Reading Rooms

We were commissioned by Bow Arts, on behalf of Shoreditch Park Primary School, to co-design bespoke reading corners for four KS2 classrooms. We ran four workshops in each class to develop concepts and create elements inspired by their class authors: David Almond, Michael Morpurgo, Shaun Tan, and Roald Dahl. This process culminated in the design and installation of four distinct, immersive reading hubs in the school. Workshop 1: Starting with the idea of a ‘writer’s shed,’ pupils worked in groups to design their own ‘reading sheds.’ They drew on what they love about reading, favourite reading spots, and themes from their class authors to decorate two-dimensional panels based on a flat-pack shed template. Workshop 2: We returned with a variety of model-making materials, encouraging students to explore three-dimensional shapes and further develop their reading shed concepts. Workshop 3: While the pupils worked on detailed elements, we developed structural designs and concepts for each reading corner. The students’ crafted elements were incorporated into the final structures. Installation: During the half term, we installed and decorated the structures, keeping them under wraps until the final workshop. Workshop 4: Pupils created additional decorative elements, which were unveiled on World Book Day, marking the official opening of the reading hubs.