What might the British Museum look like in 2050?
That was the question we set for our Young City Makers this summer.
As part of Open City’s Young City Makers programme, Purcell partnered with Little Ealing Primary School to introduce Year 4 pupils to architecture, heritage and the built environment through a two-part series of hands-on workshops. The outreach programme connects design professionals with young people, helping them develop creativity, confidence and an understanding of how the places around them are imagined, designed and transformed.
Our first workshop introduced the children to the role of architects and conservation specialists. Together, we explored how historic buildings tell stories, how museums are designed to shape the visitor experience, and how light, colour, materials, scale and space influence the way we experience them. Through sketching, collaging and discussion, the pupils developed their own ideas for exhibition spaces and considered the stories they wanted to tell.
A moodboard created during the workshops
The second workshop saw the pupils working in teams to reimagine what the museum could become in 2050, redesigning gallery spaces around themes including Nature, Unite, Protect, Interactive, Party and Power. They then transformed their concepts into collaborative models using recycled materials such as cardboard and egg crates.
The project encouraged young people to explore architecture as a creative and accessible profession while building confidence in observation, design thinking and collaboration. It also offered an opportunity to engage with one of the UK’s most significant cultural institutions and consider how historic places can continue to evolve for future generations.
The finished model
