School pupils use their imagination to redesign high street in competition

By Lauren Taylor

December 19 2022, 2:17 pm

Elgin High Team – The full team was Emma Russell, Sophie Strachan, Brooke Duncan, Anya Stephen and Shana Welch. Image: TechFest.

Secondary pupils from across the north-east have been coming up with ways to improve their local high streets.

Teams from Elgin High School, Fraserburgh Academy and Oldmachar Academy were finalists in TechFest’s latest programme, the Blueprint Challenge: A Future High Street project.

Senior pupils across the north-east were tasked with redesigning their high street as part of the project.

Fraserburgh Academy team Astriks Way – The full team was Maja Celt, Andreja Uscilaityte, Bogdan Sergijenko, Dovydas Simkus, Jake Thomson and Isla Reid. The picture shows some of the team members. Image: TechFest.

The teams participated in an online ceremony to present their own ideas to a panel of judges, who were looking for ideas to tackle modern high street problems such as architecture, power generation, economic stability and wellbeing.

They were asked to combine energy and nature to create future net zero urban areas using innovative technology to imagine a high street where buying your favourite products leads to more nature, not less.

Oldmachar Academy team O. I. T. – Aidan Buckley, Ebube Anyaegbunam, Daniel Cowe, Erica Walber and Johnny Wang. Image: TechFest.

The students created diverse teams showcasing different skill sets such as engineering, architecture, and art and design.

Supported by Bluewater – the London-based private equity firm specialising in global energy – teams from Aberdeen, Elgin and Fraserburgh took part with Carnoustie High School taking first place.

Pupils tackled challenges ‘head-on’

TechFest is an Aberdeen-based charity aiming to engage young people in Stem subjects, by showing they are both fun and relevant in day-to-day life.

Each year, the highly popular TechFest festival attracts tens of thousands of children and adults to a series of Stem-based events in and around Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.

Sarah Chew, TechFest managing director said: “The designs were so inspirational and choosing a winner was extremely difficult for the judges. The students took the brief and really used their imagination to offer some fantastic ideas and solutions.

“As we move towards a more sustainable future, preserving the high street and equipping it for future generations is a fundamental part of securing our towns and cities for growth and expansion.”

Frazer Blyth, director at Bluewater, added: “It has been a pleasure to see these young minds tackle head-on one of the biggest challenges our cities and towns face today. Their consideration for not just the retail experience, but also the environment and how humans interact with each other is to be commended.

“We have been delighted to partner with the amazing team at TechFest on this project and continue to support the important work they do with young people in Scotland.”