Bedales Prep pupil wins junior architect competition

A budding architect from Bedales Prep was announced as the winner of Goodwood’s Junior Barkitecture Competition that was held in May 2023.

Florence Dale, who was in Group 1 (Year 4) at the time of the competition, designed a kennel to share with her dog Teddy. As a result of her success, Florence’s design was built and displayed at Goodwood’s ‘Goodwoof’ dog show, which took place on 20-21 May.

Florence’s winning design was inspired by her love of reading and showcased great attention to detail, as well as careful thought into suitable sustainable materials for building the kennel, ‘Teddy’s Cosy Reading Corner’.

The Junior Barkitecture Competition, which saw local primary school pupils tasked with designing a kennel to share with their favourite dog during the school day, was judged by Channel 4’s Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud MBE.

Florence’s design was selected from over 200 entries across 45 schools in the local area, which Kevin McCloud stated, “gave the professional architects a run for their money”. In addition to the Junior Competition, registered architects and design practices from around the globe were invited to enter the Barkitecture Competition, which celebrates cutting-edge kennel design.

After hearing about her architectural success, Florence said: “Wow! It’s amazing. I can’t believe that I won and that my kennel is actually going to be made. I’m so excited to see it.”

In addition to the kennel being displayed at the Barkitecture stand at Goodwoof, Florence also received £500 prize money for Bedales Prep. Mark Hales, teacher of Design at the Prep School, revealed that the money will go towards a new piece of equipment for pupils to use in the school’s Design Barn.

In June, Goodwood kindly delivered Florence’s kennel to Bedales Prep, where it has been proudly displayed in the school’s reception to be enjoyed by pupils and furry visitors alike.