The design for the new ‘Palace for Northern Democracy’ by students from Joseph Swan’s.
An innovative proposal to relocate the Houses of Parliament to the outskirts of Chester-le-Street has made it to the finals of a national competition.
Students from Joseph Swan School in Gateshead designed the new building as part of a Royal Institute of British Architecture (RIBA) competition, which invited pupils from across the UK to create a Parliament for the Future.
The students’ design has now been short-listed from hundreds of entries, and will be displayed, alongside the eight other finalists, in the prestigious Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament (7-17 July).
An iconic dome shaped structure, the ‘Palace for Northern Democracy’, uses renewable energy and the very latest green technology, including self-sufficient farms and orchards, to create an impressive new home for MPs.
The five students – all aged between 14 and 15 – worked closely with professional architect mentors and conducted exhaustive desk research to develop the design.
On Tuesday 7 July, the team will travel to London to find out if they’ve scooped the top prize at a special award ceremony at Westminster Hall.
George Hodgson, teacher at Joseph Swan and project leader, said: “I am incredibly proud of my students. They have worked extremely hard to get this far in the competition and have put in dozens of extra hours to make the design both realistic and imaginative. We are now keeping our fingers crossed for 7 July.”
RIBA competition judges said: “The jury was impressed with Joseph Swan’s imaginative approach to relocating Parliament to the outskirts of Chester-le-Street and making it the new home for Northern Democracy. The iconic structure and demonstration of design quality were exemplary.”