Anthony Engi Meacock

Made in Britain

The dream: an education that could set you free; the catch: to pay for it you must work.

'So this is our plan for growth. We want the words "made in Britain", "created in Britain", "designed in Britain", "invented in Britain" to drive our nation forward.' - George Osborn, Autumn Statement - 5 December 2012

We are reaching the physical limits of our economic growth; the current recession is not a blip, it is the new normal. When energy growth has ceased, and efficiency has been squeezed to a practical limit, innovation and technological advance are the only means of economic growth. In this context can a new vision of higher education salvage our economy and provide hope for an emerging ‘lost generation’?

Sited in the future Isle of Dogs this project proposes an institution of transition; combining learning and research with labour and production. Education and opportunity is paid for through work, providing potential salvation for ambitious individuals and the crucial workforce required for a technological renaissance. Knowledge and information are bought and sold; education at the center of the productive system. The commodity becomes the students themselves. Investors and educators compete for the best students to maintain their position in the market. Employers compete for the best students and the best innovations. Students compete for the best positions in the most desirable locations.