Students at King's Lynn, tackling a sustainable construction challenger, have been given a tour of the large-scale regeneration scheme at Hillington Square estate for Freebridge Community Housing.

Local housing specialist Lovell organised visits to the project for 23 students from Springwood High School taking part in the Bronze CREST Award challenge.

The CREST Award scheme is run by the British Science Association to help students understand how science, technology, engineering and mathematics are used in the real world. The Springwood students have been set a challenge to devise to create their own housing development using sustainable materials and

A guided tour of the Hillington Square project enabled the students to draw on the Lovell team’s expert advice about sustainability and find out more about how maths and science subjects are used in construction.

The visit helped the students learn more about how homes can be made more energy-efficient, the use of sustainably sourced materials, construction methods which cut energy and water consumption and the reduction of construction waste through recycling. The visitors were 14- and 15-year-olds studying for the BTEC First Certificate in Construction and the Built Environment and 15- and 16-year-old mathematics students.


Shaun Rippon, head of department for Design & Technology and Construction at Springwood High School, says: "Our students thoroughly enjoyed the tour around Hillington Square. The opportunity to see a live construction site in operation was invaluable for their understanding of how the industry works, and the expert advice on sustainability issues has complemented our curriculum perfectly."

Lovell construction manager Michael Saunders says: "It was a pleasure to welcome the Springwood students to the site and show them how the work we are doing is helping transform Hillington Square. Events such as this are a brilliant way to bring school subjects to life, as well as enabling us to demonstrate to young people the incredible career opportunities which the construction industry offers." Following the success of the visit, Lovell also plans to offer work experience placements to the Springwood students. The link-up with the school is part of a series of community initiatives undertaken by Lovell in King’s Lynn which have also included visits to Hillington Square by construction students at the College of West Anglia and health and safety awareness initiatives with local school pupils.

Lovell began work in summer 2013 on the regeneration programme for Hillington Square. Developed in close collaboration with the community, Freebridge’s four-year regeneration programme at Hillington Square involves a remodelling of the estate and upgrading of its 320 flats with extensive internal and external improvements.

(MH/CD)