Heatherwick Studio has launched a three-year creative education programme that will work with 600 young people aged 10-14.

Named In The Making, the initiative will be one of the biggest programmes run by any design studio in Britain. It aims to inspire young people to see themselves as creative and support all 6,000 architecture practices across the UK to engage with schools. 

This is a unique programme of light touch, high volume creative learning. It has been co-designed with young people and then tested through a year-long pilot involving 230 teenagers, 21 architects and designers, and 14 workshops with two pioneering youth organisations, Global Generation and Into University.

“This is a pivotal moment for arts education and Britain’s creative industries. Everyone working in design is passionate about supporting young people. But most programmes offered by the sector are too rare, too small, and too late. We need to intervene earlier, before students choose their GCSEs, and help young people see themselves as creative.”

Thomas Heatherwick

The number of hours spent teaching creative subjects in English state-funded secondary schools fell by 23% from 2011-2024 and the number of teachers teaching those subjects by 27%. Unsurprisingly, this has led to a 37% decline in GCSE entries for these subjects.

In 2022, the Guardian reported that on average specific government funding for music, arts and cultural programmes equated to just £9.40 per pupil this year.

To help turn the tide, Heatherwick Studio is publishing three open-source assets, freely available to any architecture practice, which can be accessed in the Resources section below.

“Heatherwick Studio’s ‘In the Making’ is a fantastic example of how the profession can contribute to and encourage the creativity of future generations. No young person should miss out on a creative education. The Government must work together with the creative industries to ensure that access is universal.”

Muyiwa Oki, RIBA President

“Young people were involved from the very beginning to co-create the content of the workshops, to name the programme and train Heatherwick’s designers how to work with young people. There is so much potential for this programme to develop if more architect practices and design studios reach out to local schools.”

Nicole Van den Eijnde, Joint Director, Global Generation

“Working directly with people who have made successful careers in design and architecture is a really powerful tool for inspiring the next generation to unlock their own creative potential. So far, 128 young people from IntoUniversity centres have already benefited from this unique programme.”

Michael Spierin, Head of Operations (Strategy & Impact) at IntoUniversity

“Creativity and the arts are a vital part of what brings meaning to our students' lives. Arts education develops a lifelong curiosity, it gives them the chance to look at the world from different perspectives, and through craft develops a sense of quality. These qualities are all vital to a thriving society.”

Tom Aldridge, Head of Art, Maria Fidelis Secondary School, London

“The great thing about architecture in the UK is that it has much greater geographic reach than most other creative professions. The Government rightly wants to expand the choices available to every child wherever they live and whatever their background. Architects are brilliantly placed to support this. If every architecture practice in this country ran one workshop each term with a class from their local school, that would reach 540,000 young people every year.”

Matt Bell, Strategic Communications Director, Heatherwick Studio