable experience and confidence moving forward into industry.’

These students were awarded vouchers from Gedling Council and will each receive an official paper award to enhance their portfolios. Students will also be invited to visit the site throughout the redevelopment and to see the end result.