On Friday 13 July 2018, the Camden Town Hall Annexe project team visited Argyle Primary School. The purpose of the visit was to introduce the project to the students and showcase that construction is for everyone.
The team gave a presentation to year three pupils and teachers about the project, which covered areas such as varied staff roles and the daily routine, equipment used on site and about changing attitudes to gender roles in the industry – women in construction.
After the presentation, pupils and staff engaged in a Q&A session about the development and the industry in general. Subjects discussed included the final completed look of the proposed hotel and the day-to-day management of the site, as well as different equipment used on site.
Ten pupils were chosen for a brief site walk-around and included five boys and five girls. The visitors were given personal protective equipment (PPE) with their Argyle School logo printed on them. They were also given a simplified site induction, which covered the basic but still highly important aspects of site safety, such as fire procedures and staying with escorting McLaren staff at all times.
Within the 30-minute visit , the pupils and staff were shown around the ground floor of the site and were able to see works being carried out, such as tiling, various equipment in use and materials including saws and wooden beams from behind a temporary safe route. After the visit, everyone assembled outside the site for a debrief and group photographs.
Overall, the pupils really enjoyed the day and the school staff have shown a keen interest for future engagements like playground and classroom activities with building blocks.
More information can be found in the Camden Town Hall Annexe, King’s Cross Case Study.