Partner Article

Student's design project speaks to the judges

A new design for a speech and language therapy clinic for children has won a Newcastle University graduate first prize in an international competition.

28-year-old Elaine Neish, who lives in Gateshead, beat off strong competition from as far afield as Australia and Mexico to win the Student Architect for Health 2008 award.

Elaine said: “My nephew was born with a cleft lip, which is where the language link came in. At the time there was also a lot in the news about the need for better provision for this kind of healthcare so I thought it would be a challenge to design something relevant.”

Her proposition involved demolishing the existing casino and derelict buildings behind Newcastle’s Central Station in Forth Street to create a blade-like building which would house the Children’s Speech and Language Clinic, providing both educational and research facilities.

The clinic would include play areas where children had the freedom to explore and make a noise, alongside calmer natural green spaces. Everything would also be scaled appropriately for children, so they didn’t feel overwhelmed by the experience.

“I was very surprised to win,” she said. “When I arrived in London and saw that the other short-listed entries on display were really large projects and tackling big issues in healthcare I didn’t think I could compete. But obviously the judges saw something different they liked in mine!”

Elaine, who is originally from Aberdeenshire, is now working as an architectural assistant for Dunwoodie Architecture and Design in Newcastle after graduating with a BA in Architecture this summer. She received her £1,000 winner’s cheque at a ceremony at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) last month.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .