Jakob Young is an award-winning MArch graduate from the University of Strathclyde. Raised in Sheffield, educated in Glasgow and now based in Bristol, he combines architecture, education, and social justice in his work. His projects have received local and national recognition, including the GIA ‘Final Year Parchment’ and the Architecture Journal’s prize for best postgraduate student.
His practice focuses on participatory design and spatial inequalities, with a particular interest in reimagining educational spaces as inclusive, community-integrated environments. Drawing inspiration from theorists like Colin Ward and Giancarlo De Carlo, his work explores Place-Based Education (PBE) as a means of transforming schools into dynamic, student-led hubs that foster social mobility and civic engagement.
The exhibited project, set in Springburn, Glasgow, envisions a ‘High-Street School’ - an open, adaptable learning environment that extends beyond the traditional classroom. Through student consultations, modular pavilions, and a ‘High-Street School Bus,’ the project challenges the rigid, exam-driven nature of conventional education and offers an alternative where schools are integrated into their communities. By embedding learning spaces into everyday city life, the project encourages students to engage meaningfully with their surroundings, fostering a sense of agency and belonging. The design promotes accessibility, adaptability and interaction, ensuring that education is not confined to a building but is an evolving process shaped by the local environment and its people. In this way, it redefines schools as not merely places of instruction but as vital civic spaces that support lifelong learning and community cohesion.
