Felsted pupil Chanel Kuo, age 18 from Taiwan, is delighted to have been offered a place at the Architectural Association, one of the world’s most famous schools.
Chanel exhibited her model of a proposed ‘Thinking Space’, in response to a creative challenge to enhance Felsted’s 21st Century learning environment.
Chanel comments: “Applying for the Architectural Association was really competitive. Being given a place for the foundation year was a dream come true. I know there are many skills I need to learn and improve, but it will give me the opportunity to learn from experienced seniors and try out various types of art.
“This was my first attempt at modelling. I still remember how excited I was when I received the brief from my art teacher; I spent extra time on the model because I wanted to challenge myself. This work enabled me to think deeply about how to design a structure without disturbing the natural environment, but which is visually pleasing, my inspiration was American architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s idea of organic architecture; finding the harmony between constructions and the natural environment.”
The Architectural Association has an international reputation for only taking the very best and creative students. The last Felstedian to be offered a place was James McCloud in 1991. Pritzker Prize winners Rem Koolhaas and his pupil Zaha Hadid are also recent Alumni.
David Smith, Felsted Arts Coordinator added: “Chanel designed a 21st century Thinking Space in response to the Headmaster’s rallying cry for student creative input. One of the reasons why we are so excited is because she is so young and it is a rarity for the Association to take pupils straight from school.”
