Together West College Scotland and Neat Living have co-created a unique partnership called Designers of Tomorrow 2018. Fostering relationships between education and enterprise, Interior Architecture students completed a number of challenges from live clients.

This year’s ‘Micro 80 Project’ with Neat Living saw the college’s HND Interior Architecture students generate new concepts and create design solutions for either an up-market London garden home or a rural Scandinavian dwelling.

Lecturer Lola Paterson, commented, “This has been an incredible opportunity yet again working with Neat Living Team.

Our Designers of Tomorrow 2018 have responded with an excellent professional standard of work. This experience contributes greatly to them articulating onto university or future employment and showcasing their work.

Hosted by Neat Living, staff, students, members of senior management and guests from Universities and the private sector gathered at the CitizenM Hotel to hear the winners announced:

1st Place – Calum McEwan

2nd Place – Magdalena Theuss

3rd Place – Jessica Evans

Pictured: Colin Taylor from Neat Living, Winner, Calum McEwan and Lecturer, Lola Paterson

Director of Neat Living, Colin Taylor, commented, “From the get-go, we wanted Neat Living to be about how great design could make space efficient and energy efficient homes amazing for our customers.

'Working with emerging talent, such as these fantastic Designers of Tomorrow 2018 students, has been another amazing experience for us all as they have come forward and put their stamp on what modern living solutions could be. These students are joining a much wider network, including former grads of West College Scotland, who are going forward to university and the workplace, with new skills and ideas for the future.”

Speaking to Callum McEwan who scooped first place for his high end London concept, he said,

“Taking part in the live client project with Neat Living to design the compact and sustainable ‘micro 80’ home was a great opportunity to learn and develop new skills.

'To receive feedback from those in the industry makes all the difference in the final designs which were exhibited in an excellent event hosted by Neat Living.

Having my design judged as being 1st place winner is a great personal achievement

 Pictured: Winning design by Calum McEwan

Keith McKellar, Chair of the Board of Management who attended the event, said, “I think that this is a great opportunity for our students to work on live client briefs which is critically important in preparing our students to become work ready.

‘When you see the finished results it is easy to forget just how far the students have come in such a short period of time to reach this standard. They all rose to the challenge and should be pleased with what they have achieved, they are a credit to themselves, the College and to their lecturers.

‘I should also like to thank Colin Taylor from Neat Living for providing this opportunity to our students, it is this type of client lead experience that you can only get through working for a client and it is this that is essential for us to produce work-ready students who know what is required of them.”