Mike Cook and Students on a Design Project
The Happold Trust is a major sponsor of the Creative Design in the Built Environment Course at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College.
The Creative Design course, run by Mike Cook, is an integral element of the Civil Engineering course for First and Second year students. It aims to encourage students to become creative engineers. Inspirational presentations from leading practitioners are followed by project work relating to the presentation in question.
Projects include designing a bridge for the development of Battersea Power Station, and planning refugee camps. Students experience the development of each project, from conception to detail design. They are forced to consider all related aspects, from structural integrity and aesthetic quality, to social and environmental impact.
Students find the course to be hugely beneficial, and find it extremely satisfying to be able to apply their academic knowledge to real engineering projects.