A group of sixteen young people pose indoors on and around a large modular wooden structure with circular cut-outs, smiling and looking at the camera in a well-lit room crafted from sustainable spruce.
A group of people sits and stands on modular wooden furniture in a modern room while listening to a woman in a white “I-Build” t-shirt speaking at the front. The setting appears to be a workshop or presentation.
A person kneels on the floor, using a power drill to assemble a sustainable plywood box with circular cut-outs. More wooden boxes and tools are nearby, and another person stands partially visible on the right.
A group of people, including children and adults, assemble plywood boxes with circular holes in a brightly lit indoor space. Some work together whilst others observe or chat. The room features light wood walls and ceiling lights.
Five young people stand in a circle talking and laughing in a room with birch plywood walls. One person in a white shirt appears to be leading the conversation, whilst others listen and smile.
A group of people interact with large modular birch blocks featuring circular cut-outs in a bright, modern gallery space. Some sit or kneel on the sustainable blocks, while others stand or observe.
Five young people are gathered in a wooden room, focusing on a sustainable, cube-shaped timber construction with circular openings as one person writes or draws on it while others observe attentively.
A group of sixteen young adults sit and stand on modular wooden benches in a modern, minimalist room with white walls and a polished floor, posing and smiling for a group photo.

RIBA Workshop: Youth Forum’s “Long Life, Low Energy”

The RIBA Youth forum is a wonderful program that caters to students and young adults, who are thinking about studying architecture and can attend ongoing workshops managed by RIBA.

We were lucky enough to collaborate with them on the RIBA Exhibition Long Life, Low Energy: Designing for a Circular Economy. We ran a workshop with them to coincide with the week of the installation after the main walls had been safely installed. As well as attending a talk to learn about the exhibition topic and U-Build system, they were also able to participate by building the modular ‘Universal Boxes’ that formed a key part of the exhibition.

“The RIBA Youth Forum was full of motivated, curious and intelligent participants. We ran a team building exercise with them, challenging them to work together to build the fastest and best box. This was followed by a task to build the longest and safest bridge, using boxes bolted together. Finally we set them a design challenge: to create stepped seating for the cinema area in the exhibition. We enjoyed our collaboration with them and are looking forward to working with the Youth Forum again.” Nick, Director U-Build

Photos by Kes Eccleston